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Viral story of Farage ‘secretly’ saving Christmas called into question

Nigel Farage allegedly splashed out this Christmas. He supposedly paid for 100 Christmas dinners for struggling pensioners in a small coastal town.

Channelling his inner Scrooge, Farage is said to have ordered turkey, trimmings, and mince pies for delivery on Christmas Eve. But don’t start applauding just yet — true to his “selfless” nature, Farage reportedly wants absolutely no praise or recognition…how humble of him.

The tweet above ends:

Staff were told to say the food came ‘from someone who didn’t want thanks, just a proper Christmas’ and the only clue was a handwritten note in each bag: Keep warm, put the kettle on, and Merry Christmas ❤

you are a true gentleman…

On a less than merry note, some have called the truth of this story into question.

It’s all a little Dickensian

As noted below, some believe the ‘leak’ is actually misinformation designed to make Farage look better in the public eye:

Even if true, buying dinners for pensioners whilst your own councils leave others terrified about the future of their care is disingenuous.

And let’s face it, he’s probably not going to miss the cash. Inews has linked Farage to various “tax arrangements” likely to have saved him a hefty sum. These include:

Stamp Duty:

The Clacton MP claimed last year to have “bought a house” in his constituency, but the property is actually owned in the name of his partner. If Farage had bought it he would have had to pay higher-rate stamp duty because it would have been classed as his second home. Because it is his partner’s main home, she only paid standard stamp duty. The extra bill if Farage had made the purchase would have been £44,000.

Taxes on Earnings:

Farage is reportedly using a private company to reduce his tax bill on his GB News appearances and other outside employment, according to The Guardian. All payments for his GB News work are paid directly to his company, Thorn in the Side Ltd, of which he is the director and only shareholder.

Inheritance Tax:

In 2013, Farage admitted setting up a trust fund in an offshore tax haven was a mistake. He had paid a tax adviser to set up the Farage Family Educational Trust 1654 on the Isle of Man. Farage told the Daily Mirror his financial advisers recommended that he do this “for inheritance tax purposes” to help his children and grandchildren with things like school fees.

The reason why more and more people are struggling is because of widening inequality — i.e. the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Once a person has money to splash around, their money can go to work for them while they put their feet up. However, when a person doesn’t have money, they end up living hand to mouth on their pension or salary.

People in such a situation would be grateful for a free lunch. But the only reason they’re struggling is because a handful of wealthy people have more money than Santa has presents.

A plea to Western Christians

Since the holiday season is all about giving and goodwill, it’s worth noting that Farage has been conspicuously silent on the plight of Christians under attack in the West Bank and Gaza. He’s also been quick to publicly support Israel, despite the ongoing genocide of Palestinians.

Munther Isaac, a Christian pastor in Palestine and Director of the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice, made a heart-breaking plea on Christmas Eve to Christians in the West. In his message, Isaac highlighted the ongoing and relentless attacks in Bethlehem, considered the birthplace of Christianity.

The ongoing efforts to paint Farage as the last defender of Christianity fall flat when the so-called ‘patriot’ remains notably silent while the birthplace of Christianity is under attack.

It’s a shame that Farage’s championing of Christian values only extends to funding Christmas dinners, as opposed to actually protecting Christianity itself.

Values ‘worth’ championing

When powerful men try to place a halo above their heads through a calculated agenda, it’s even more important to look at the people they cheer on.

It’s hard to call it ‘Christian’ to platform abusive men while ignoring the harm they’ve caused to innocent women and girls. Yet, in Farage’s eyes, their skin colour seems to be a redeeming quality.

But hey, don’t forget that Farage apparently put things right by using his profits to buy pensioners a Christmas meal!

Featured image via Youtube channel of Reform UK

By Maddison Wheeldon

This post was originally published on Canary.