Nigel Farage has been absolutely flummoxed by a caller who “wiped the floor” with him on his radio show over what Brexit could mean for Britain’s vets.
The former Ukip leader, normally a staunch advocate of the positive side of leaving the EU, was forced by the caller to admit that it could “be bad for farmers” and could lead to a “lowering of standards of what we buy in the shops”.
Vet Daniella Dos Santos called into Farage’s LBC Radio show to say Brexit could be anything but perfect, and said her fears shouldn’t be dismissed as “scaremongering”. She highlighted a shortage of vets in the UK and said Brexit uncertainties over rights for EU workers was contributing to drop in numbers.
Earlier this year a report from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee warned that non-British vets are critical to the veterinary workforce, and called for the Government to set out how it intends to ensure their working rights.
Dos Santos said: “If vets aren’t allowed to come in then we are going to end up with a shortage. This isn’t me scaremongering, it’s fact.”
Farage replied saying he had “no idea” the UK wasn’t producing enough vets.
Dos Santos replied: “But that’s the point, that’s what I mean. If that had been shouted from the rooftops then you may have accused us of scaremongering but I’m respectfully telling you there is a problem.”
Things quickly got worse for Farage who ended up genuinely speechless and stuttering as he tried to come back with an answer.
You can watch the exchange here, or read it in full below.
The clip of the conversation has been widely shared on Twitter and Dos Santos appears to be a bit overwhelmed at its popularity.