Angry Nigel Farage blasts Andrew Marr interview as ‘ludicrous’ after being confronted with past comments The Brexit Party leader was angered by Andrew Marr’s line of questioning

Nigel Farage has compared the disruption that would be caused by a no-deal Brexit to “moving house” in a bad tempered interview on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.

The Brexit Party leader said leaving the EU without an agreement would cause short-term disruption to the economy, but played down the impact it would have on people’s lives.

“Even if [no deal] led to some short-term economic disruption – moving house leads to short-term disruption” The i politics newsletter cut through the noise Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription. Nigel Farage

In a series of heated exchanges, Mr Farage was also confronted with a series of comments he had made in previous years and was asked if he still believed them now.

These included whether he still wanted to replace the NHS with an “insurance-based system” and whether worrying about global warming was the “stupidest thing in human history”.

A visibly angered Mr Farage said the questions were “very boring” and accused Mr Marr of not being interested in current events, adding: “What is wrong with the BBC?”

Surge in support

Polls published on Sunday showed that the former Ukip leader’s current Brexit Party enjoys the biggest share of the vote ahead of the European elections later this month.

The party’s key policy is to argue for the UK to leave the EU without a deal, which would see it reverting to World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.

Mr Farage said the party would not be releasing a manifesto as he no longer believed in them, arguing that voters did not trust them.

No deal Brexit

Playing down the impact of a no-deal Brexit, he said: “We have to deliver the democratic will of the people of this country and the only way we can do that is by leaving on WTO terms.

“Even if that led to some short-term economic disruption – moving house leads to short-term disruption. This is our future, we’re talking about the next 50 years of our lives.”

He added: “I’ll tell you something, once we do that [leave with no deal], the EU will be banging our door down to have a sensible tariff-free deal.”

Asked why he did not advocate a no-deal Brexit before 2016’s referendum, Mr Farage said it was “because it was obvious that we could do a free trade deal”.

Denying that his “tune had changed”, he added: “The problem is the Prime Minister never asked for it so we finished up in the mess that we’re in.”

Did Nigel Farage argue for a no deal #Brexit during the referendum campaign?#Marr asks the Brexit Party leaderhttps://t.co/YWOQuda15q pic.twitter.com/rffZX0u7fJ — BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) May 12, 2019

NHS views

Mr Farage was also asked about previous comments he made about the NHS, when he said he favoured an “insurance-based version of healthcare” rather than trusting central Government.

He replied: “If I was encourage to opt out of the system to relieve the burden on the National Health Service I would do so gleefully.”

The politician was also asked if he still believed worrying about global warming was the “stupidest thing in human history”.

Mr Farage replied: “I believe if we decide in this country to tax ourselves to the hilt, to put hundreds of thousands of people out of work in manufacturing industries, given that we produce less than 2 per cent of CO2, that isn’t terribly intelligent.”