Hillary Clinton attacks 'extremist' Nigel Farage over 'rising tide of right-wing nationalism'

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Hillary Clinton has launched a scathing attack on Nigel Farage, linking him to a “rising tide of hardline, right-wing nationalism” and accusing him of being a Vladimir Putin-style extremist.

Ms Clinton’s attack on the former leader of the UK Independence Party (Ukip) comes after he shared a platform with Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for US President, in Jacksonville, Mississippi, on Thursday.

Mr Farage, who was introduced as the man who orchestrated Brexit by Mr Trump, had said he would not vote for the Democratic presidential hopeful even if he was paid to do so.

But responding to his comments at a rally in Nevada, Ms Clinton accused the former Ukip chief of having “stoked anti-immigrant sentiments” during the European Union referendum campaign. Mr Farage was widely condemned at the time for appearing in front of a “Breaking Point” poster showing a vast queue of refugees stretching into the distance.

“Just yesterday one of Britain’s most prominent right-wing leaders, a man named Nigel Farage, who stoked anti-immigrant sentiments to win the referendum to have Britain leave the European Union, campaigned with Donald Trump in Mississippi,” Ms Clinton said.

“Farage has called for a bar on the children of legal immigrants from public schools and health services, has said women are – and I quote – ‘worth less’ than men and supports scrapping laws that prevent employers from discriminating based on race.

“That's who Donald Trump wants by his side when he is addressing an audience of American voters.”

Ms Clinton also used her speech to declare that Mr Farage was part of a wider movement, adding: “The grand godfather of this global brand of extreme nationalism is Russian President Vladmir Putin. In fact, Farage regularly appears on Russian propaganda programmes.”

But Mr Farage, who told supporters of Mr Trump he would not vote for Ms Clinton if he was paid, told Breitbart London her comments showed she was “running scared”. He added: “Her attacks on me are completely baseless. She sounds rather like Bob Geldof and can’t accept Brexit.

“Perhaps Mrs Clinton should spend more time speaking to normal, working people in her country than trying to attack me using dodgy half-quotes.”