Farage insisted he needed to be protected against the 'vicious' hard-left

He said the money was used to pay for security at Ukip party meetings

But today Farage insisted the money was not for his personal protection

Nigel Farage has claimed he would have been killed by 'hard-left' activists if it wasn't for his £15,000 a day taxpayer-funded bodyguards.

The Ukip leader today defended using EU funds to pay for a team of ex-military personnel to follow him around the country on the EU referendum campaign trail, which was revealed by the Mail yesterday.

He insisted the money was not for his personal protection but to pay for general security at public Ukip meetings and complained he was the only party leader not to get help from the Government for bodyguards.

Nigel Farage (pictured launching a Ukip poster for the London mayoral election today) claimed he would have been killed if it wasn't for his £15,000 a day taxpayer-funded bodyguards

'I don't get any help in any way at all; without it I wouldn't still be here,' Mr Farage told the BBC this afternoon, adding: 'The hard-left have been so vicious and so nasty.'

Yesterday it was revealed how Mr Farage racked up £58,000 in European Parliament expenses employing the ex-military personnel as he gave five referendum campaign speeches at the end of last year.

The leaked paperwork - obtained by the Mail - can reveal fresh details today.

Secura Associates, the firm that provided services for Mr Farage, insisted the vast sums of money were justified because it was necessary to have enough bodyguards to 'extract' the Ukip leader in an emergency.

The firm convinced Brussels officials to foot the taxpayer-funded protection bill by claiming they prevented him being 'befallen by fire, theft and illness'.

Protected: Ukip leader Nigel Farage has been branded a 'hypocrite' for claiming up to £15,000 a day in taxpayer-funded expenses for bodyguards

It allowed the security firm, whose guards have previously protected Sir Elton John, to send a series of hefty bills to the European Parliament for its services.

It is an embarrassing revelation for Mr Farage, who has repeatedly criticised wasteful EU spending.

But today he defended the large sums and insisted the money was not for personal protection.

CHECKLIST OF ACTIONS TO BE CARRIED OUT BY FARAGE'S £15,000-A-DAY GUARDS A checklist of actions to be carried out by Nigel Farage's security officers included 'ensuring refreshments have been arranged' Leaked documents obtained by the Mail reveal a number of actions Nigel Farage's security team check before the Ukip leader arrives at a venue: Liaise with event organisers to scrutinised the guest list/delegates and programme

Conduct a detailed survey of the building and endeavour to establish a tactical appreciation of the building

Arrange suitable stage security (e.g. the placing of a close protection officer in each wing of the stage during speeches)

Establish venue bomb threat and fire evacuation procedures

Briefing individuals who may have contract with the principal or a role to play at the event

Ensure refreshments have been arranged for principal and staff

If the audience is large how many additional security operatives are required to supplement the standard extraction teams in order to deal with any necessary evictions safely and efficiently?

How many security operatives will be required to protect the delegates and principle (sic) during this as decoy tactics can and are often employed Advertisement

'I’m the only political leader – or I guess politician of prominence in the UK – who gets zero help from the taxpayer, zero help from the authorities in this country,' he told the Daily Politics show.

'We have asked, particularly after last April when my family was attacked on a Sunday lunchtime, which was pretty nasty.

‘I don’t get any help in any way at all; without it I wouldn’t still be here. The hard-left have been so vicious and so nasty so what we do to get me driven around the country.

'So after this show I go down to street canvas in South Wales, I do a public event tonight, then I go to Lincolnshire this evening to do the same tomorrow.

'So I have to have people who drive me and look after me – that’s reasonable and we fund all of that through private donations.

'I’ve never used a penny of my European allowances – which I get to employ staff – to do security… it’s about organising big public events and having security around them.'

The leaked documents show how Secura Associates said that even when Mr Farage was only speaking in front of a few hundred people a 'dynamic, ever changing assessment' of the threat was needed.

Attendees have revealed that at some of the events there were either no demonstrators or just a handful.

But in job specifications for the events in Westminster, Margate, Belfast, Thurrock and Gateshead in September and October 2015, the company promised to 'assess all risks'.

Referring to Mr Farage as the 'principal', the security firm wrote: 'The best protection for a principle [sic] and for an event is one that affords the appropriate level of security with the minimum intrusion to the principal and event delegates.

'Our aim is not simply to stop an attack or a protest – we are there to prevent harm from whatever source befalling our principle [sic] and event delegates.

'This can include fire, theft, accidents, illness, harassment, unwanted media attention and attempts to discredit etc.'

A checklist of actions to be carried out by the security officers included 'scrutinising' guest lists, 'liaising with the police and other 'friendly forces' such as venue security staff', 'establishing venue bomb threat and fire evacuation procedures'.

Mr Farage's security team is led by a former military police officer who served in Afghanistan.

Nigel Farage (pictured in London today) has repeatedly criticised wasteful spending in the European Union

Nigel Farage (pictured on the Daily Politics Show this afternoon) has claimed he would have been killed by 'hard-left' activists if it wasn't for his £15,000 a day taxpayer-funded bodyguards

The Mail told yesterday how the tasks also included 'ensuring refreshments have been arranged for principal and staff'.

The security firm said it would put in place 'extraction teams' who would be rehearsed in how to get Mr Farage out of a building in an emergency.

Other tasks to be completed included 'conducting a detailed survey of the building and endeavour to establish a tactical appreciation of the building'.

A Ukip source insisted that the decision to employ the guards was 'based on security advice' and came after Mr Farage was hit over the head with a placard in Margate in January 2014.

'It is hard for him to live a normal life,' he added.

The Ukip leader, who has asked for taxpayer-funded guards on several occasions, requested police protection before the General Election, but this was turned down by the Home Office after it was assessed there was not an adequate threat.

Mr Farage previously said he thought he deserved the same protection as a Northern Ireland secretary.

Secura Associates was embroiled in controversy last May after Ukip admitted it had sent a spy to infiltrate an anti-Farage protest group in the South Thanet constituency.

Activists rumbled the imposter, who they claim encouraged them to deface posters and heckle outside meetings, after they searched his mobile number on the internet and found it was listed on the website of someone whose Twitter biography said he was a close protection officer.

A LinkedIn page for a man of the same name said he had has since January worked for Secura Associates.

The European Parliament last night said that the spending on Mr Farage's bodyguards by his Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD) bloc of MEPs was above board and came from their £2.5million-a-year group budget.

A spokesman said: 'Money for the groups is managed by the groups. Political groups can campaign.'

Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman Tom Brake MP said: 'It beggars belief that Nigel Farage expects taxpayers to pay for him to be pampered while on tour, especially when he has refused to publish his tax return.

'Ukip should stop banging on about EU spending until they get their own house in order.'

James McGrory, chief campaign spokesman for Stronger In, said: 'Hard-working taxpayers will be outraged to find that their money has been used to subsidise Nigel Farage's bag-carriers and drinks-handlers.

WHY IT COSTS US SO MUCH TO PROTECT HIM Threat assessments produced by Secura Associates and submitted to the European Parliament to justify the hefty bills included how it was necessary to have enough guards to create a decoy and ensure there were adequate refreshments for Mr Farage. In the documents, leaked to the Mail, the firm said the assessments had 'been conducted based on historic events, current open-source intelligence and liaison with local law enforcement agencies'. They claimed it was necessary 'to assess all potential risks and weigh these against the security measures we can employ to negate them – prevention being better than cure'. The firm set out how a 'venue security team leader', 'team members' and 'intelligence-gathering staff' were needed for each event. It added: 'Our aim is not simply to stop an attack or a protest – we are there to prevent harm from whatever source befalling our principal and event delegates'. A checklist of actions to be carried out by the security officers included 'ensuring refreshments have been arranged'. Advertisement

'For Ukip to moan about wasteful spending while sticking their snouts in the trough in this way is the height of hypocrisy.'

The European Parliament refused to condemn the payments, saying it was up to Mr Farage how his Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group (EFDD) spent its £2.5 million-a-year EU funding.

Mr Farage embarked on the 'Say No to the EU' tour – a series of public meetings he described as 'the largest Eurosceptic campaign perhaps ever seen' – in the final four months of last year.

The leaked paperwork shows how Secura Associates was tasked with arranging security for the events.

Despite the relatively small size of some of the venues, the company charged at least £9,000 for each appearance.

As Mr Farage kicked off the tour at the Emmanuel Hall in Westminster, security cost £15,000, even though it was claimed there were just 15 protesters outside.

For a speech on September 7 at the Winter Gardens in Margate, Kent – the scene of the Ukip leader's election defeat four months earlier – the company charged £9,000.

The next week, Mr Farage flew to Belfast to speak at a hotel in the city, where according to the local party, 'a packed house of 300 people were in attendance'.

Northern Irish police provided armed officers outside the venue, yet according to a bill addressed to Mr Farage's group in the European Parliament, Secura charged £10,000 for its services.

Three days later, as Mr Farage spoke at a darts arena in Purfleet, Essex, the sum was again £10,000. Organisers said there were no demonstrators at the venue, which is downstairs from a strip club.

Additional spending records for the tour show £14,000 was charged for an event in Gateshead on October 12. It is thought the security firm provided about ten close- protection officers for each event.

The EFDD group, which funded the tour, last night confirmed the £58,000 security bill was charged to the taxpayer through its allowances. A spokesman for the group, which is made up of Ukip MEPs and Eurosceptics from other countries, said: 'All spending on the speaking tour in late 2015 came out of the delegation budget in conformity to the rules. Everything is completely above board and was done before the regulated referendum period.'

Mr Farage, who has repeatedly criticised wasteful EU spending, racked up a security bill of £58,000 for just five events held in modest venues such as a darts arena in Essex where there was not a single demonstrator

He added: 'Incidents have demonstrated that as a high-profile figure, Nigel Farage needs professional security cover.'

In a book published last year, Mr Farage wrote about hiring James Woolfenden, the owner of Secura Associates, who he described as a 'former British Army man'.

Mr Farage said the appointment was 'unavoidable' after he was forced to retreat to a pub in Edinburgh in 2013 when confronted by dozens of protesters.