Britain really doesn’t like Nigel Farage, and the numbers prove it
YouGov polling suggests that over half of Britons don’t like Nigel Farage. (Getty)
A new poll has shown that a majority of people in the UK have an unfavourable opinion of Nigel Farage – which may or may not come as a surprise, depending how much GB News you watch.
The former UKIP leader, and right-wing populist, caused controversy after revealing he was set to join the latest I’m a Celebrity… Get Me out of Here! line-up.
A planned boycott of the programme saw viewing figures plummet by two million for the launch show on Sunday, with an average of seven million viewers compared with the nine million who watched the show’s opening episode last year.
While his inclusion has, yet again, sparked the debate as to whether politicians should be allowed to feature on programmes such as I’m a Celebrity, polling shows that most of Britain doesn’t like the cut of Farage’s jib – whether he’s on cosy reality TV or not.
Data released by YouGov on Monday (20 November), showed that 57 per cent of Britons have an unfavourable view of Nigel Farage compared with just 27 per cent who like him.
Of those who dislike him, 39 per cent have a very unfavourable view, while 18 per cent are somewhat unfavourable towards him.
Much of the dislike comes from left-leaning members of the public, with 66 per cent of Labour supporters and 78 per cent of Lib Dem voters holding a very unfavourable view.
Just 12 per cent of Conservative voters have a very unfavourable view of the former MEP, while 34 per cent hold a somewhat favourable view of him.
The first episode of I’m a Celebrity featured Farage – who once backed the “basic principle” of Enoch Powell’s infamously racist 1968 Rivers of Blood speech – engage in a number of gruelling tasks, including sticking his head through the window of a camper-van filled with snakes.
He was joined by YouTube star, Nella Rose, who was seemingly terrified of taking on the tasks.
Elsewhere, fellow contestant,This Morning host Josie Gibson, told Farage that the challenges ahead couldn’t be worse than Brexit.
“Oh, didn’t take long, did it? Didn’t take long. I had a feeling we’d get a bit of that,” Farage replied.
But, despite how hilarious it may be to watch Farage humiliate himself through the infamous bushtucker trials, some have argued that he shouldn’t even be allowed the opportunity to improve his image on the hit show.
This is still the man who refused to support same-sex marriage while the country was still held to account through the European Court of Human Rights.
It is still the same man who, when asked what the difference was between having a group of Romanian men and German children as neighbours, said: “You know the difference.”
He explained his sentiments, saying: “I was asked if a group of Romanian men moved in next to you, would you be concerned? And if you lived in London, I think you would be.”
