Nigel Farage is guilty of launching a political attack on his own country, Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly has told GB News.
Speaking to the People's Channel, Mr Cleverly criticised the Reform UK leader as he prepares to give evidence to the House Judiciary Committee in Washington.
Mr Farage will be addressing concerns about the decline of free speech in the UK during a hearing on Wednesday.
He is expected to raise the case of Graham Linehan, who says he was detained at Heathrow Airport over three posts on X.
Mr Farage will also mention Lucy Connolly, who was freed from jail last month at the automatic release point after serving 40 per cent of a 31-month sentence for a post about asylum seekers in the aftermath of the Southport murders last year.
James Cleverly hit out at the Reform UK leader
|GB NEWS / PA
Speaking on GB News, Mr Cleverly said the Reform leader is only concerned about advancing his own agenda.
“Nigel Farage is trying to advance his own political agenda. I have been to parts of the world where free speech really is curtailed”, he said.
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“We’ve got to be careful we don’t add to what I think is, fundamentally, a political attack from Nigel Farage towards his own country.
“We do have freedom of speech and we value it, but it does need protecting. We have some overzealous people curtailing that.
James Cleverly defended Britain's freedom of speech record
|GB NEWS
“For the most part, it is a fantastic country. It is a country that has real freedoms, including freedom of speech, and we do need to protect that. Labour is not doing a good enough job.
“As I say, Farage has got a political agenda and I think we need to be realistic about that.”
Top US politicians have increasingly veered into British political matters in recent months with a particular focus on free speech.
Among them is Vice President JD Vance, who has condemned the UK’s Online Safety Act, which had some key components come into effect on July 25.
Awkward moment JD Vance issues direct free speech warning to David Lammy as Britain faces ‘dark path’
Its new regulations involve imposing age restrictions for pornographic and “harmful” websites, which Vice President Vance believes restricts freedom of speech not just in the UK, but the US also.
Labour has attacked Mr Farage’s opposition to the bill and sparked a bitter row in July when Technology Secretary Peter Kyle accused him of being on the side of “people like Jimmy Savile”.
The Reform UK leader demanded an apology from the Labour Minister but he is yet to receive one.
Vice President Vance made his concerns about freedom of speech known widely at the Munich Security Conference in February, claiming European Union “commissars” were suppressing it.
Graham Linehan was arrested on Monday | PAHe also hit out at the continent for facilitating mass migration, accusing its leaders of abandoning “some of its most fundamental values”.
Mr Farage will raise the case of Mr Linehan at the hearing today after the Father Ted co-creator was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence in relation to his posts on X.
The arrest prompted a furious backlash from figures including author JK Rowling.
When asked about the arrest, Mr Cleverly told GB News it appears to be an overreaction.
“It was a joke that Graham himself said was not necessarily was a funny one”, he said.
“I think it’s important we don’t overreact or police criticism. Freedom of speech is important and it’s something we value in the UK. We do have it and we do protect it.
“I have been to parts of the world as Foreign Secretary where freedom of speech is not a reality, but that is not where we are.
“This does appear, from what I can see, to be an overreaction to a rather crass joke.”