Farage says it is 'utterly ludicrous' to allow abortion up to 24 weeks

Nigel Farage has said it is "utterly ludicrous" to allow abortion up to 24 weeks and the law is "totally out of date".

The Reform UK leader said he believes abortion and assisted dying are "issues of personal conscience". Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Mr Farage said: "I am pro-choice, but I think it's ludicrous, utterly ludicrous that we can allow abortion up to 24 weeks.

"And yet, if a child is born prematurely at 22 weeks, your local hospital will move heaven and earth and probably succeed in that child surviving and going on and living a normal life. "So I believe there is an inconsistency in the law.

I believe it is totally out of date." He also said he would leave it up to people to "agree with that or disagree with that". But he added: "I think our current situation on this is irrational." Politics latest: Farage says 'yes' he can be PM Mr Farage made the comments after calling for the two-child benefit cap to be scrapped and to make it easier and cheaper for people in the UK to have more children.

It is not the first time Mr Farage has said the law on abortion should be looked at. When unveiling former Tory minister Andrea Jenkyns as Reform's latest recruit in November, he said parliament should be allowed more time "to debate things that people at home talk about" when asked about the assisted dying bill, which he voted against.

Unprompted, he said: "Is 24 weeks right for abortion, given that we now save babies at 22? "That to me would be worthy of a debate in parliament but should that be along party lines? I don't think so." Read more:What are the abortion laws in UK?Fresh attempts to decriminalise abortion Mr Farage has previously worked with the US-based Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), an influential group on the US Christian right and part of a global network of evangelical groups behind the repeal of Roe v Wade in the US. The US Supreme Court ruling that gave women the constitutional right to abortion was overturned in 2022.

ADF's UK arm has publicly argued against decriminalising abortion. Mr Farage was quoted in a statement from the ADF in November - when he commented on abortion - as saying "the crackdown on free expression within the UK is becoming very sinister"..