Overview
- Sarah Pochin told TalkTV it "drives me mad" to see adverts "full of black people, full of Asian people," adding she feels the "average white family" is no longer represented.
- She later posted an apology, saying her remarks were "phrased poorly" and that she was sorry for any offence caused.
- Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he was unhappy with the comments but understood her "basic point," declined to suspend her, and framed the issue in terms of perceived "DEI madness."
- Thirty-five MPs have asked Parliament’s standards chief to investigate whether Pochin breached the Code of Conduct with her remarks.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the language "shocking racism," and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy warned it risks making "flagrant racism" acceptable.