Reform MP's comments were racist and Farage's reaction was a disgrace, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey says
The Lib Dem leader slammed Sarah Pochin for her comments and criticised her party leader's response to the row
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has slammed comments made by Reform's Sarah Pochin about black and brown people on adverts as "racist" - and told LBC that Nigel Farage's reaction to the row is "a disgrace".
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Speaking to LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr, Sir Ed was asked whether he believes Ms Pochin's comments were racist.
He responded: "One hundred percent and the fact that Nigel Farage hasn't really called her out properly, I think, is a disgrace.
"Just think about our neighbours, who are black and brown, as British as you and me, how they feel about that. I think it's quite disgraceful."
During an appearance on TalkTV, the Reform MP for Runcorn responded to a viewer complaining about the demographics of advertising by saying they were “absolutely right”.
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She then added that “it drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people”.
Ms Pochin added that “it doesn’t reflect our society” and “your average white person, average white family is… not represented any more”, before later apologising and saying her point had been “phrased poorly”.
On the contributions made by black and brown Brits, Sir Ed added: "They are an incredible part of the fabric of our wonderful, diverse society, and these people like Nigel Farage and his party who want to destroy that fabric and bring in the kind of approach that Trump is doing in America."
Ms Pochin has been widely criticised for the comment, including by her own party leader Nigel Farage but he stopped short of calling his colleague racist.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Mr Farage said: “I am unhappy with what she has done.”
He added: “I understand the basic point, but the way she put it, the way she worded it, was wrong and was ugly, and if I thought that the intention behind it was racist, I would have taken a lot more action than I have to date.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was asked on Monday whether Ms Pochin had been racist to make the remarks.
“Yes, she was,” he said.
“It’s shocking racism and it’s the sort of thing that will tear our country apart, and it tells you everything about Reform.
“Nigel Farage has got some questions to answer, because either he doesn’t consider it racist, which in my view is shocking in itself, or he does think it’s racist and he’s shown absolutely no leadership.
“I’m the Prime Minister of the whole of our country, our reasonable, tolerant, diverse country, and I want to serve the whole country.
“He can’t even call out racism.”