Latest news with #StrikeItBig
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Keir Starmer blasts Nigel Farage over Andrew Tate comment - 'completely wrong'
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the Reform UK leader is on the 'wrong side' of parents who don't want their kids being drawn into the world of influencers like Andrew Tate Keir Starmer has said Nigel Farage is 'completely wrong' to call Andrew Tate an 'important voice' for young men. The Prime Minister said the Reform UK leader is on the 'wrong side' of parents who don't want their kids being 'drawn into this world '. He said influencers like Tate draw in young men with the lure of being a 'strong, successful, wealthy man', adding: 'But then locked in and alongside it, misogyny.' Mr Starmer continued: 'I don't share Nigel Farage 's view that this is all alright… I don't think any parent really seriously thinks it's alright because misogyny is something that gets deep into the psyche, affects so many young people. I think it's very important as a Prime Minister, as a dad, that I call this out. And I just think Nigel Farage is completely wrong and think he's on the wrong side of where most families are because they don't want their boys being drawn into this world, which is not going to be good for them, not going to be good for their future relationships and won't be good for girls and young women either.' It comes after Nigel Farage came under pressure to distance himself from 'racist' Ant Middleton rant. Mr Farage backed Tate in a Strike It Big podcast that aired in February last year. While saying the toxic influencer had said some 'pretty horrible' things, he said: 'Tate was a very important voice for an emasculated … you three guys, you are all 25, you are all kind of being told you can't be blokes, you can't do laddish, fun, bloke things … That's almost what you're being told. 'That masculinity is something we should look down upon, something we should frown upon. It's like the men are becoming feminine and the women are becoming masculine and it's a bit difficult to tell these days who's what.' And in the election campaign last year, Mr Farage said he was part of 'a similar phenomenon' to the misogynistic influencer amid polls showing young men are flocking to his party. Mr Farage's comments came after Tate was arrested in Romania in 2022 accused of rape and human trafficking. The Reform UK leader's views on children's safety online have been the centre of debate since Mr Farage last week said his party would abolish the Online Safety Act if it was elected. It would mean removing Ofcom's children's safety codes, which came into force at the end of July and which order tech companies to prevent children accessing harmful content, including misogynistic material, extreme violence and pornography. Today, the PM announced an £88million investment in clubs and after-school activities to try to stop kids being stuck in their bedrooms doomscrolling on their phones. 'I think any parent across the country worries about this because children spend too much time online,' he told 5 News. 'It's quite isolating because often they're in their bedrooms on their own. They're not interacting with other people. And so we have to find a way of dealing with that. And one of the ways is to say there are other activities that are available for them to do.' The PM said he wanted to stop kids, particularly boys, getting 'sucked into this world'. 'There's a lot of sort of male, sort of toxic masculinity if you like, that boys get attracted to, get sucked into,' he said. Elsewhere, it was announced last month that children will get lessons on the dangers of the online world to help tackle 'an epidemic' of misogyny in schools. New Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) guidance will aim to address a crisis in attitudes towards women and girls among boys and men. The Department for Education said data shows 'misogynistic attitudes have reached epidemic scale by the end of secondary school'.
Wales Online
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Wales Online
Reform leader Nigel Farage slammed by former Plaid leader over Andrew Tate comments
Reform leader Nigel Farage slammed by former Plaid leader over Andrew Tate comments 'If anyone had any doubts of the links between misogyny and the far-right, those doubts should now be dispelled' Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage (Image: © 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved ) Former Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood has slammed Nigel Farage for his previous comments in support of controversial influencer Andrew Tate. It comes as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has confirmed that Tate, 38, faces 10 charges including rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain. On Wednesday, May 28, the CPS said it had authorised the charges which are connected to three alleged victims. Tate's brother, 36-year-old Tristan Tate, also faces 11 charges connected to one alleged victim, including rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking, it was confirmed. The brothers deny all charges against them. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here In light of the update, Ms Wood vehemently criticised the Reform UK leader for praising Tate during interviews in 2024, when he called him an "important voice" for young men. She shared on Wednesday: "The far-right leader has praised misogynist influencer Andrew Tate, who has today been charged with rape. He said Tate was an 'important voice' for young men. "If anyone had any doubts of the links between misogyny and the far-right, those doubts should now be dispelled. "They don't really care about women or children. "They only care about sex offenders who are not white, and they only use case examples when it suits their exclusionary and racist political agenda. "I hope the Tate case will now end the pretence that the far-right want to protect women and children. "They don't. It's all opportunistic bull. I hope you haven't fallen for it." Leanne Wood (Image: Mark Lewis ) In interviews aimed at young men last year Mr Farage said Tate was an 'important voice' for the 'emasculated' and gave boys 'perhaps a bit of confidence at school'. The Reform UK leader spoke in favour of Tate for defending 'male culture' in a Strike It Big podcast that aired in February, 2024, while acknowledging that the influencer had gone 'over the top'. Since December, 2022, the British-American Tate brothers have been facing charges in Romania of human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. They are currently under investigation and deny the charges. The CPS said it had authorised charges against the brothers in 2024, before an extradition warrant was issued to bring them back from Romania. Andrew Tate is pictured inside The Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania, on December 10, 2024 The CPS's charging decision came after it received a file of evidence from Bedfordshire Police about allegations made in the UK, the BBC reported. According to the brothers' legal representatives, the UK allegations date back to between 2012 and 2015. At the time of the arrest warrant, the Tates said they "categorically reject all charges" and were "very innocent men". A Romanian court ruled that they could be extradited to the UK only once the separate proceedings against them in Romania had concluded. Andrew Ford, of Holborn Adams, representing Andrew and Tristan Tate, confirmed in a statement that once the separate Romanian proceedings were concluded "the Tates will return to face UK allegations". Article continues below The pair were both born in the US but moved to Luton in the UK with their mother after their parents divorced. Andrew Tate, a self-described misogynist, has built a huge online presence, including more than 10 million followers on X, as he shares his lifestyle of fast cars, private jets, and yachts.
