LBC ends contract with Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage’s contract with LBC has been ended with immediate effect after three years at the station.
In a statement on Twitter, LBC said: “Nigel Farage’s contract with LBC is up very shortly and, following discussions with him, Nigel is stepping down from LBC with immediate effect.”
The phone-in radio station added: “We thank Nigel for the enormous contribution he has made to LBC and wish him well.”
Farage is yet to comment on the matter.
The Brexit Party leader sparked outrage on Tuesday after he compared the tearing down of a statue of slave trader Edward Colston to the Taliban.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Farage said: “The Taliban love to blow up and destroy historical monuments from a different time that they don’t agree with. What we saw on the weekend was the most appalling example of mob rule.”
The politician was accused of “inciting racism” by activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, who appeared in the TV debate with Farage alongside historian Kate Williams.
Responding to the announcement, Dr Mos-Shogbamimu tweeted: “Nigel Farage is out of LBC? Couldn’t have happened to a nicer person. We thank him for nothing.”
Williams also took to Twitter to slam Farage’s “disgraceful comparison of Black Lives Matter to the Taliban on [Good Morning Britain].” She added that his comments amounted to “horrific spreading of race hatred”.
“This is long overdue. Race hatred must be off all the airwaves,” she added.
A spokesperson for LBC declined to comment on whether Farage’s departure was related to the incident.
Fellow LBC host James O’Brien also weighed in on the matter, tweeting: “We got our station back.”
Farage’s hourly evening slot claimed to give listeners “the opportunity to make their points to him”. He has broadcast the show five days a week for the past three years, running as recently as yesterday evening.