Nigel Farage's lawyers demand urgent apology from BBC over Newsnight row in which host is accused of 'defaming' Reform chief

By CHRISTIAN CALGIE, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT-AT-LARGE Published: 11:52, 3 June 2026 | Updated: 11:54, 3 June 2026 Nigel Farage's lawyer has written to the BBC demanding an urgent apology this morning after a furious row was sparked on yesterday's episode of Newsnight. The show's host, Matt Chorley, repeatedly misquoted Mr Farage's response to the murder of Henry Nowak. While interviewing Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, Mr Chorley claimed three times that Mr Farage had called on Brits to demonstrate 'white cold rage' in response to the youngster's tragic death. But Mr Farage actually said 'pure, cold rage' in his emergency broadcast yesterday morning. The Daily Mail has now seen a damning letter from Mr Farage's lawyer to the BBC, accusing the show's host of 'racialising' the Reform leader's response. It blasts: 'It converts a criticism of discriminatory conduct by the authorities into an apparent appeal to race. 'It suggests that Mr Farage, far from condemning racialised treatment, was himself invoking race as a basis for public anger. 'In a national debate in which his opponents are already accusing him of inflaming racial tension, that alteration is not inaccuracy at the margins. Nigel Farage said Brits should respond with 'pure, cold rage' to the murder of Henry Nowak Host Matt Chorley repeatedly claimed Mr Farage had called for 'white, cold rage' 'It is seriously defamatory, and on the material available it was deliberate.' The four-page letter from Mr Farage's counsel also suggests evidence that the misquote had been 'delivered from notes', suggesting it was scripted before the question was put to Ms Badenoch. They argue: 'That raises an obvious and serious question as to how those words entered the programme's production materials, and why no one checked them'. While Mr Chorley has posted an apology to X this morning, Reform UK is demanding the BBC go further, while also dismissing the host's claim that the misquote 'didn't change the content of the interview'. Mr Farage's lawyer has issued three key demands this morning, which the letter brands 'non-negotiable'. These are that, firstly, the BBC must publish a full written apology to Mr Farage on the BBC website and pin the apology to the top of its relevant social media accounts for seven days. Secondly, the corporation must broadcast 'a full apology on air on Newsnight' with 'due prominence, then share the on-air apology on the programme's social media accounts. Thirdly, Reform is demanding a 'proper investigation' into how the false quotation came to be said three times during the broadcast, and how they entered production materials without being checked. Mr Chorley issued a personal apology on his X account this morning  Mr Farage's counsel also includes a stark warning that, given the row is now subject to potential legal proceedings, all documents and materials relating to the broadcast 'must not be deleted, overwritten or otherwise destroyed'. Reform's lawyer says that until all three demands are met, neither Mr Farage nor any representative from Reform UK will appear on any BBC programme or platform. The letter also includes a threat that Mr Farage may sue the BBC for damages should the party not be satisfied by the BBC's response to their demands. The lawyer has given the BBC until 4 pm on Friday to provide their substantive response, but that the availability of last night's episode on iPlayer must be corrected 'immediately'. The letter comes just days after the Mail on Sunday reported claims that the BBC's flagship radio programme, Desert Island Discs, has 'banned' Nigel Farage on the grounds that his presence would make woke staff 'feel unsafe'. On Sunday, Mr Farage warned: 'I have come to expect nothing less from the BBC - their blatant bias has been obvious for years. 'The BBC will have a rude awakening under a Reform government'. The BBC press office highlighted Mr Chorley's social media apology when approached for comment, suggesting they will issue their own response later today. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.