Nigel Farage has responded after he fell victim to a prankster who duped him into paying tribute to a man with a notorious name.

Ian Watkins was also the name of the dead Lost Prophets frontman and notorious paedophile.

It cost £98 for John Smith to commission the Reform UK leader to film the clip on his Cameo account where he had previously been duped into a supportive message to the IRA.

In the 27-second clip, he says: ‘This message is to pay tribute to Ian Watkins, a good man, a really good guy who is very much in contact with me.

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‘He loved his children and will be sorely missed by them forever. He will always hold a very special place in everybody’s heart.

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‘I am concerned that he could not see through my frankly paper-thin deception and his willingness to do anything for money without even a rudimentary check.

‘If he would do this for a small amount of money, what would he do for paymasters with deeper pockets?

‘I hope to show the world that Farage is a man who will do and say anything for whoever is paying him. I suspect he has no actual ideology and will follow the path to power that offers the least resistance.’

‘If I could speak directly to him I would ask why he did not do even a rudimentary check? Will he blindly accept what he is told by the Kremlin, the White House or anyone with £70 going spare for a Cameo?’

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