Nigel Farage shuts down 'desperate' Robert Peston with just four words in ITV bombshell

Nigel Farage skewered ITV political editor Robert Peston with just four words in a "ridiculous" on-air moment at this weekend's Reform UK conference. With Peston attempting to probe into Farage's tax affairs after the resignation of Labour's Angela Rayner over underpaid stamp duty, Farage was left laughing in the journalist's face.

Peston began by asking: "It's been pointed out that your house in Clacton was bought by your partner. Was that an attempt to save stamp duty?" but Farage shut it down with a four-word response: "Don't be so ridiculous." Peston refused to back down as he pressed: "That wasn't the reason, then?"

Farage simply repeated himself, fuming: "Don't be so ridiculous," as Peston raised his hands in surrender to say: "Okay. We can move on."

Farage muttered: "Honestly, it's a desperate attempt, isn't it?"

Peston tried: "Let me put it another way. We are living in an era where the finances and in particular the tax affairs of all leading politicians are under scrutiny. Are you wholly relaxed about having your tax affairs opened up to that kind of scrutiny?"

Farage then responded: "I'm entirely relaxed that I have run businesses now for over 30 years. I have employed many, many people over the years, whether they be employees or contractors, but I've always paid my tax and acted legally. And all right, I'm different to the other politicians in that I do have outside interests, outside investments, other sources of income. So what?"

The politician was later left laughing wildly as Peston asked: "So all other sources of income, you've still got a television programme. Are you gonna run that all the way to the election? Because obviously on the model of Donald Trump that might be quite a powerful vehicle for you."

Farage only said: "I'm not a conventional politician. I am not going to do things the way everybody else does them. Do you know what, if there's one thing I am good at in life - and there are many that I am bad at - it's communicating, and that's why I'm here, that's what I do. Frankly, my life's getting busier and busier, it might get harder to go on doing it."