Clacton MP Nigel Farage claims the United Kingdom is “diminishing the things that we used to excel at.”
The Reform UK leader, who attended the second day of the Clacton Airshow , was one of tens of thousands of people who saw the Red Arrows kick off the afternoon’s action.
Commentated on by Squadron Leader Stuart Roberts, six Red Arrows entertained the crowds on Friday August 28, one fewer than the previous day’s display.
It comes around three months after it was first reported that the number of Red Arrows used for displays was to be cut from nine to seven, given the jets’ ageing and limited resources.
Mr Farage said: “For five years, we've now faced the situation where there's no plan to replace them, and they’re 40 years old.
“We consider it too expensive. Yet, I was in America on July 4 for their 250th, and the Red Arrows coming up the Hudson made the front page of the New York Times. If that is not soft power for the UK, I don't know what is.”
Last week’s airshow was the third since Mr Farage was elected MP for the Essex coastal town and, during it, he pledged to garner more support for the Red Arrows.
He added: “I will fight to save them, to get them re-equipped with new planes and keep them going.
"It's a fabulous thing. It shows excellence. It shows what we can do well.
“We are diminishing the things in this country that that we used to excel at. I'm completely with these boys [behind the display]; they are amazing young men.
"I think everyone here knows that, who've seen it today, and I wish more people understood it.”
Share