Sir Keir Starmer has labelled Nigel Farage “spineless” and accused him of failing to adequately explain reports of racist and antisemitic comments it is alleged the Reform UK leader made while at school.
This week, the Guardian newspaper reported a number of Farage’s contemporaries at the private Dulwich College, south London, alleged the young Reform UK leader had joked about gas chambers and put another pupil in detention when he was a prefect, because of the colour of their skin.
Reform UK insist the allegations are “entirely without foundation”.
Reacting to Sir Keir’s comments, Farage said: “For the weakest prime minister in living memory to call me spineless is utterly ludicrous.”
Speaking to reporters on his way to the G20 Summit in South Africa, Sir Keir claimed Farage “needs to explain the comments, or alleged comments that were made, and he needs to do that as soon as possible”.
Sir Keir added that the Reform leader “has not got a good track record in relation to this,” given one of Reform’s MPs remained in the parliamentary party after remarks she made about the ethnicity of people in television adverts.
Sarah Pochin, who was elected to parliament in a by-election in May, said last month “it drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people, full of people who are basically anything other than white”
Pochin argued “it does not reflect our society”.
She quickly apologised for the remarks, which the prime minister described at the time as “shocking racism”.
Farage said they were “ugly” but were not intended to be racist.
Asked about Farage, Sir Keir said: “The man is spineless”.
“If that had been someone in my party, I’d have dealt with it straightaway,” he said.
Farage “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,” Sir Keir said.
“He’s got plenty of things to say about plenty of things, apart from showing some leadership when it comes to racism.”
Responding to the prime minister’s comments Farage said: “For the weakest prime minister in living memory to call me spineless is utterly ludicrous.
“The voters will have their say on both of us at the ballot box next May.”
A Reform source said the prime minister was “desperate, sinking in the polls and lashing out”.
