Nigel Farage cancels Scotland leg of UK tour as events calendar is ‘trimmed down’

Nigel Farage appears on Piers Morgan's Life Stories. Photograph: ITV. - Credit: Archant

The Brexit Party had admitted it has had to ‘trim down’ part of Nigel Farage’s UK tour – removing Scotland from its calendar of events.

The list of conference tour events that were due to take place across the UK has now shrunk, with the Brexit Party organisation blaming a possible forthcoming general election, rather than the number of attendees.

The key event it removed was in Scotland at Dundee’s Caird Hall, where Nigel Farage was due to visit on September 12th.

A Brexit Party spokesman confirmed to the Dundee Evening Telegraph that the tour was being scaled back.

He said: “Due to time constraints, the Dundee rally has unfortunately been cancelled.

“We are preparing for a general election and have trimmed down the Brexit Party tour.”

There had been fierce resistance to the idea of Nigel Farage visiting Dundee. The local SNP councillor Will Dawson told the local Courier newspaper that it was unclear why he was visiting somewhere so against Brexit.

He said: “I have to admit I’m a little confused as to why he would choose Dundee for his visit.

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“Not only are we Yes city but the EU election also proved that we are very much a European, anti-Brexit city.

“Just what he thinks he will achieve by visiting Dundee is beyond me.

“Judging by the comments on social media I’m sure that many will turn out to ‘welcome’ him.”

At the time a Brexit Party spokesman said Dundee was chosen because they had struggled to find other options north of the border, having looked at venues in Glasgow and Kelso.

They said: “We are going all around the country and there are areas that are stronger for Brexit than others.

“But we are there to engage, not just talk to our own people.”

“We do feel of those people who believe in Scottish independence there are many who recognise there is no point in independence without independence in Europe.

“Otherwise it is just sticking two fingers up at London.”

It is not the first time Nigel Farage has had problems packing out a room on a tour date.

Farage’s Syndney tour date was moved to a smaller room after he failed to fill a 2,500-seat venue, despite a reduction in ticket prices.

In 2017 his one-man show in Clacton was outsold by an Elvis tribute act. As of the day before the gig, he’d sold just 179 of the 802 available tickets.