Overview
- At a Westminster press conference, Nigel Farage said Sarah Pochin’s wording was “wrong and ugly” but argued her intention was not racist and refused to suspend her.
- On TalkTV, Pochin told a caller she was “driven mad” by ads “full of black people, full of Asian people,” later framing it as a critique of perceived DEI overreach.
- Pochin apologised for “poorly phrased” comments and said many adverts are unrepresentative of British society.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the remarks “shocking racism” and urged Farage to act, as Labour’s Anna Turley pressed in writing for clarity and potential whip withdrawal.
- The Liberal Democrats sought a Commons censure motion; Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the way she put it was racist, while Reform’s policy chief Zia Yusuf urged context and Labour’s Dawn Butler protested in the chamber before withdrawing the term under parliamentary rules.