Security guard who protected Nigel Farage on campaign trail was facing rape charge

Nigel Farage was accompanied , including when the Reform leader visited Worthing (above), in West Sussex. Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian View image in fullscreen Nigel Farage was accompanied , including when the Reform leader visited Worthing (above), in West Sussex. Photograph: Sean Smith/The Guardian Security guard who protected Nigel Farage on campaign trail was facing rape charge Ryan Dinnage – who accompanied Reform UK leader on walkabouts before local elections – was later jailed, raising questions about vetting failure One of Nigel Farage’s security team who accompanied him on the local election campaign trail this year was facing a rape charge and was later jailed for eight years, raising questions about a failure of vetting. Ryan Dinnage spent time protecting Farage in April and May, but in June was convicted of having raped a woman while she slept in a caravan at the Royal Windsor horse show. Dinnage was seen beside Farage on walkabouts on at least four occasions on Reform’s local election campaign trail this spring: in Llandudno, Conwy County; Waterlooville, Hampshire, Worthing, West Sussex, and Downham Market, Norfolk. He had been charged in 2025, three years after the crime took place at the equestrian event in 2022. View image in fullscreen Ryan Dinnage, 32, from Croydon, was sentenced in July to more than eight years in prison. Photograph: Thames Valley policeReform UK acknowledged Farage was provided with protection by Dinnage, and said his services had been supplied by a third-party contractor who had assured them he had been vetted. A spokesperson for the party said: “As soon as we found out, we were shocked and disgusted and he ceased to be used by Reform.” However, the episode raises questions about how a security operative facing a charge of serious sexual violence could have been put in a position of responsibility near a senior politician and members of the public. Reform UK did not answer further questions about whether the party was continuing its relationship with the third-party contractor, and whether any action was taken against them. A Labour spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage must urgently explain at what point Reform UK became aware that they allowed a man charged with rape to directly interact with the public on their behalf. They must also urgently make clear what action they have taken to prevent such a situation happening again. “Farage and his party are lurching from scandal to scandal and the public are rapidly seeing who they really are.