Why it matters: The apology comes after the club faced significant backlash from supporters, community figures and business leaders, following Farage's visit to the stadium on Monday, 23 March. The club's initial public statements – which said the visit was part of a private tour and that no senior executives had met him – were contradicted by subsequent reporting, including us, the BBC and The Athletic.
What he said: Speaking publicly for the first time since the controversy broke, Ashton said he was aware that "staff are hurting, elements in the fan base are hurting, and so are elements of our local community."
"And that upsets me immensely," he said. "And for that, unreservedly, I want to apologise and say, I'm sorry."
Ashton acknowledged that "mistakes have been made, which have caused harm and distress to parts of our local community," and said that as chairman he was taking "full responsibility for those mistakes and full responsibility for making sure that those lessons are learned and learned quickly."
He did not acknowledge that those mistakes were his, nor did he give any specific details on what those mistakes were.
The details: Ashton said the club's full board of directors is now reviewing its policy on how it engages with politicians and political parties, with a decision to be made on whether and how it does so in future.
He also acknowledged that the week had "dented an element of the trust and faith" between the club and its fan base, and said the club needed to "put that right."
"I've been at this football club for over five years now, and I care passionately about this football club," he said. "Anyone knows me, knows that myself, my team, my directors, my investors, get up every single morning, wanting to make this football club a better place."
What they're saying: Ashton stopped short of providing a detailed account of what took place during the visit, saying only that there were "a number of mistruths out there on what's actually happened this week."
He repeated his apology several times, closing with: "I unreservedly apologise for any hurt, pain, distress, that's been caused. But we are better when we move together as one. I'm genuinely sorry."
For context: Farage visited Portman Road on Monday, 23 March, ahead of a Reform UK rally at Trinity Park that evening. Footage posted on Reform UK's social media accounts showed him in the home dressing room holding personalised "Farage 10" shirts. The BBC later reported that messages seen by its journalists suggested the visit had been arranged through a club consultant on behalf of Ashton, while The Athletic reported that Farage had dined privately with Ashton and the club's chief operating officer during the visit. The club declined to comment on the specific details of both reports.
The bottom line: Ashton has issued an unreserved apology and announced a board review of the club's political engagement policy, but has not addressed the specific details of what was arranged and by whom – questions that supporters and sponsors have so far been unable to get answered. For many, this apology will be the end of it. For many others, it won't come close.
