Matt Chorley Apologises for Misquoting Nigel Farage on Newsnight Regarding Henry Nowak Murder
Matt Chorley, a prominent presenter, has issued an apology for misquoting Nigel Farage during an interview broadcast on Tuesday's Newsnight. Chorley erroneously stated that the Reform leader had called for 'white cold rage' in connection with the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak. Farage's original remarks, made in an online video, had urged the public to respond with 'pure cold rage'.
Reform argued that Chorley's misquotation implied a racial dimension to Farage's comments, thereby twisting their intended meaning. Chorley acknowledged his error on social media platform X, stating, 'This was a mistake on my part, a misremembering of the quote. It didn't change the content of the interview but I should have got the quote right. I apologise to Nigel Farage for this.'
The incorrect quote was repeated three times during Chorley's interview with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. Subsequently, the broadcaster also issued an apology, confirming that Farage had been quoted 'mistakenly' and removing the episode from its streaming platforms. Farage confirmed that his legal team had formally written to the broadcaster, demanding 'a full on-air apology and investigation into the defamatory comments'.
In their letter, Reform contended that Chorley's error 'converts a criticism of discriminatory conduct by the authorities into an apparent appeal to race,' suggesting Farage was 'invoking race as a basis for public anger,' rather than condemning racialised treatment. The murder of Henry Nowak in Southampton last December and the subsequent police handling, including initial doubts expressed by officers regarding Nowak's stabbing, have generated considerable public outcry. Vickrum Digwa, Nowak's killer, received a life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years.
