Sarah Pochin's comments about black people in adverts 'totally wrong', Reform MP says

Mr Kruger was quick to condemn the comments made by fellow Reform MP Sarah Pochin after they were branded racist by the Prime Minister.

Speaking to LBC’s Nick Ferrari, Mr Kruger, who defected from the Tories earlier this year, said: "I strongly regret what Sarah said, clearly that was the totally wrong thing to say, as Nigel Farage has clarified.

“Sarah herself meant something completely different, that's no excuse, what she said was wrong and it's right that she's withdrawn it."

Read more: Starmer slams Farage for showing 'absolutely no leadership' over Sarah Pochin 'racist' comments row

Reform has faced growing condemnation in recent days following Ms Pochin’s comments and Nigel Farage’s decision to brand a protest of muslim men in East London an “invading army.”

However, Mr Kruger rejected the suggestion he belongs to a party of racists.

He told LBC: "That's why I regret this massive slip of the tongue that Sarah made, because clearly it would be deeply offensive to many people, and it will confirm that prejudice that they have against us.

“We have to do more to dispel it.

"I think the great opportunity we have is to show that we are genuinely the national party of change, we have an analysis of what's wrong with this country that should appeal to people across the United Kingdom and from all different backgrounds.

"I desperately want us to appeal properly to those immigrant communities who have exactly the same concern.

"They want to get their country back from the madness and the dysfunction that the last two governments have plunged us into, so Reform has got to appeal to everybody, and that's my commitment."

Labour blasted Ms Pochin’s comments as “completely unacceptable” and called on Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to condemn them.

The Reform leader and Clacton MP said the remarks made by Sarah Pochin were “ugly” and “wrong” but resisted calls for her suspension from the party on Monday.

Mr Farage insisted he did not believe the “intention” behind her comments was “racist” and suggested they should be read in the context of “DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) madness”.

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Farage had “questions to answer” over the remarks, which he described as an example of “shocking racism”.

Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have called for Ms Pochin, who became the Reform MP for Runcorn and Helsby after a by-election earlier this year, to have the party whip withdrawn.