Ipswich Town ‘did not invite Nigel Farage to club for photo opp’

Ipswich Town FC is facing a backlash after Reform Party leader Nigel Farage staged a photo opportunity at its Portman Road stadium.

But the club is understood to have been unaware of the full extent of the event until social media posts emerged.

No official invitation was extended by Ipswich to Mr Farage for the Monday event, it is understood.

Portman Road Events, which manages private tours of the stadium, is understood to have taken a booking on behalf of Reform for Monday afternoon. However, the Championship club only became aware of what was involved later that day when posts appeared on the party’s official account.

Reform posted “Portman Road Awaits” on X on Monday evening, and Mr Farage followed up with a post on Tuesday morning.

He shared photos of him ‘signing’ for Ipswich and one of him holding up a number 10 Ipswich shirt.

“I’ve never been too bad on the right wing,” he wrote on his official X account.

The party subsequently made a photo of Mr Farage holding the shirt the banner on their official X account.

It came after Reform held a party rally at nearby Trinity Park.

The club has declined to comment.

However, some supporters have criticised them on X, with one describing it as “PR suicide for a family club”.

Reform UK has been contacted for comment.

The Ipswich appearance came just days after Mr Farage halted his use of the website Cameo, following an investigation alleging he had filmed content supporting an alleged neo-Nazi event, repeated extremist slogans and made sexist remarks on the platform.

On Friday, Mr Farage’s page on the Cameo website, which has earned him hundreds of thousands of pounds over the past five years, said he was “unavailable”, The Independent found.

However, a source told The Guardian “he had paused his use of the platform over security concerns”.