Reform UK leader Nigel Farage delivered a stark warning to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday, urging lawmakers to confront growing censorship laws in Britain that he claims threaten free expression across the Western world. Speaking before the House Judiciary Committee, Farage compared the United Kingdom to “North Korea” and called on the United States to pressure its ally to uphold shared values of liberty and free speech.
Farage’s testimony highlighted multiple cases of British censorship, including the arrest of Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan over social media posts critical of transgender ideology. Farage noted that Linehan was met by armed police at Heathrow Airport months after posting tweets while in the United States, calling the incident a harbinger of unchecked government overreach. “This could happen to any American man or woman that goes to Heathrow,” Farage warned.
Another case raised involved Lucy Connolly, a grieving mother sentenced to over two years in prison for a deleted tweet made in the aftermath of a mass stabbing in Southport. Farage described her punishment as political and unjust, stating that she had been barred from traveling to testify in person due to restrictions placed upon her by the UK government.
Farage cautioned lawmakers that laws like the UK’s Online Safety Act and the European Union’s Digital Services Act are not isolated threats but will inevitably impact American citizens and businesses. He stressed that these foreign censorship regimes pressure American tech companies to enforce restrictive speech policies globally, creating a chilling effect even on U.S.-protected First Amendment rights.
Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) echoed Farage’s concerns, condemning European censorship laws as a direct threat to American values and business. Jordan warned that American tech firms, fearing multimillion-dollar fines, may begin applying UK and EU speech standards across all platforms, effectively bypassing the U.S. Constitution. He also accused Europe of using censorship enforcement as a backdoor strategy to financially punish American companies and support failed domestic tech initiatives.
Farage praised Vice President JD Vance for his earlier remarks in Munich, calling out the internal threats to liberty in Europe. He urged the U.S. government to take action to defend free speech not only at home but across the Atlantic, noting that the erosion of liberty in one Western nation threatens the whole democratic order.
Democrats on the committee downplayed Farage’s concerns, with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) labeling him “far-right” and “fringe.” However, Farage remains the leader of Reform UK, currently polling as the most popular political party in Britain, following his leadership during the successful Brexit campaign.
