‘UK has become North Korea’: Nigel Farage appears before US House panel, paints Britain as muzzle state

Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, appeared before the US House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday in Washington where he painted Britain as an authoritarian state that has “lost her way”.

Speaking at a hearing on Europe’s Threat to American Free Speech and Innovation, Farage warned US lawmakers that Britain should serve as a cautionary tale for America. “At what point did we become North Korea,” he asked.

Farage lamented that a country once known for Magna Carta and the mother of parliaments had “sunk into” authoritarianism, a Politico report said.

A warning to Washington?

The committee, chaired by Republican Jim Jordan, focussed on how European online regulations — particularly Britain’s Online Safety Act and the EU’s Digital Services Act — might threaten free expression and innovation in the United States.

Farage told lawmakers that Britain had transformed into what he called an “illiberal and authoritarian censorship regime,” citing recent cases to make his point, Reuters reported.

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He highlighted the case of Lucy Connolly, a mother from Northampton sentenced to 31 months in prison for a racist tweet following a knife attack in Southport. Farage told the committee Connolly was “living proof of what can go wrong,” stressing that her “intemperate” post had been deleted within hours.

Her punishment, he argued, was grossly disproportionate and an example of how Britain now criminalises opinion, Politico reported.

Farage also raised the arrest of comedy writer Graham Linehan, who was detained at Heathrow Airport over social media posts critical of transgender ideology. “What happened to him could happen to any American,” Farage warned, arguing that the state is now policing thought as much as conduct.

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He further attacked Britain’s Online Safety Act, claiming it would “damage trade” with the US by imposing onerous requirements on tech firms. The law, he argued, entrenches a “muzzle state” under the guise of protecting users from harm.

Starmer miffed at Farage’s trip

Farage’s US testimony sparked uproar at home. The UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused the Reform UK leader of undermining the country abroad. During Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer blasted Farage for “badmouthing and talking down our country” instead of attending to matters in Parliament.

Starmer went further, accusing Farage of lobbying Americans to impose sanctions that would harm British workers. “You cannot get more unpatriotic than that,” he told MPs, describing Farage’s actions as “a disgrace”, The Guardian reported.

The Sun reported that Farage intended to urge Washington to punish countries restricting speech with diplomatic and trade penalties, though Farage denied suggesting sanctions “at all, in any way”.

A clash over the Online Safety Act

The Online Safety Act has become a lightning rod in Britain’s free speech debate. The government defends it as essential to protect children from harmful content online, but Farage and Reform UK argue it threatens liberty. Asked what he would do instead, Farage admitted he did not yet have a clear alternative, saying only that “there needs to be a tech answer”.

Starmer seized on this in the Commons, declaring: “You can’t run a country on don’t know answers.” For the Prime Minister, Farage’s trip was reckless posturing abroad while failing to offer solutions at home.

Domestic and international backlash

Farage’s US testimony has divided opinion. Conservative Shadow Housing Secretary James Cleverly refused to back him, telling GB News that he had “been to parts of the world where freedom of speech really is curtailed” and warning against exaggerating Britain’s problems. “We’ve got to be careful that we don’t add to what I think is fundamentally a political attack from Nigel Farage toward his own country,” Cleverly said.

In Washington, Democrats were scathing. Committee member Jamie Raskin dismissed Farage as a “far-right, pro-Putin politician” and “Putin-loving free speech impostor,” pointing to his own platform on GB News as evidence that free speech in Britain remains intact, The Guardian reported.

Republicans, however, were more supportive. Some praised Farage as “probably the future prime minister” of the UK, a line that showed the partisan dimension of the hearing.

Britain as a cautionary tale

Farage’s message was clear. Britain is no longer a model to emulate but a warning of what happens when governments overreach. Sympathetic commentators argue that the UK now exhibits “two-tier policing” and suppresses dissent on migration, crime, or gender policy.

The Telegraph reported that many ordinary citizens feel Britain is under the sway of “hyper-liberal progressives” who brand mainstream views as dangerous.

In this narrative, Connolly and Linehan’s cases are not anomalies but symptoms of a wider culture of censorship. Farage told Congress that online speech is punished more harshly than violent offences, a claim meant to resonate in a US political climate already primed for free speech battles.

Politics of patriotism

Starmer’s framing of Farage’s trip as “unpatriotic” highlights the political stakes. By testifying before a foreign legislature, Farage risks appearing to undermine Britain’s global standing. Yet his supporters argue he is voicing the concerns of a silenced majority.

Farage insists he represents “our Britain” — one sidelined by elite consensus on migration, censorship, and cultural issues.

Britain’s wider free speech battles

Beyond Connolly and Linehan, the UK faces other flashpoints. Earlier this year, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper proscribed Palestine Action, a pro-Gaza campaign group, as a terrorist organisation. The move, which criminalises membership or support, has been challenged by civil liberties groups, who warn of a “chilling effect” on protest, Politico reported.

Police chiefs acknowledge the difficulty of enforcing hate speech laws. After Linehan’s arrest, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said officers were stuck “between a rock and a hard place” because successive governments had produced confusing legislation.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting suggested the government may clarify the law, saying police should be “policing streets, not just policing tweets”.

A divided image abroad

The contrast between Starmer’s February trip to Washington — where he reassured US senators that Britain remained committed to free expression — and Farage’s testimony could not be sharper.

Starmer told his American counterparts that free speech in the UK would “last for a very, very long time”. Farage, by contrast, declared that Britain had already crossed the line into censorship. Reports suggest some US organisations are considering financial support for British free speech groups in response.

Farage’s political play

For Farage, the Washington stage provided an opportunity to amplify his message on both sides of the Atlantic. Critics see an opportunist undermining Britain’s credibility abroad; supporters see a patriot resisting authoritarian drift at home.

Whether US lawmakers take his warnings seriously remains uncertain. But one message was unmistakable. In Farage’s telling, Britain has “become North Korea” in miniature.