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1 week ago
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Keir Starmer has accused Nigel Farage of being “spineless” when it comes to tackling racism in his party after the Guardian revealed allegations he made xenophobic and antisemitic comments while he was at school.
The prime minister said the Reform UK leader had “questions to answer” about the comments and chants alleged, which included songs about the Holocaust and accusations of bullying towards ethnic minority schoolboys.
He added Farage had a “track record” when it came to racism, pointing to his failure to discipline his fellow Reform MP Sarah Pochin after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts.
Speaking to reporters on the way to the G20 summit in Johannesburg, Starmer said: “He needs to explain the comments, or alleged comments that were made, and he needs to do that as soon as possible.
“He hasn’t got a good track record in relation to this because Sarah Pochin, his MP, made some clearly racist comments and Nigel Farage has done absolutely nothing about it.”
He added: “The man is spineless. If that had been someone in my party, I’d have dealt with it straight away. He needs to explain the latest allegations, and whilst he’s at it, he needs to explain why he’s too spineless to take action in relation to what is obvious racism in the comments of his fellow MP.
“So far he’s said absolutely nothing about it. He’s got plenty to say on lots of things, apart from showing some leadership when it comes to racism.”
The prime minister’s words mark his strongest condemnation yet of the Reform leader since the Guardian revealed earlier this week multiple allegations of racist language and behaviour while at Dulwich College, the elite south London school he attended.
Those who were at the school at the same time said they remember him singing a song called “gas ’em all” in relation to the Holocaust, telling fellow pupils “Hitler was right” and singing a song that included the N-word.
One fellow pupil, the film director Peter Ettedgui, said: “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.”
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Farage has denied the accusations, saying his school colleagues had misremembered events from 45 years ago. He added on Thursday night: “For the weakest prime minister in living memory to call me spineless is utterly ludicrous.”
The Reform leader is also under pressure to take action against Pochin after her comments last week. The MP told TalkTV: “It drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people.”
She said “it doesn’t reflect our society” and “your average white person, average white family” is not “represented any more”.
Farage has called the comments “ugly” but not racist and has failed to take any disciplinary action against her.
Pochin has apologised for the remarks, saying her comments had been “phrased poorly” and she had not intended to cause offence.
“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. I will endeavour to ensure my language is more accurate going forward.”
