Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has publicly accused Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, of being “spineless” regarding allegations of racism within his party. This statement follows a report by The Guardian detailing accusations that Farage made xenophobic and antisemitic comments while attending Dulwich College, an elite school in south London. Starmer emphasized that Farage has yet to address these serious allegations.
During a press conference while en route to the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, Starmer raised concerns about Farage’s track record in handling racism, particularly in light of comments made by Sarah Pochin, a fellow MP in Farage’s party. Pochin had previously expressed discomfort over the representation of black and brown individuals in advertisements, stating, “It drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people.”
Starmer criticized Farage for failing to take action against Pochin, stating, “He needs to explain the comments, or alleged comments that were made, and he needs to do that as soon as possible.” He added, “If that had been someone in my party, I’d have dealt with it straight away.”
The Prime Minister’s remarks mark his strongest condemnation of Farage to date, as allegations have surfaced regarding racist language and behavior during Farage’s time at school. Former classmates have recalled instances of him singing songs related to the Holocaust and making offensive remarks. Notably, film director Peter Ettedgui recounted Farage’s troubling behavior, saying, “He would sidle up to me and growl ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them,’ sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers.”
In response to the allegations, Farage has dismissed them as a misrepresentation of events from over 40 years ago. He expressed disbelief at being called “spineless” by what he termed “the weakest prime minister in living memory.”
The pressure continues to mount on Farage to address Pochin’s controversial remarks. Although he referred to her statements as “ugly,” he has not classified them as racist and has taken no disciplinary action against her. Pochin later issued an apology, stating her comments were “phrased poorly” and did not intend to cause offense. She explained, “The point I was trying to make is that the British advertising agency world has gone DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] mad and many adverts are now unrepresentative of British society as a whole.”
As the discourse surrounding these allegations escalates, the spotlight remains on Farage to demonstrate leadership in confronting issues of racism within his party. Starmer’s comments have brought renewed scrutiny to Farage’s ability to address such serious matters effectively.
