Police asked to investigate whether Nigel Farage broke quarantine rules with pub trip
Nigel Farage (Credit: PA)
2 min read
Police have been asked to investigate whether Nigel Farage broke coronavirus quarantine rules by visiting a pub on Saturday.
The Brexit Party leader tweeted a picture of himself having a pint as pubs reopened for the first time, saying he was the "first customer in" at noon - exactly two weeks after tweeting a picture of himself as a guest at a Donald Trump rally in the US.
Lib Dem leadership hopeful Sir Ed Davey said he had written to Kent Police to ask them to investigate the matter.
Under current rules, anyone travelling into the UK from the US is required to place themselves in quarantine for 14 days on their return.
"There are clearly serious questions to answer for Nigel Farage," Sir Ed said.
"It is clear from his social media posts that he was in America on 20 June, and he was pictured at a Trump rally that evening. Given the current requirements for visitors returning to the UK to isolate for 14 full days on their return, Nigel Farage appears to be in violation of the quarantine.
"By choosing to go to the pub when it appears he should have been staying at home, Mr Farage is showing a flagrant disregard for the safety of people in his community."
But Mr Farage claimed he had been back in the UK for two weeks and had tested negative for the virus during that time.
Sir Ed's letter, also sent to Home Secretary Priti Patel, said: "I write to ask you to immediately investigate this issue, establish the timeline of events for Mr Farage's return to the UK and establish whether Mr Farage was in breach of his quarantine. It is vital that lives are not put at risk by breaches of quarantine.
"I am copying this letter to the home secretary as I believe this case illustrates the difficulties that the police and Home Office will have in enforcing the quarantine rules as they are currently set out."
Mr Farage later posted a video of his visit, saying those who had not visited a pub on Saturday should "cheer up a bit".
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