Farage, a vaccine skeptic, stays silent about US measles outbreak

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has sold himself as Britain’s Donald Trump. That helped Farage to boost his profile when he wasn’t trying to win a majority in a general election…it’s working less well now that he is. This is especially true as the second Trump administration is — somehow — more chaotic and violent than the first.

One issue which has been growing for a while is the consequences of vaccine scepticism. Much like Trump himself, Farage is something of a vaccine sceptic. This isn’t going to be a good look for Farage moving forwards, because Victorian-era diseases are once again on the rise in the US:

This didn’t have to happen.

Nice work, MAGA–MAHA. pic.twitter.com/tBDCvaZCjU

— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) January 28, 2026

Anti-vaxx

Trump has a long history of anti-vaccine attitudes. In the summary of a paper published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Science Direct noted:

Trump voters are more concerned about vaccines than other Americans.

This effect emerges via Trump voters’ greater willingness to believe conspiracies.

Reading Trump’s antivaxx tweets increases vaccination concern among Trump voters.

The above is from May 2020. Interestingly, Trump would later be a big proponent of the Covid vaccines, as they were developed under his watch. This was one of the few times Trump had a significant falling out with his supporters — with the others being when he initially distanced himself from the January 6th Capital Riot and his recent handling of the Epstein Files.

Other than the Covid blip, Trump has only doubled down on his hostility towards medicine. The key driver of this acceleration is health secretary RFK Jr, pictured below demonstrating his unique approach to public health and safety:

RFK Jr. swims in DC's sewage-tainted Rock Creek with his grandchildren despite a National Park Service bacteria warning. pic.twitter.com/3MpVf1AqYU

— Molly Ploofkins (@Mollyploofkins) May 13, 2025

As Hawaiian senator Brian Schatz wrote, RFK Jr:

traveled to Samoa in 2019 to discourage people from taking the measles vaccine which ultimately led to an outbreak in which thousands of people were infected and 83, mostly children, died.

Now RFK Jr. is the health secretary of the US.

And measles is on the rise.

Who could have seen it coming?

Clearly not Farage, as he’s in bed with these people:

Nigel Farage is speaking at the National Conservatism conference in Washington DC in September, where he's billed alongside Jay Bhattacharya, Great Barrington Declaration co-author and now RFK Jr's head of the NIH.

But wait, it gets (much) worse… 🧵 pic.twitter.com/qnhF8pNeMU

— John Bye (@_johnbye) August 24, 2025

Farage

Late last year, Farage drew criticism for talking “conspiratorial nonsense” on the Covid-19 vaccines:

Farage: "I believe in vaccinations when they're vaccinations. I don't think what happened with Covid were vaccinations. You have to keep having them every 6 months."

Conspiratorial nonsense.

Some vaccines like Covid shots need seasonal doses as immunity fades & viruses change. pic.twitter.com/NyeDi4E3fv

— Adam Schwarz (@AdamJSchwarz) January 7, 2026

As the Guardian reported:

A third of Reform UK’s council leaders across the country have expressed vaccine-sceptic views, openly questioning public health measures that keep millions safe

Additionally, Farage is a co-founder of a group called Action on World Health, with the Guardian reporting in 2024 that it:

campaigns to reform or replace the WHO [World Health Organisation], arguing that it should not be putting pressure on governments to bring in public health measures.

They added:

The WHO has accused Action on World Health of spreading misinformation about its international treaty designed to improve global pandemic preparedness.

WHO member states are negotiating a deal to shore up cooperation against new pathogens. If adopted, the legally binding treaty would commit countries to helping each other in the event of a pandemic, increase research and sharing of data, and promote fair access to vaccines.

In January 2025 under Trump, the US officially left the WHO. Clearly, given his connections, Farage will likely want the UK to do the same should he take power.

The question for British voters in 2029 is do we really want to emulate the disease-ridden United States?