Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Farage's half-apology is not good enough
The Reform leader was responding to an appearance on TalkTV over the weekend, when Sarah Pochin, the MP for Runcorn and Helsby, responded to a viewer who complained about the demographics of advertising, saying she thought the viewer was “absolutely right”, adding that “It drives me mad when I see adverts full of Black people, full of Asian people."
Farage told a press conference in London on Monday: “I understand the basic point, but the way she put it, the way she worded it, was wrong and was ugly, and if I thought that the intention behind it was racist, I would have taken a lot more action than I have."
Mr Farage said he was “unhappy” with what his MP had said, but that her remarks had been made in the context of “DEI madness” – a reference to measures taken by governments to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion.
It came as Sir Keir Starmer described Ms Pochin’s comments as amounting to “shocking racism”.
Asked whether the comments made by the MP were racist, the prime minister said: “It’s shocking racism, and it’s the sort of thing that will tear our country apart – and it tells you everything about Reform.”
He said that Mr Farage has to face questions about it “because either he doesn’t consider it racist, which in my view is shocking in itself, or he does think it’s racist and he’s shown absolutely no leadership”.
Meanwhile, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the way Ms Pochin had expressed herself was “racist”.
Speaking to LBC, he said: “She should absolutely not have said that. It was completely wrong. She has apologised. I think the way she put it was racist, she shouldn’t have said it, and it’s right she’s apologised.”
Earlier on Monday, Labour wrote to Mr Farage asking him to “urgently clarify” whether he endorsed her comments and whether they were welcome in Reform, while the Liberal Democrats have sought a censure motion in parliament to formally condemn Ms Pochin’s words.
These remarks were clearly racist, the fact that Farage is effectively making excuses for Pochin and is happy for her to continue to serve as a Reform MP, says a great deal about him and his party.
