‘Nigel Farage isn’t your average posh boy’ - Nadine Dorries - podcast episode cover

‘Nigel Farage isn’t your average posh boy’ - Nadine Dorries

Oct 02, 202533 min
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Episode description

Nadine Dorries was once a Tory loyalist and Boris Johnson’s closest ally — now she’s defected to Reform UK, the party leading the polls under Nigel Farage.

She claims Farage is the only leader who can deliver the change communities need, but are Reform’s headline promises really workable? 

And how does Dorries reconcile joining a party whose leader launches blistering attacks on her old boss, Boris Johnson? 

She joins Cathy Newman for her first sit down interview since defecting.

Transcript

The thing I find about Nigel refreshing is that he will have the robust conversation. With you so he's not your average posh boy who doesn't know the cost of a pint of milk to use your. Words. No, no he isn't. And I do find that refreshing do. You think there will be more defections from the Tories? Too. Oh yeah, I know, I know. There will be. No, there will. Be how many rough?

Bigger names than me. Let's talk about why reformers introduced this policy on immigration, because Nigel Farage says that he's dealing with what he calls the Boris wave. I accept that 4.2 million people was way, way too big a number, right? So he didn't put a lid on it. He didn't take that control as. No, it was because we have controlled of our borders that we were able. To open the borders and let everybody in. Hello and welcome to the

forecast. Nadine Dorries was once former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's closest ally. But now she's defected to Reform UK, the party leading the polls under Nigel Farage. She insists Farage is the only one to deliver change, but are his policies workable? And how does she respond to her new leaders attacks on her former boss? She joins me now for her first sit down interview since defecting.

Nadine Doris Keir Starmer said this week that Nigel Farage was a snake oil merchant who doesn't like Britain. Are you getting any kind of buyer's remorse for defecting? Absolutely not. In fact, it was the attacks from the stage and the platform at the Labour conference, if anything, that would make myself and others more more convinced about the fact that we've done the right thing and I. Also joining a party with racist politics.

Oh, it's not racist, Cathy. The the party is not racist anyway and I find it hugely insulting. I've been in politics for 20 years in Westminster, 25 in total. I find it huge insulting that anybody would describe someone who's an intelligent person who's been involved in politics as a racist or no. No, they're not. To be clear, they're specifically not describing Nigel Farage himself as racist. And the. Politics are not but the but

the. Policy of deporting 10s of thousands of people who've made their homes here for the simple fact that they're not British. You can understand why Keir Starmer might describe that as racist. It's not racist to want to protect our borders, to want to deport those people who are illegally here. But that's not he's not just wanting to deport the people who are illegally here, he's talking about scrapping indefinite right to remain and so therefore people who have made their homes

here. I am very sure that as we move toward the 3 1/2 years, towards the general election, there will be clarity around the skills that are required that need to remain in terms of legal migration now, legal migration we will still need to have moving forward. That and you need it for the NHS for.

Example, we need to have a former nurse, I would say you know who trained with a my my my peers when I was nursing were Filipinos, so you know it will Philippine nurses were as equal as British. They'll be deported under this policy because they would not be earning enough. To say not reform are not going to introduce policies that would leave our NHS and staffed. He's told you that. That would leave no, I I think just plain common sense tells me that. So this policy will be refined.

These policies that will leave care homes without without assistance. But what what we that is? Exactly what the current policy would do. What we would do would be that those those jobs, those skills would be filled by an individual. That doesn't mean their entire family can come over with them. It doesn't mean they will have a right to British pensions.

It doesn't mean they'd have a right to the British welfare system of of course illegal migration, as in any other country in the world is a person to fill a skills gap. And I'm very sure that moving forward when there is more clarity around reforms parties, that is exactly what reform we'll be looking at. So.

You're not the threshold might have to come down the salary threshold because you know, you're not going to get care workers and and nurses in, you know, in the under the threshold that's currently being talked about. You're asking me about policy details. I do not hold a job within Reform or a title. Zia Youssef, who is Nigel Farage's right hand man, which it almost makes me laugh when people level the accusation of racism. Zia is Nigel Farage's right hand

man. He's now the head of policy. Zia will be defining those policies. Zia is an incredibly intelligent man. Is he going to leave our care homes and our hospitals without staff to run them? No, he is not. But what he will do is make sure that those people who are here are I, I believe that those people are here, are here to do a job that doesn't give them endless entitlements to our public services, British pensions, our welfare system.

It doesn't give their entire family a right to follow them and that those people who are here illegally will be removed. Before we move on to why reform is introducing this policy, you said that Keir Starmer's remarks were dangerous. Very dangerous just. Explain why and if you really feel threatened by those comments that made from the

conference back. Look, we've seen MPs murdered in the past and there was almost an understanding that that rhetoric and the dialogue that MPs use towards each other, one has to be very careful. And I think what happened yesterday at the Labour Party conference was an utter disgrace. It was. But you believe in free speech? You believe free.

Speech there is and Nigel Farage said himself this week, there are when there are accounts being established, TikTok accounts and other accounts being opened that are calling for him to be for the end of his life and calling for him to. I mean, it's only weeks since there was a, a murder in the US, the Charlie Kirk murder. One has to be cuddled, inciting violence, which is what I think Keir Starmer did yesterday, inciting hatred. That's not free speech, that's dangerous. And that's.

What Lucy Connolly? Was jailed for and. Reform has opposed that decision. Always a level to that. There's always a limit to that. Let's talk about why reformers introduced this policy on immigration, because Nigel Farage says that he's dealing with what he calls the Boris wave. And I'll just quote what he said. Millions of people being allowed into Britain, most of whom don't even work and are costing us a fortune.

And he says voters will never forgive your friend Boris Johnson, the former Prime Minister for that is Nigel Farage, right? So you know the interesting thing I found about this, and I've yet to have this discussion with Nigel. He's been particularly busy. I've yet to have this discussion with them. It's how Rishi Sunak is getting off Scott free on this discussion. It was. It was under Boris Johnson's government.

Well, just let me explain. So during COVID, a lot of people left the UK. People willingly went back home. A lot of Eastern Europeans who were filling particular vacancies and roles in the UK went back.

Kathy, you were reporting, and I was a minister at the time, when COVID ended, when the hospitality sector was screaming out because they couldn't open their doors, because they couldn't function, when nursing homes were screaming out because the the bulk of Eastern Europeans who were filling those jobs had left. It was the Migration Advisory Committee who advised the number of people who were needed in the

UK to fill those vacancies. And that was, and by the way, the Boris wave word is very much a Dominic Cummings artefact. So it was so. So the Migration Committee advised the number of people who need to come over. Now I know that at the time Boris Johnson was putting in place legislation that people who come over didn't have the right, you'll remember this, to bring their entire families over with them. And I find it quite remarkable that people talk about the Boris wave.

He was British, Sunak was Prime Minister for two years. So why is nobody mentioning what Rishi Sunak did? So it's a Boris and Rishi wave to be. Accurate it was I, Boris and I will disagree on this. He will. He will say that there was a need for people to come over and he put in place the legislation to stop those families coming over. But you think? It was a mistake to allow so many people in, you think Boris Johnson. 4 million people, way too many, way too much, and he doesn't.

Agree. He doesn't agree with you on that. So look, I'm not going to discuss my conversations with Boris Johnson with you, but 4 million people hoping too many people, I think it is, was way, way too much because you, our NHS, cannot sustain that number. Our NHS resources are being channelled towards those people, those four extra million people. So are our schools, so are our public services, so are our pensions.

We simply cannot, as the small island that we are, Kathy, sustain that level of inward migration and continue to provide the public services that we need to that people deserve and require. You accept you didn't raise your voice around the table and say there's a Boris wave coming and it's wrong and I oppose. It no, because I was completely unaware that the number of people I knew the Migration Advisory Committee had advised that we needed to fill those

skill gaps. I knew that there was a discussion taking place about filling those skill gaps but stop preventing people's families from coming over. I was not made aware of the numbers and nobody around the cabinet table was made aware of the numbers. Priti Patel knew the numbers, she knew what was happening. She was the home secretary, she is responsible. She was responsible for the Home Office at the time, the Prime Minister overseas, all of our departments.

We are each responsible for our department which are, which is a full time job. I didn't ask how many people do we have coming. The questions I was asking were, well, I need more money to get broadband rolled out to every home in the UK, right, so that we can level up. I need to to work on the midterm review of the BBC licence fee. They're the kind of discussions I was having because that was my department. You accept that Boris Johnson

got it wrong on this? I mean reforms head of policies you. I accept that 4.2 million people was way, way too big a number. Right. So he didn't put a lid on it. He didn't take back control as. No Brexit. It was because we have controlled of our borders that we were able. To open the borders and let everybody in. No, Kathy, that's quite a twist on what happened.

What Boris Johnson did was, and I agree with the Migration Advisory Committee that we need and agree with the hospitality sector and the care home sector and every other sector that was screaming out for more people to come in. He put in place the process to prevent those people from being in their families over. He would also be entitled to our pensions and on our NHS and our schools and our public services. It was Rishi Sunak that stopped that happening, right?

Zia Youssef, reforms head of policy, who you've extolled as a very clever man, described Boris Johnson as one of the worst prime ministers in history. Have you had a chance to set him right? Look, I'm political knockabout and rhetoric between opposition parties is as old as the Roman Empire. So of course he's going to say that and I wish he wouldn't. I actually don't like playing

the man. I'd rather play the ball and I but you know, I'm not Zia. Zia will do things the way he wants to. I think. I sometimes just think that maybe we should just take the personal out of it. And, you know, that's why I was so dismayed with what I heard Keir Starmer saying yesterday and what I heard David Lammy and the 11 cabinet, Labour cabinet

ministers. And by the way, so normally after a conference, we, any party, even those who are struggling the worst, see a bounce in their poll rating, even if it's only minimal, we'll see some kind of bounce. I don't think we're going to see that with Labour. Well, let's see. It's it's too early to say, perhaps, but staying on Boris Johnson, are you trying to persuade him to defect from Conservatives to reform? No. Gosh, no.

Lost cause. No, no. No, no. No, no, he's a former Conservative Prime Minister. You're former. Conservative cabinet minister, you've defected. That's different. He's a former Conservative Prime Minister. He is not going to defect to another political party, do you think? There will be more defections from the Tories to Oh yeah, I know. I know there will be. No, there will be. How many roughly bigger names than me? Roughly how? Many are we talking I. Well, Nigel doesn't want many.

That's the that's the issue. I know there are probably political names who are wanting to come to reform who he doesn't want. So he's turned people. Away I I. Would imagine he has like but you know that. There are people, a number of people, high profile Tories who are ready to jump ship well. Nigel said this himself and he said himself, he doesn't want that many, you know, reform isn't going to be just a, a, an, an for the those on the sinking ship to the life raft for those

to jump onto. That's not what it is. And it also isn't going to just become a new Conservative Party because the Conservative Party, and it pains me to say this, the Conservative Party over the time it's been in government has failed in many levels. The Labour Party has failed. I don't think there's been a radical visionary government since the time of Margaret Thatcher.

I think Boris Johnson would have been that radical visionary Prime Minister, but he had Putin and COVID to deal with and, and some very left-leaning typical MPs who wanted to see him removed because of Brexit. And I think that what we need in reform is that radical vision about doing things differently in Westminster and in Whitehall. And we're not going to get that if all that reform do is bring over a pile of ex ministers you

think within. Days we're going to see some more high profile I I. Haven't Kathy, I have no idea. I can't. I don't have a crystal ball. I can't answer that question, but I do. I do believe there will be high profile defections. I'm very sure that will happen for two reasons.

One is there will be people like me who have given their life to politics and have a lot of wisdom and a lot of experience that they think they want to offer and will want to do so and see how irrelevant the Conservative Party is. There is no hope for the Conservative Party. It is not going to turn its fortunes around. It is not even going to be in opposition after the next

general election. And there are some good MPs in the Conservative Party who will think, well, I've still got a lot to give and, and I'm sure will go to Reform and I'm, if I were then I would have those, those conversations with Nigel Farage. I'm not sure Nigel will take everybody. I'm not sure he wants many, but I think there will be some he would consider. Boris Johnson says he wouldn't defect to reform because of its extremely dangerous policy on Russia.

I mean, Nigel Farage has claimed that NATO provoked Putin's aggression. The former party leader in Wales has admitted taking bribes to make statements in favour of Russia while a member of the European Parliament. I mean, are you worried about that? Did you do your due diligence? I did there are there are policies that I I'm not going to agree on everything with Nigel Fraud. I didn't agree on everything with Boris. We'll talk about a. Few. A few more of them in a minute,

but most. Agreements were in private and behind the scenes I but there are things I do agree with Nigel on. I do agree with him on the economy and you know the it's interesting that Labour actually adopted one of his policies yesterday which was lifting the two child benefit gap. The difference being that Nigel wants to lift the two child benefit cap, the two working couples for working families and what Starmer will probably do is lift it for everybody, which means people on benefits.

He'll actually increase the welfare bill which is owned. Chief Secretary of Treasury said it's unsustainable in the longer term. So I agree with him on his attitude to public says and we had a big discussion about this. Did you talk? About Russia, though, so we. Talked about Ukraine. And so his support for Ukraine, his his plans for the economy, law and order and migration were for me the central themes of what Nigel and I talked about. But we agreed on he's Johnny come.

Lately on Ukraine, isn't he? I mean, he's taken, he's made, he's made. Very definite and very clear statements about Ukraine over a long period of time, yeah, but he. Took money from the Kremlin doing his appearances on Russia Today, which is this, you know, state channel that. Kathy And that was? After Russia invaded relevant. To nothing that was relevant to nothing. So it was after Russia? Invaded there were a number of. MPs, I think, who appeared on

Russia Today, but you didn't. I mean, you wouldn't do that, would you? No, but but Kathy, I don't like doing media. I do 1-2 months under pressure. I only do it for you 'cause I think you're a great broadcaster. But I'm very limited about what? And so a lot of MPs are very limited about the media, but sitting. Down with Russia Today, which is funded by the Kremlin. That was a mistake by your leader, wasn't it? Are they to say? That so you're not. Concerned.

I think it's about statements on Russia. Oh, you're talking. History. You're talking about history, and I'm just not gonna go down there. It's not that historic. Though isn't it February 2022 only? Thing that is important is does Nigel Farage support Zelensky and Ukraine's right to protect its borders and to have its territory? But, and he does.

And that's for me. And the question I asked Nigel was it is absolutely vital to me that you have unstinting support for Zelensky in Ukraine. You know, and he and he. And he pledged that to you? Absolutely. I was Secretary of State when Putin invaded. I had my conversations with my opposite number in Ukraine when he was in a bunker and Kiev was under fire and he had stacked around him Ukraine's most precious artwork, protecting it

in a bunker, in a cave. You know, I was invested in Ukraine. I actually LED in the very first days across the world, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, countries across the globe in, in bringing together an accord where we decided that Russian athletes would not be able to take part in the Olympic, the Winter Olympics, where they would not be able to appear in. Russian artists will not be able to appear in various countries. We LED that. We were the very first people to do that.

I was invested in Ukraine. It was important to me that Nigel Farage is also invested. Yeah. And while you were? Doing all of that and feel very passionately about it. You're now leader was putting out on social media February 2022 that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a consequence of EU and NATO expansion.

Well, he said. That in 2022, what is important to me today, and lots of people change their minds on lots of issues, particularly in politics, what is important to me today is that Nigel Farage has full support behind Zelensky and Ukraine and he does. And I'm looking forward, Kathy not back. I'm looking forward and I will and I will hold Nigel's feet to the fire on that if I have to. He will not wave on Ukraine, I'm very sure of that.

We're a few days out from the Conservative Party conference. You have described the party as dead. Just unpack that a bit for. Us well, it's irrelevant nobody's listening, nobody's interested you know it's nobody's book well, some people have but you know, very few organisations have even bought stands at their conference you know when there are stories online about the Conservative

Party, no one's reading them. When, you know, people switch off now in this broadcast, in this podcast, no one's interested in the Conservative Party and and he has to go further down, you know, so we know that politics is cyclical. And I'm very sure that maybe, I don't know, 15 years time from now, the Conservative Party may become fit again to be to be a force in Westminster. It's facing an. Existential threat, though, if it's dying, it is.

It is and and it probably will, but that doesn't mean there will be people who believe in conservativism who won't come and reform in the future so effectively. Reform in the Tories will merge, won't they? So I've said this all along that, you know, if Nigel was short of the numbers to form an overall majority, it's going to be a threat to the lower majority, though, isn't it? Who can say? You know, again, we don't have crystal balls, do we? You know, Keir Starmer got a

majority. Despite the fact that it was, you know, wide and loveless and shallow. He still managed to get one. And yeah, I mean, we seem to be in the territory. Boris Johnson had an agency. We seem to be in the territory of large majorities but that there may need to be an accommodation of some form in the future, whether that will look like in certain key seats, reformist on candidates or there will be some kind of

arrangement. If, if that doesn't happen and reform are slightly short, I mean reform, we're not going to get into bed with the Liberal Democrats, but in the Labour. Would be open to some kind of tie up do you think? Would you? Well, Cammy. Bejnak even be there right? So you. Think she She won't necessarily be, I don't think. So I don't think I'll make this prediction with you. I don't think that after next may either Camille Bejanak or Keir Starmer will be leaders of the parties.

And in fact, I I put serious money on that. They won't be. Keir Starmer will struggle to last until next May. We know what happened at his conference. You know his speech well, he shored. Up his support thanks to Andy Burnham Kathy he. What the the point? It was all optics and it was all window dressing. It was all about muting. Andy Burnham keeping the show on the road for the cameras. When Labour go back to Westminster in two weeks it will fall apart.

We know that though you and I know from what we know behind the scenes, the warfare is real. Lucy Powell will become the deputy leader of the party. It's Bridget Phillipson, won't come anywhere near Andy Burnham will continue. It was just the wrong time at the conference, the wrong objects put back in. His box, sorry. Now come back to we know. I know Andy Burnham for a very long time. Andy Burnham is back in his box for now, probably for the next two weeks.

Andy Burnham hasn't hasn't gone away. Kebby Bade. Not not least because. Lucy Powell is Andy Burnham's right. You know, woman, he's got his. He's got his person in Westminster, Kelly Badenoch. Is poised to withdraw from the European Convention on human rights and the refugee convention does that not give you pause that you know she's now coming up with the policies that you wanted to see she. Can't, because she may. That may be a policy she'll announce again. Window dressing.

And This is why I am So, you know, aren't so many of us so heartily sick of politicians and stand and make claims but don't do anything about it? Well, I mean she. Can't. Now she's in opposition, and she won't be. Able to, and she'll never be able to because their MPs will never back her and she'd never

be able to get that through. And that's because 2/3 of the MPs in the Conservative Party are to the left of the Conservative Party. They will never support her in leaving the ECHR or the convention. It just won't happen. You've been. Quite open about the fact that you don't agree with everything your new leader sets out, but there are a couple of areas that seems. No, I, I said we're not going to agree on everything. So I can't think of anything.

He's set out at the moment and they're sure you're going to remind me. Well, I'm gonna have an. Idea about the online safety bill, which is yes, you introduced, you know, you were very proud of it we have had. Discussions about that, Nigel? Farage says it's dystopian. He's promised to repeal it. I mean, you can try and talk him around on that, yeah. Absolutely.

And I've already begun. So what I would like to see is the word children and young people inserted into every clause in the Online Safety Bill. The problem, the thing that happened with the Online Safety Bill, Kathy. And remember I, I took it out the weeds where it was nothing and put it before Westminster in a year. The problem was that every MP wanted their say on that bill. It was treated like a Christmas tree and every MP wanted to hang a bauble on it.

And it became just this bizarre bill which is really unworkable and which the police don't have any ability to use except when they want to and what they want to use. And it's convenient. And I think one I would try and persuade Nigel Farage and he said these words himself and I was interested to hear him say and he said, I think he said, you know, I'll say this, actually there are limits to

free speech. That was quite important because he felt those limits to free speech when people were setting up online social media accounts calling for his death. So has. Nigel Farage committed to you that instead of repealing that bill, he hasn't committed. Anything but we do have we do I have spoken to him about this. He's. Probably to listen I have.

He does listen. This is the thing I have been, I'm absolutely find refreshing and encouraging is that Nigel will really engage in the conversation. Whereas, you know, in the past, you know, I had in the past, I've had prime ministers who will speak to you through their spags and their aids when it's an uncomfortable subject that they don't want to discuss. And the thing I find about Nigel refreshing is that he will have the conversation, robust conversation with you. So he's not.

Your average posh boy who doesn't know the cost of a pint of milk? To use your words, no. He isn't, and I do find that refreshing. I mean, he went. To Dulwich College. He's quite he. Did he? Did yeah, but you know, I think was I might even have said this to you. I've said this before in an interview. I'm sure is there is posh and posh, there are posh people who can talk to anybody. They still relate to people. They're normal. And there are posh people who just don't.

And Nigel Farage is somebody who not only does he have his finger on the pulse, but he's, he can relate to anyone. And, and I think you see that how people have responded to him across the board. So he's, he's, he's up for discussion. He's always up for debate. And you know, I, I have to say that in my first days of joining for him, I've challenged him and I thought, what am I doing? And but he's been like, like up for it, robust and up for it.

So it's a conversation. It's a conversation I probably won't win. But what I would say is that when I ask people, don't you want to protect children, particularly young girls and young women where we've seen the the number of those suffering from eating disorders rise exponentially, the number of young people who took their own life don't. We were in the 16 to 24 age grant, but I didn't want to do something about that because I was the health minister who got the coroner's prevention of

future death reports. I know why these young people are taking their own lives and you said all. This tonight when you. Talk to people about that. They find it. It's difficult to come back at you with an answer, so I will continue always. You've said that. To Nigel Farage, have you? Yeah, and one. Of the, one of the purposes of me being in reform actually, is to, to have those discussions. And I will talk about children and young people and I will do

it always. And I may not get my own way, but at least I'll have my voice heard. And that's important because you don't always get your voice heard. A couple of other. Policy areas that you may or may not agree or disagree on with your new leader. You tried to privatise Channel 4, I did When? You're in government. Do you expect a reform government to press ahead with that? Oh well, that's one.

Conversation we haven't had. I also wanted to change the way the BBC is funded from the licence fee. I'm not sure if you're aware of this but, and I don't know what the figure is today. I know the figure was 78% of everybody convicted for non payment of BB licence fee is a woman and it's because women carry the many cases, women carry the responsibility for the home and for the family and for the bills. And I wanted to change the way

the BBC was funded. Now, I haven't had either of those conversations with Nigel Farage and and I don't get the impression that's that's top of his agenda. But I will also, along with protecting children and young people, have the conversations with him about the BBC and he knows what he's getting with me. He knew what I he, he, he didn't take me into reform, not knowing they're the things, the causes that I've championed. You're.

A former nurse, have you taken issue with him the fact that he wasn't able to condemn Donald Trump's remarks linking paracetamol to autism pregnant mums? So I looked, so I hadn't spoken to him about that and I looked at what he said and what he said was that that we would be led by the science in the UK and that different countries have hit, I think. Well, actually, no. He he said he did. Lean into it with something else. He he actually.

Said he didn't. He didn't necessarily see that he would that science was fluid and that he didn't necessarily believe the science experts. He he didn't want to trust the science expert. So here's the thing. About being a Prime Minister is you can't take decisions about health policy, your chief scientific officer and your chief. I mean, you can as long as you are prepared to take a civil lawsuit.

And you know, I mean, that's this is the one thing that amazes me about COVID, when people talk about COVID lockdowns and some of the policies we introduced in COVID. If Boris Johnson had ignored the advice of the Chief scientific Officer, the Chief Medical Officer, SAGE and other bodies that were identified as those who were informing on that particular policy, he would probably be in prison now as a result of a civil lawsuit or certainly in that process.

Now, no Prime Minister is ever going to be able to say to override the chief scientific officer and the chief medical officer when it comes to health policy, unless of course. Is extremely. Wealthy and settled. Well, that's, you know, again he would change. As Prime Minister, if he was Prime Minister, he wouldn't have any. Option not to as a health.

Minister during the pandemic, as you've set out, are you content for Nigel Farage to be advised by Asim Malhotra, who claimed at the Reform Party conference that COVID vaccines were a significant factor in the royal family's cancer diagnosis? That was. Just insane. That was literally insane and I'm not sure if that person or will ever be invited to reform conference again. I'd be very surprised if he was. Or will you make those? Representations to Nigel Far when I speak.

To again, that's we spoke about so there is so much discussed. That's not something I've spoken to him about, but but you would. You would intend to, no. That's pretty. Pretty reform is I think it was the first major conference it's ever had. It's learning as it goes. So it was grossly. Irresponsible wasn't it, to allow someone like that to be platform? Well, I don't believe anybody knew that he was going to say that. Well, he had. Reform. I mean he, he.

Nobody knew he was going to say that, but he was. He was opposed. To the COVID vaccines, some incendiary remarks about those he. Used the reform platform in order to garner both attention and immediate interest in his own platform. Great. And to be clear, what he said wasn't true. And what Donald Trump has said about the link between paracetamol and autism, also untrue, unproven. You just.

Have to the only thing you can do as a minister and when Nigel Farage is Prime Minister, which he will be very soon, when Nigel Farage is Prime Minister, when it comes to health policy on issues such as paracetamol and autism or anything else, he will have to be guided and take the advice of the chief medical officer and the chief scientific officer. Unless of course, he wants to go outside that and leave himself vulnerable for civil lawsuits, obviously.

It's up to the British people whether he becomes Prime Minister, but just finally, will he be standing as a Reform MP at the next election? Have you been offered a peerage as the price of you defecting? I haven't had those conversations with Nigel Farage. Interestingly. If I was a man I probably would have nailed him on a cabinet position and on a safe seat and on various other things. But you didn't extract. Anything out of that that just. Didn't even cross my mind and the period.

Hasn't been mentioned for me. I just literally we have not had those discussions. For me, the for me, the important thing was I'm, I'm still involved in politics a lot. And for me, the important thing was to remove myself from the Conservative Party. It's toxic and I've been there since I left in 2022. It's a toxic, sinking organization. I wanted to remove myself from it. And initially I was just going to join Reform.

And it was a third party who said, no, don't just, you do not just join Reform. You have to defector reform. Interesting. I have no way to defect from because I wasn't in a position. But who said that? The third party say. That a fellow. A fellow Conservative. I'm not going to say that. Not Boris Johnson. So. What? Definitely not Boris Johnson. He would have. Persuaded you to stay. Just a final question. Nigel Farage had to eat, I believe. Camel udder, you ostrich anus on

on a celebrity. Is that well? Actually, long ago. It's 2012. You've gone. Eating ostrich anus Did I eat an ostrich? In this did I I believe. You did. I just wondered whether you compared notes with him on disgusting things you had to eat. No. No, I mean, honestly, it's somewhere in my distant memory is a long time ago. Nadine Dorris. Thank you very much. Thank you, Kathy. That's it. For the forecast, thank you very much for watching. Goodbye.

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