Nigel Farage says he intends to press changes for assault after he was targeted by a protester who pelted him with a posh milkshake today.

The Brexit Party leader vented fury at his security and 'radicalised Remainers' today after he was splattered with a £5.25 Five Guys banana and salted caramel dairy drink on his European election tour.

Mr Farage was heard saying 'how did you not stop that?' as he was bustled away by security as he made the latest stop of his campaign in Newcastle.

A 32-year-old-man - identified as Paul Crowther - was arrested on suspicion of common assault and put in handcuffs by police.

Mr Farage tweeted afterwards: 'Sadly some remainers have become radicalised, to the extent that normal campaigning is becoming impossible.'

He later told reporters that the milkshake was 'yobbo flavoured' and he is understood to have made a statement to Northumbria Police.

Brexit minister James Cleverly immediately condemned the episode, insisting that people should debate rather than 'assault political opponents'.

Tony Blair branded the attack ‘horrible and ridiculous’, while Jo Cox's widower Brendan Cox said it normalised 'violence and intimidation'.

Downing Street said politicians had to be able to 'campaign without harassment, intimidation and abuse'.

Mr Farage joins the list of candidates who have fallen victim to a 'milkshaking', including Ukip's Carl Benjamin and ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson.

Last week, police apparently ordered a McDonald's outlet near a Brexit Party campaign rally to stop selling milkshakes and ice cream.

Protesters are thought to have switched to using the drinks as a weapon as they are easier to carry than eggs without arousing suspicion.

The Brexit Party leader was covered in the drink by a protester as he made the latest stop of his campaign

Mr Farage was left spluttering after the milkshake incident in Newcastle this afternoon

Mr Farage tweeted afterwards that normal campaigning was becoming 'impossible' due to the dangers of protests

Jo Cox's widower Brendan Cox said such attack normalised 'violence and intimidation'

Milkshake man is Remain and Labour supporter The man arrested over the milkshake incident is a Remainer and Jeremy Corbyn supporter. Paul Crowther, 32, from Throckley, Newcastle, was handcuffed after the incident. His social media profiles reveal he has previously criticised Mr Farage and posted a link to a previous milkshake incident involving Ukip MEP candidate Carl Benjamin. He is believed to work as a customer service representative for Sky. After today's incident in Newcastle today Mr Crowther said: 'I didn't know he was in town, I thought this is my only chance.' Mr Crowther said he saw there was a Brexit Party event in the city centre, thought it was an MEP and then saw Mr Farage. He explained: 'It's a right of protest against people like him. 'The bile and the racism he spouts out in this country is far more damaging than a bit of milkshake to his front.' Referring to his milkshake, he added: 'I was quite looking forward to it, but I think it went on a better purpose.' Advertisement

Mr Farage was soaked after shaking hands with voters in Newcastle city centre this afternoon.

Footage of the incident shows the suspect, who had close-cropped hair, glasses and was wearing a Street Fighter 2 T-shirt, loitering in the background before whipping off the lid of his milkshake and hurling it at the Brexit Party leader's midriff.

As police dragged the attacker away Mr Farage could be heard saying: 'It's complete failure. You could see that coming a mile off'.

It's not clear if his barbed comments were aimed at police or his security team.

Northumbria Police said a 32-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of common assault.

Mr Cleverly said some people thought it was acceptable to throw eggs and milkshakes at politicians they did not like, but not OK to pelt politicians they did like.

'That's called hypocrisy. How (about) debating rather than assaulting political opponents?' he tweeted.

Mr Blair sounded angry as he told LBC: ‘I can't stand this. I feel very strongly about this. We've got to get out of this situation where if you disagree with someone, you stop them speaking, you disrupt their meetings, you throw things over them, it's ridiculous’.

Asked whether he liked Mr Farage, he added: ‘I think he's an effective communicator, so I admire that bit of him, but I disagree with him’.

Mr Farage was clearly infuriated by the dramatic episode in Newcastle this afternoon

Police stepped in after the milkshake drenching took place in Newcastle this afternoon

UKIP European election candidate Carl Benjamin was targeted with a milkshake in Salisbury yesterday afternoon

Mr Cox, whose Labour MP wife Jo was murdered in her constituency, said: 'I dislike @NigelFarage‘s politics profoundly. His willingness to pander to hatred & division even more so.

Why have protesters turned to milkshake? The craze for drenching politicians in milkshake has only developed during this European election campaign. It seems to have started when ex-English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson was targeted with a drink. But the tactic has caught on quickly - partly because it is easier to carry a milkshake without arousing suspicion than the more traditional raw egg. Police have tried to curb the protests by asking outlets such as McDonald's to avoid selling milkshake and ice cream when politicians are nearby. But they have had limited success in countering the attacks - with Ukip candidate, Carl Benjamin, and now Nigel Farage falling victim. Advertisement

'But I don’t think throwing stuff at politicians you disagree with is a good idea. It normalises violence &intimidation and we should consistently stand again it.'

Mr Benjamin was doused in milkshake once again while campaigning yesterday.

The UKIP European election candidate, who was slammed last month for releasing a video suggesting he 'might' rape Labour MP Jess Phillips, was targeted as he walked through the streets of Salisbury.

The dousing was the fourth time protesters have aimed milkshake at Mr Benjamin.

He was soaked with the drink while campaigning in Totnes, Devon, on Sunday, May 12, just days after two protesters tried to throw their drinks over him in Truro, Cornwall on Friday, May 10.

Mr Robinson was drenched by milkshakes twice in two days as he campaigned in the north-west of England.

The far right activist claimed 'some Muslim supporter' was behind the incident involving an unidentified assailant.

Ex-Ukip leader Nigel Farage was in Exeter today (pictured) for the latest leg of his European elections tour

Polls on voting intention for the European elections has underline the scale of the shift towards Mr Farage's new party

On a stop in Exeter earlier, Mr Farage took on Boris Johnson - warning he cannot be trusted to keep his promises.

He flatly rejected the idea of a pact with Mr Johnson if he takes over from Theresa May, pointing out that the former foreign secretary had voted for the PM's deal.

The 'milk shake' protest has also seen far-right figure Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, targeted

Mr Farage also dismissed questions about the sources of funding for his new political outfit, saying rivals were just 'jealous'.

The combative comments came as Mr Farage pushed on with his frantic campaigning ahead of crucial European elections this week - where the Brexit Party is on track to trample both the Tories and Labour.

Amid mounting panic in the Conservatives at the threat posed by the Brexit Party, some senior figures have been floating the idea of an electoral pact to help force through the UK's departure from the EU.

But Mr Farage rubbished claims he could reach an understanding with Mr Johnson, who is now hot favourite to take over from Mrs May this summer.

'When this appalling worst deal in history, new European treaty honed into view Boris wrote... quite rightly in my view, that it would lead to vassalage and we would become a slave state,' Mr Farage said.

'And then what did he do? Ah, yes, he voted for it. He tells us it is appalling and he votes for it and I worry that Boris puts party loyalty above his own conscience and what is good for the country.

'And even if Boris says, 'It's OK Nigel, I didn't really mean to vote for it...', how can I trust what he says, how can I believe anything any of these two mainstream parties tell us after three years of, frankly, open lies and deceit?'

Former PM Gordon Brown has written to the Electoral Commission demanding an investigation into the Brexit Party's finances, amid claims it could have received thousands of pounds in smaller donations from foreign sources.

Gifts can be paid via PayPal, and rules on identification of donors only apply to sums of £500 or more.

Above that sum 'permissible donors' must be listed on the UK electoral roll or a business registered at Companies House and operating in the UK.

Mr Farage rubbished claims he could reach an understanding with Mr Johnson, who is now hot favourite to take over from Mrs May this summer

Mr Johnson (pictured in Uxbridge last week) is the red hot favourite to take over from Theresa May in a leadership contest expected this summer

Mr Farage described the criticism of the Brexit Party's sources of funding as 'jealously'.

'Absolutely disgusting smear. This from the man who was part of a Labour Party who through Lord Levy were making a lot of big donors members of the House of Lords,' Mr Farage said.

'How dare he? Most of our money has been raised by people giving £25 to become registered supporters and nearly 110,000 of them now have done that.

'Frankly, this smacks of jealously because the other parties simply can't do this.'