Police ‘made some mistakes’ in firebomb inquiry – Nigel Farage

UK counter-terrorism officers have “made some mistakes”, but Nigel Farage has insisted he still has confidence in the police after a probe into an alleged firebomb attack at his house was reopened.

The Reform UK leader said his party “had been treated very differently to everybody else” before the death of former MP Ann Widdecombe.

He argued that the Metropolitan Police and Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) referring themselves to the Independent Office of Police (Conduct) (IOPC) showed “counter-terrorism made some mistakes”.

Counter-terror police investigating the death of Widdecombe reopened a year-old probe into an alleged firebomb attack at Farage’s home in south London, reports have said.

Officers said the incident, which the Telegraph described as a “lit incendiary device” being posted through Mr Farage’s letterbox, was reported in April 2025.

The CTP said it investigated an “attempted burglary”, but no arrests were made and the case was closed pending any new lines of inquiry.

The police watchdog, the IOPC, is now investigating the “conduct” of a CTP London staff member.

Asked about the probe, Mr Farage told reporters: “Clearly, counter-terrorism made some mistakes, which is why they referred themselves to the Independent Office of Police (Conduct) (IOPC).

“I understand this is a completely unprecedented move, and yes, this is directly linked to the murder of Ann Widdecombe, and I’m afraid I just can’t tell you any more than that at this stage.”

The Reform UK leader added: “It’s a great, great tragedy that it took the death of Ann for the security services in Britain to finally take seriously the safety and security of Reform politicians and Reform prominent figures.

“Up until that moment, we had been treated very differently to everybody else.”

Asked by reporters if he still has confidence in the police, he stressed he does but said they would be “very scared of what the truth is when it comes out”.

He said: “Do I have confidence now? Yes.

“The fact that counter-terrorism have been honest enough to say, ‘Mr Farage, when it came to the incident that happened to you in April 2025’, to publicly admit they got it wrong and to refer themselves to the IOPC.

“Now they’re obviously very, very scared of what the truth is when it comes out.

“But the fact they’ve done that shows you they’re not trying to cover up, they’re not trying to ignore, and I have to say, I have met Laurence Taylor (the head of Counter Terrorism Policing), and I did feel a great, great confidence in it.”