(MENAFN) Parliamentary officials in the United Kingdom have significantly reduced the state-sponsored security coverage for Nigel Farage, the prominent leader of the right-wing opposition party Reform UK.

According to the party’s policy chief, Zia Yusuf, the move raises serious concerns about Farage’s safety, and he suggests it may have been politically motivated.

In a conversation with a media outlet on Wednesday, Yusuf claimed that “two weeks ago, the authorities cut Nigel’s security detail by 75 percent,” although no justification was provided for the abrupt decrease.

He went on to explain that financial supporters of the party have intervened to ensure that “Nigel is well protected,” despite the cutbacks.

Yusuf emphasized the potential consequences of this decision, warning that “if anything was to happen to Nigel, we will hold Keir Starmer squarely responsible.”

The Reform UK spokesperson went further, accusing Prime Minister Starmer of inciting hostility toward Farage, describing him as the “man who is the bookmaker’s favorite to be the next prime minister.”

Yusuf implied that Starmer's rhetoric has escalated political tensions and endangered Farage and others in the party.

Farage has also voiced anxiety over his personal safety and that of his colleagues, particularly in light of recent remarks made by Starmer.

During a speech at the Labour Party conference on Tuesday, the prime minister labeled Farage a “snake oil merchant” and criticized his views on immigration as “racist.”

Starmer declared that the nation must confront such ideologies “armed, not just with words and condemnation, but with action.”

He denounced Reform UK as the “enemy of national renewal” and “the biggest threat we face.”

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