Guard who protected Farage on campaign trail was facing rape charge
Ryan Dinnage, who accompanied Nigel Farage at four Reform UK local election walkabouts this spring, was jailed for eight and a half years in July.
At a glance
- Ryan Dinnage protected Nigel Farage at four Reform UK campaign walkabouts in spring while facing a rape charge.
- He was convicted in June of raping a woman at the Royal Windsor horse show in 2022 and jailed for eight and a half years in July.
- Reform UK said a third-party contractor assured it Dinnage had been vetted and that it stopped using him once it found out.
A security guard who escorted Nigel Farage on the Reform UK local election campaign trail in April and May was facing a rape charge at the time and was later jailed for eight and a half years, prompting questions about how he was vetted.
Ryan Dinnage was seen alongside Farage on walkabouts on at least four occasions during the spring campaign: in Llandudno in Conwy County; Waterlooville in Hampshire; Worthing in West Sussex; and Downham Market in Norfolk.
He was convicted in June of raping a woman while she slept in a caravan at the Royal Windsor horse show. Thames Valley police said the offence took place in the early hours of 16 May 2022, when Dinnage entered the caravan where the victim was sleeping and raped her. She reported it to police later that day and he was arrested the following day. Dinnage, then 32 and from Croydon, had been charged in 2025, three years after the crime, and was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison in July.
Reform UK's response
Reform UK acknowledged that Farage had been provided with protection by Dinnage, and said his services had been supplied by a third-party contractor who assured the party he had been vetted. A party spokesperson said: "As soon as we found out, we were shocked and disgusted and he ceased to be used by Reform."
The party did not answer further questions about whether it was continuing its relationship with the third-party contractor, or whether any action was taken against them.
Labour calls for answers
A Labour spokesperson said Farage must urgently explain when Reform UK became aware that it had allowed a man charged with rape to interact directly with the public on its behalf, and what the party has done to prevent a similar situation arising again. The spokesperson also accused Farage and his party of "lurching from scandal to scandal".
Farage's security arrangements
Farage is generally accompanied by a large security team and has spoken about threats made against him. The man accused of murdering Ann Widdecombe has been charged with engaging in conduct in preparation of acts of terrorism, including against Farage. Over the summer, counter-terror police reopened a year-long investigation into an alleged firebomb attack at Farage's home in south London.
The Reform UK leader has said he accepted a £5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne to pay for his security for the rest of his life. He has previously turned down taxpayer-funded security, which included a bodyguard, a car and a trained driver, calling it inadequate.
Other vetting scrutiny
Reform is not the only party under scrutiny over vetting. The Conservatives were criticised by Reform UK for having employed a former election candidate, Jack Ross, who was filmed by an undercover reporter appearing to discuss the cost of hiring contract killers. Ross, who worked as a consultant in Kemi Badenoch's office, is facing a party investigation after he was apparently filmed asking an undercover reporter "What do you want done?" and apparently offering to "broker" the services of an alleged far-right paramilitary group. Police in Scotland have said they will review an Al Jazeera documentary in which Ross was filmed.
Source: The Guardian World.
Questions and answers
- Who is Ryan Dinnage?
- A security guard from Croydon who accompanied Nigel Farage on the Reform UK local election campaign trail in April and May. He was jailed for eight and a half years in July for raping a woman at the Royal Windsor horse show in 2022.
- Did Reform UK know about the rape charge?
- Reform UK said Dinnage's services were provided by a third-party contractor who assured the party he had been vetted, and that he ceased to be used by Reform as soon as it found out.
- What did Labour say about the case?
- A Labour spokesperson said Nigel Farage must urgently explain when Reform UK learned that a man charged with rape was interacting with the public on its behalf, and what action it has taken to prevent a repeat.
