This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Nigel Farage, the Brexit party leader, has insisted he is not a conspiracy theorist after he repeatedly appeared on a far-right US talkshow and openly discussed ideas about a “new world order” linked to antisemitic tropes.

The former Ukip leader distanced himself from Alex Jones, the host of the Infowars website, and claimed his appearances on the programme were infrequent, despite a Guardian investigation finding he gave interviews at least six times on the show.

In his appearances on Jones’s show, Farage discussed themes commonly associated with an antisemitic conspiracy theory that Jewish financiers are behind a plot to replace nation states with a global government. Jones has been banned from Facebook and is being sued by bereaved parents after claiming a US school shooting was faked.

Challenged about his links to Jones, Farage acknowledged that Jones was “without doubt” a conspiracy theorist but claimed allegations that he helped stoke such ideas by appearing on the show were “wide of the mark”.

Play Video 1:04 Nigel Farage: 'I've never been a conspiracy theorist' – video

In the interviews ranging over nine years, Farage repeatedly used words and phrases such as “globalists” and “new world order”, which regularly feature in antisemitic thinking. He also said:

Members of the annual Bilderberg gathering of political and business leaders were plotting a global government.

The banking and political systems are working “hand in glove” in an attempt to disband nation states.

“Globalists” are trying to engineer a world war as a means to introduce a worldwide government.

Climate change is a “scam” intended to push forward this transnational government.

At a press conference promoting the Brexit party’s European election campaign, Farage said: “As far as the Infowars site is concerned, I’ve done it very infrequently, perhaps once every couple of years. Because you appear on a programme it doesn’t mean you support the editorial line … I know Jones is accused of conspiracy theories and there is without doubt some truth in that. And one or two of the so-called allegations you published this morning are, shall we say, wide of the mark.”

At the event, Farage unveiled a pledge card for the European elections that made clear those who voted for the party would be endorsing a hard, no-deal Brexit on World Trade Organization terms.

He said the party would also be demanding a place at the Brexit negotiating table if it came top at the European elections.

Farage confirmed he would not be standing in the upcoming Peterborough byelection, saying he was needed to bring experience to the Brexit party’s slate of MEP candidates.

But he said the party was in the process of recruiting 650 candidates to contest a general election and claimed formerly loyal Conservative donors were in talks about donating money.

Farage said they were “asking themselves the question ‘what is the Conservative party for, what purpose does it actually serve?”’. However, he did not name them and declined to say which anonymous donor has given the party £100,000 before the European elections.

The Brexit party has already raised £2m to fight the European elections, with 90% of funding coming from the 88,000 people who have signed up as registered supporters.