Man arrested for threatening to shoot Nigel Farage on social media as police shift to proactive stance on MP safety
A man in his 20s was detained in south London after parliamentary authorities flagged a May post on X vowing to shoot the Reform UK leader if he won local elections.
Arrest and threat chronology
A man in his 20s was arrested at a residential address in south London on Tuesday after a social media post threatened to shoot Nigel Farage. The post, made on X a day after the 7 May local elections while votes were still being counted, read: "I am going to shoot you in the head if you win." Parliamentary authorities reported the message to the Metropolitan Police on Friday 8 May. Detectives then obtained a court application to the platform for the user's contact information, and after that data was returned, the arrest took place on 14 July. The suspect was held overnight and released on bail the following day, pending further inquiries.
- UK local elections held on 7 May.
- A post on X vows to shoot Farage in the head if he wins, made a day after the elections.
- Parliamentary authorities report the post to the Met Police on 8 May.
- Detectives obtain contact details from the social media platform after a court application.
- Man in his 20s arrested at a residential address in south London on 14 July.
- Suspect released on bail pending further inquiries on 15 July.
Farage's reaction and call for security
Farage told the Telegraph the arrest was the first time police had proactively acted on a social media threat against him, and he urged them to examine the other "three or four hundred similar posts" from 2026 alone. He said he had reported many threats over the years, including videos of people firing guns, yet police had always claimed the posts did not reach the threshold.
This is the first time the police have ever proactively acted on a social media post, and I hope they are looking at the other three or four hundred similar posts from this year alone.
Reform UK home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf said there was an "overwhelming sense of fear" among the party's MPs after the killing of former MP and party spokesperson Ann Widdecombe.
There is an overwhelming sense of fear amongst the Reform MPs.
Widdecombe killing and shifting investigation
Ann Widdecombe, 78, a former Conservative minister who later joined Reform UK as its immigration and justice spokesperson, was found dead at her rural Devon home on 8 July. The investigation was initially handled by local police, who said nothing pointed to a political or terrorism-related motive. However, counter-terrorism police took over the case on Monday after new evidence emerged of a "targeted attack." A white British man, 28, was arrested on suspicion of murder and preparation of terrorist acts. Devon and Cornwall Police have faced criticism for their early assessment.
If the police now decide to act to protect the lives of active and retired politicians, then something good will have come from the horrible death of Ann.
Farage's resignation and by-election
Farage resigned as MP for Clacton earlier this month after a parliamentary investigation into an undeclared donation of 5 million pounds (around 6.7 million dollars) from a cryptocurrency billionaire based in Thailand. He has said the money was intended to fund his personal security. Despite stepping down, he plans to run again for the same seat next month, to demonstrate continued public support. Opposition parties have criticised the move as a tactic to avoid a full parliamentary inquiry into the donation.
