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Nigel Farage’s keynote speech at the Reform Party conference was disrupted by hecklers and protesters following a security scare.
Several campaigners had to be thrown out of the main hall in Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre while the Reform UK leader was on stage.
One had held up a banner in the centre of the auditorium that read: “Reform works for billionaires.”
At least four demonstrations took place during Mr Farage’s speech, in which he vowed to not to be “distracted” by “a highly co-ordinated campaign of attacks”.
He had been delayed in delivering his address by a security incident after climate change campaigners unravelled a banner on stage.
When he began his speech, an hour later than planned, two women hecklers were thrown out of the conference hall.
They were booed by audience members who shouted “out” before they were removed by security.
Mr Farage said: “We’ve got a screamer.”
Later, protesters were removed in separate incidents. Mr Farage joked that ticket prices could be raised next year to weed out campaigners against the party.
Mr Farage and his party are facing a police investigation over allegations they breached political donation rules.
Reform took funding from a “US firm” for three polls it commissioned earlier this year costing £32,500, Channel 4 News reported on Thursday night.
The purported donors were actually undercover reporters from investigative group Verbatim posing as an American financier and his UK-based son.
