Critics link Farage’s ‘Trump-lite’ condescension to female journalists to Reform’s moves against women’s rights

Alexandra Topping
Sat 21 Feb 2026

When Nigel Farage told a journalist this week she should “write some silly story … and we won’t bother to read it”, it provoked an instant – and divided – reaction. For some it was a “masterclass” in dealing with mainstream media, but for others it was “rude, dismissive, misogynistic, arrogant”.

Behind the scenes, Farage’s treatment of the Financial Times’s Anna Gross – which was met with mirth and applause among Reform diehards in the room – provoked disquiet and anger among lobby journalists across the political spectrum.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/21/nigel-farage-women-problem-trump-style-provocation-prejudice