TikTok suspends live stream of Reform UK rally ‘due to moderation error’

The social media platform confirmed that TikTok suspended its live stream of the Reform UK rally for around half an hour on Sunday.

The “temporary suspension” of streaming on Reform UK leader Nigel Farage’s account was due to a “moderation error,” a spokesman for the website said.

He has since been restored to the “Live” feature on TikTok.

On Sunday afternoon, Farage and other party members addressed thousands of Reform Britain supporters at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

People complained that the live broadcast was cut off as Reform UK politician Ann Widdecombe addressed the crowd.

During her speech, the former Brexit Party MEP and Conservative MP said Farage’s party would “bring sanity back to Britain” and “get rid of wokeness”.

She told thousands of Reform supporters: “Above all, we stand for two words – common sense.”

After accusing the Tories of putting all their “eggs in the Rwanda basket” with no plan B, Ms Widdecombe said there was no reason why Reform UK should not form the official opposition after Thursday’s poll.

“These next four days are crucial,” she said, adding that she had “heard more common sense” in the past five years than in her previous 55 years in the Conservative Party.

A TikTok spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage has had his access to Live restored after being temporarily suspended (for less than 30 minutes) due to a moderation error.

“More than 40,000 people work with technology to keep TikTok safe, including dedicated teams and detection models that moderate lives in real time.

“We continue to invest heavily in training technology and moderators to detect, review and remove harmful content.”