Table of Contents
- Farage’s Controversial U.S. Congress Testimony
- The Role of Alliance Defending Freedom
- Labour Party’s Official Condemnation
- New Adviser James Orr Deepens Concerns
- A Growing Transatlantic Conservative Network
- Public and Political Fallout in the UK
- Sources
Farage’s Controversial U.S. Congress Testimony
In September 2025, Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, addressed a U.S. congressional hearing—a rare platform for a foreign politician. But what’s drawing intense scrutiny isn’t what he said, but who arranged the appearance.
According to The New York Times, Farage’s testimony was facilitated by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a U.S.-based legal organization that played a pivotal role in overturning Roe v. Wade. Farage used the forum to criticize Britain’s free speech laws, calling them “overly restrictive” compared to America’s First Amendment protections.
The Role of Alliance Defending Freedom
The Alliance Defending Freedom, founded in 1994, describes itself as a Christian legal advocacy group defending “religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and marriage.” However, it has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center due to its long-standing opposition to LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive autonomy.
ADF attorneys were instrumental in litigating Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the landmark 2022 Supreme Court case that ended nearly 50 years of federal abortion rights in the U.S. The group also actively promotes anti-abortion legislation globally through its international arm, ADF International, which has lobbied in the UK and EU.
Internal communications reviewed by reporters show ADF International helped coordinate multiple meetings between Farage and U.S. officials throughout 2025, including briefings with conservative lawmakers and legal strategists.
Labour Party’s Official Condemnation
Britain’s governing Labour Party responded swiftly. In a statement released October 23, 2025, it called the connection “deeply concerning.”
“Reports that Nigel Farage’s appearance in the U.S. Congress was arranged by a group behind America’s abortion rollback are deeply concerning,” the party said.
Labour emphasized that such foreign influence raises questions about the ideological direction of Reform UK and its alignment with hardline U.S. social conservatism—particularly on issues like reproductive rights, which enjoy broad public support in Britain.
New Adviser James Orr Deepens Concerns
The controversy intensified with Farage’s recent appointment of Dr. James Orr as a senior adviser. Orr, a Cambridge theologian and vocal anti-abortion campaigner, opposes abortion in all circumstances—including cases of rape or incest.
Orr has publicly criticized the UK’s abortion laws as “among the most extreme in the world” and maintains close ties with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, whom he has hosted at his home in Cambridgeshire.
Labour seized on the hire as further evidence of Reform UK’s shift toward imported American-style culture war politics. “This isn’t just policy—it’s ideology,” a Labour spokesperson said.
A Growing Transatlantic Conservative Network
Farage’s alliance with ADF reflects a broader trend: the deepening ties between right-wing movements in the U.S. and Europe. From shared legal strategies to coordinated media appearances, figures like Farage, Viktor Orbán, and American Christian nationalists are building a global coalition rooted in traditionalism and opposition to liberal democracy.
ADF International has hosted conferences in London and Brussels, bringing together conservative lawmakers, religious leaders, and activists to advance a unified agenda on “family values” and “religious liberty”—often at odds with mainstream European human rights frameworks.
Public and Political Fallout in the UK
Public reaction has been polarized. While Reform UK’s base applauds Farage’s international profile, mainstream voters—especially women and younger demographics—express alarm over the party’s social agenda.
Women’s rights organizations, including the Fawcett Society, have called for greater transparency about foreign influence in UK politics. “When a British political leader is platformed by an organization that dismantled abortion rights in America, we must ask: what values are they importing here?” said campaign director Emma Taylor.
As local elections approach in 2026, Labour appears determined to frame Reform UK not as a protest movement, but as a vehicle for transatlantic extremism.
