British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has voiced his anger following a racist slur directed at him by a supporter of Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK party. The incident, exposed by a news channel, revealed a campaigner using the derogatory term “Paki,” a racial slur targeting people of South Asian descent, in front of Sunak’s daughters, Krishna and Anoushka.
Addressing the media on his election campaign trail, Rishi Sunak, the UK’s first ethnic minority prime minister, expressed his distress: “It hurts, and it makes me angry. I don’t repeat those words lightly. I do so deliberately because this is too important not to call out clearly for what it is.”
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Rishi Sunak criticized the culture within the Reform Party, stating, “When you see Reform candidates and campaigners, seemingly using racist and misogynistic language and opinions seemingly without challenge, I think it tells you something about the culture within the Reform Party.”
Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, condemned the remarks as “appalling” and distanced himself from the campaigner Andrew Parker’s comments. Farage, who is running for Parliament, acknowledged that some individuals had “let us down” and emphasized that such sentiments do not reflect the views of the party or its supporters.
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“The appalling sentiments expressed by some in these exchanges bear no relation to my own views, those of the vast majority of our supporters or Reform UK,” Nigel Farage stated.
Reform UK, which campaigns on an anti-immigration platform, has faced challenges in vetting candidates due to the early election call. Despite these issues, Farage remains hopeful about gaining a foothold in Parliament, positioning his party as the “real” opposition to the anticipated Labour government.
According to the anti-racism organization Hope Not Hate, Reform UK has had to withdraw 166 candidates since the beginning of the year, many of whom have made racist or offensive remarks.
Rishi Sunak warned voters that supporting Reform UK could inadvertently benefit the Labour Party, which he criticised for its tax policies. He also rebuked Nigel Farage for comments suggesting that Western actions provoked Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling such statements damaging and appeasing to Vladimir Putin.
The UK will go to the polls on July 4.
