Bizarre Brexit boat face-off between Nigel Farage and Sir Bob Geldof
River Thames the battleground for odd referendum flotilla clash
- Originally the demonstration was part of a Fishing for Leave campaign by Scottish skippers
- EU referendum set to take place in the UK next Thursday 23rd June
Updated : 16:46
The Brexit debate took to the seas today as UKIP leader Nigel Farage squared up to Irish charity campaigner Sir Bob Geldof in a bizarre stand-off on the River Thames in London.
Geldof boarded a boat on the Thames to oppose Farage's pro-Brexit flotilla, which was making its way up the Thames towards parliament. The flotilla of up to 35 boats was initially organised by Scottish fishermen as part of the Fishers for Leave campaign.
The stunt, which was backed by Farage's United Kingdom Independence Party, caused disturbances as Tower Bridge had to be opened for 20 minutes, causing traffic delays.
Geldof's party, although with a far inferior quantity of vessels, caused a ruckus during the demonstration as they blasted out music on a stereo system.
Both rival sets of boats were decked out in colourful flags and banners in an attempt to galvanise support in the closing days of the EU referendum campaign.
The group of boats is scheduled to arrive at the Parliament buildings at around 12:30pm, justa head of the final Prime Minister's questions ahead of the referendum.
Buzzfeed UK's political editor Jim Waterson has been documenting the event through his Twitter account: