Reform UK leader Nigel Farage defended a social media post by former adviser Raheem Kassam calling Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch a Nigerian scammer,
telling BBC Breakfast on Tuesday that the remark was over the top but not intentionally racist.
The controversy ignited after Mr Kassam, a political activist and former Ukip adviser who now supports Reform UK from the United States, published a series of attacks on X. In his posts, Mr Kassam questioned whether the leader of the opposition was a walking gaffe or an illegal immigrant
and warned users not to give her their bank details, calling her a Nigerian scammer.
Conservative chairman Kevin Hollinrake promptly accused him of launching racist slurs. Mr Kassam also asserted that when Ms Badenoch speaks to fellow Nigerians, she turns off a fake English accent and claims she loves Nigeria just as much as England.
Nigel Farage Defends Remarks on BBC Breakfast
Appearing on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, Mr Farage faced sustained questioning from presenter Sally Nugent over whether the language used against Ms Badenoch was racist.
Have you seen this before???When Kemi Badenoch speaks to other Nigerians, she turns off her fake English accent.She also tells them that she loves Nigeria just as much as England.And what’s all this about saying Islamic prayers in Nigeria?She is running to be PM while… pic.twitter.com/thVCrPxblk
The Clacton MP argued that the controversy was a cultural argument about whether Ms Badenoch, who grew up in Nigeria, considers herself Nigerian or British. After repeated questioning, Mr Farage offered a direct assessment of the post.
Do I think the comment was over the top? Yes I do. Do I think it was intentionally racist? No I don’t.
Nigel Farage, Reform UK Leader
As Ms Nugent continued pushing for a clear answer and reminded him that Mr Kassam is a close associate, Mr Farage dismissed the scrutiny by saying so what
and asserting that people say all sorts of things on Twitter every single day. The tense exchange prompted the presenter to ask if he ultimately wants to be prime minister and how much he will enjoy facing heightened scrutiny in that role, after which Mr Farage complained about his security. Mr Kassam later took to X to tout that he had touched a weird nerve with the British media, suggesting reporters were overly protective of the Conservative leader.
I’m literally in Boston and the British media is crying about my tweets as if Nigel has a login to my account. It’s a weird nerve I seem to have touched here, isn’t it? Almost like they are very very sensitive about protecting Kemi Scamenoch? pic.twitter.com/r1AWG4HJAb
Robert Jenrick and Danny Kruger Decline to Condemn Slurs
Senior figures within Reform UK faced similar questioning from broadcasters prior to Mr Farage’s media appearance. Appearing on LBC, Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick declined to characterize the remarks as racist, dismissing Mr Kassam as a random journalist with no official role in the party.
Mr Jenrick deflected the line of questioning by criticizing Ms Badenoch’s past statements, suggesting that Mr Kassam was referring to a big lie regarding a pre-med scholarship claim at Stanford University.
Fellow Reform MP Danny Kruger adopted a similar stance when questioned on The Daily T podcast. Describing the exchange as a bit of rumbustious debate online, Mr Kruger refused to distance the party from Mr Kassam or call the remarks a disgusting and unnecessary slur. That refusal drew sharp rebukes from across the political spectrum, with Labour MP Adam Jogee stating on X that Mr Kruger should be ashamed of himself, and James Cleverly criticizing his former colleague on social media for choosing to sacrifice his reputation on the altar of Reform blind loyalty.
Reform Investigates Members for Offensive Remarks
The controversy surrounding Mr Kassam’s posts arrives following an undercover ITV News investigation that exposed offensive remarks from several Reform members, councillors, and activists, including an activist saying asylum seekers should be put in concentration camps, a deputy mayor describing Asian people as absolute parasites, and a councillor making sexually aggressive comments about a female party member. While Reform spokespersons stated that investigations have been launched where members, activists, and councillors have clearly behaved inappropriately and some suspensions have occurred following party leader Nigel Farage’s promises to root out bad apples, party leaders continue to face intense scrutiny over their ties to high-profile figures making inflammatory statements online.
‘Is calling Kemi Badenoch a “Nigerian scammer” racist, yes or no?’‘…I’m not on your show to talk about what a journalist has tweeted.’Reform's Robert Jenrick refuses to engage with @Lewis_Goodall's question about Raheem Kassam's comments on the Tory leader. pic.twitter.com/SQVg6IkRrM
'Do you think it's racist'Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was questioned on #BBCBreakfast after his former senior aide Raheem Kassam called Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch as a 'Nigerian scammer'https://t.co/YWIXX1DvHT pic.twitter.com/14rGmh2BxS