Whatever happened to Nigel Farage, the defender of free speech?

Once upon a time there was a libertarian champion, who led a self-styled ‘People’s Army’. He stood up to ‘political correctness’ and was famed for his outspoken views that often got him into trouble with the ‘Establishment’ and the ‘mainstream media’ that he railed against. Yet look how far Nigel Farage has come.

Privileged invitees to the Ukip leader’s book launch tonight have been warned that ‘all conversations are to be considered off the record’ at the SW1 event:

‘Acceptance of this invite implies agreement of these terms. Information garnered at the event may be used for background, but should be considered non-attributable without further confirmation…’

Whatever happened to that Nigel Farage who once said ‘freedom of speech’ was one of the ‘absolute fundamentals of free western society’? Whatever happened to the man who claimed ‘we fought two world wars to defend these very things’ and who suggested he was ‘completely opposed to this whole post-Leveson environment’?

More follows later, as they say on the wire services.