Keir Starmer has accused Nigel Farage of being “spineless” in addressing allegations of racism within his political party, Reform UK. This accusation follows a report from the Guardian revealing claims of xenophobic and antisemitic behavior by Farage during his time at Dulwich College, an elite school in south London. Starmer emphasized that Farage has “questions to answer” regarding these serious allegations.
The prime minister’s comments came as he was en route to the G20 summit in Johannesburg. He highlighted accusations that included disturbing chants related to the Holocaust and instances of bullying directed at ethnic minority schoolboys. Starmer criticized Farage’s history of inaction on issues of racism, citing his failure to address comments made by fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin. Pochin reportedly expressed discontent over the representation of black and brown individuals in advertising, stating that it does not reflect “our society.”
Starmer stated, “He needs to explain the comments, or alleged comments that were made, and he needs to do that as soon as possible.” He continued, “The man is spineless. If that had been someone in my party, I’d have dealt with it straight away.” Starmer’s remarks represent his strongest condemnation of Farage to date, particularly following the Guardian’s revelations about Farage’s behavior while at school.
Witnesses from Dulwich College have come forward, recalling incidents where Farage allegedly sang songs with deeply offensive lyrics, including references to gas chambers. One former classmate, film director Peter Ettedgui, recounted that Farage would approach him and say, “Hitler was right” or “gas them,” sometimes mimicking the sounds associated with gas chambers.
Farage has denied these allegations, suggesting that his former classmates are misremembering events from over four decades ago. He responded to Starmer’s comments by stating, “For the weakest prime minister in living memory to call me spineless is utterly ludicrous.”
Pochin is also facing scrutiny for her remarks made during a segment on TalkTV, where she expressed frustration with the portrayal of diverse individuals in advertisements. She stated, “It drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people,” arguing that this portrayal does not represent “your average white person, average white family.” Although Farage labeled her comments as “ugly,” he has not taken any disciplinary action against her.
Following backlash, Pochin issued an apology, stating her comments had been “phrased poorly” and that she did not intend to cause offense. She clarified her views on the current state of representation in British advertising, saying, “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.”
The ongoing situation poses significant challenges for Farage and his leadership within Reform UK, particularly as accusations of racism continue to surface. As the political landscape evolves, the responses from both Farage and Starmer will be closely scrutinized by the public and media alike.
