I tricked Nigel Farage on Cameo – I’m not surprised at the vile videos he’s made

I used to wonder whether there was any limit to what Nigel Farage would do for money. 

And over the last 24 hours this curiosity has only increased, with the horrifying but not in the least bit shocking revelations that Farage has performed videos promoting neo-Nazi events, making misogynistic remarks and parroting far-right slogans. 

These videos have been created with Cameo, a personalised video platform where you can request paid-for messages from celebrities. 

The recently unearthed videos show the Reform UK leader talking about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s ‘big naturals’, repeating the well-known anti-immigration motto, ‘If in doubt, kick them out’, referencing anti-semetic conspiracy theories, and telling a man who received a 16-month jail sentence for his part in a far-right riot, ‘Keep acting in the right way’.

However shocking this may be, it is not surprising: Farage has previous form in recording offensive Cameos to order. 

When I heard that some lads had used the platform to get him to say ‘Up the Ra’ in an accidental tribute to the IRA, I started thinking about who would be the most despicable person I could get Farage to do a shoutout for.

So I requested him to record a message of condolence for the then recently murdered Ian Watkins, the Lostprophets singer who was convicted of a string of child sex offences, and whose case was said by the judge to have ‘plunged into new depths of depravity’. 

I sent in my request, paid my money and waited for the inevitable refund. 

Because I see how anything could come of it. It seemed impossible. Even if the name wasn’t immediately recognised, surely the slightest bit of due diligence would result in the request being rejected.  

And yet in the end, getting the shoutout was disturbingly simple. Farage apparently failed to see through this frankly wafer-thin disguise, and in the 27-second clip, said: ‘‘[Watkins] loved his children and will be sorely missed by them forever. He will always hold a very special place in everybody’s heart.’

The lure of an easy £98 for less than 30 seconds work was too much, it seems. In retrospect, I should have realised that it was naive to think that Farage’s common sense would prevail over his bank balance.

I will give him one compliment: He is prompt when someone is paying him. It made me wonder whether his oft-ignored Clacton constituents would have better luck using the site to contact him. 

It’s one way to get around his frequent flits across the Atlantic for seemingly non-existent appointments with world leaders. 

Unsurprisingly, the story got a significant amount of media attention. I spoke to Metro about it, telling them, ‘I hope to show the world that Farage is a man who will do and say anything for whoever is paying him. 

I suspect he has no actual ideology and will follow the path to power that offers the least resistance.’

The response was mixed, as you’d probably expect. While many were appalled by Farage’s video, some commentators online called it a childish prank that made light of Watkins’ horrific crimes. 

Some said that I was overreacting – that all MPs had separate income sources. 

Others still said I was giving him ‘free publicity’ – I think this is the one I found most egregious. If we know anything about Farage, it’s that he’s perfectly adept at being provocative.

Farage’s response on being confronted by the Metro on making a remembrance video for Britain’s most infamous celebrity paedophile since Jimmy Savile was not one of remorse, or horror he’d been duped. 

Instead, he said to tell me ‘thanks for the money’ and ‘Tell him to send more’ before attempting to deflect blame by saying ‘There are lots of Ian Watkins’.

This sums up Farage more than anything else. A desire for easy money then a slippery dodge of accountability. 

Since the recent revelations, I wish I could say I was shocked by the depths that he has sunk to, but this would be false. I have been feeling a sense of quiet vindication regarding Farage’s greed, and his lack of interest in actually being a public servant for the people of Clacton. 

I stand by what I said about him having no actual ideology – I think it now more than ever before – there’s a complete lack of a moral compass. 

He knows who the good and bad people are. Surely,  he should recognise the neo-Nazi slogans, the IRA tributes, the misogynistic comments. He just doesn’t seem to care.

What do you think about Nigel Farage’s actions on Cameo? Share belowComment Now

Farage has found what he thinks might be a quick and dirty route to power, fanning the flames of the worst instincts in people while attempting to keep the barest sheen of respectability.

And he’s making bank while he does so. In Cameo, Farage has found himself a nice little earner, charging users more than £370,000 since he set up his account in 2021. 

Based on his profile, his videos start at about £78, which means he’s been a busy man. It’s quite a shocking level of industriousness in fact, considering as far as I am aware he rarely if ever holds face-to-face surgeries in his constituency and that his presence in the House of Commons can feel like a newsworthy event. 

On that profile, by the way, is just one line by way of introduction: ‘They call me Mr Brexit… some people say I am controversial, and I couldn’t care less’.

We shouldn’t expect any more (or less) of this man. He’s been telling us who he is right from the start. 

The issue that still remains – and that has in fact become more important – is whether there truly is anything the Reform UK leader will refuse to do if the price is right. 

Because if a man is prepared to sell himself for £78 a go, we have to wonder what he might do for his paymasters with deeper pockets.

Maybe I’ll buy another Cameo and ask him. 

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. 

Share your views in the comments below.

Comments Add as preferred source