Nigel Farage has ignited a fierce political row after reiterating his controversial stance that employers should have the legal right to prioritise British nationals over foreign workers, a position Labour MPs have condemned as reminiscent of 1970s National Front rhetoric.
‘True Colours’ Shown in Defence of Discrimination
The Reform UK leader sparked immediate outrage this week when he doubled down on comments first made in 2015, in which he argued it was "ludicrous" that businesses could not choose to discriminate based on nationality. Farage told host Trevor Phillips that he believed the law should be changed to permit this, stating employers should be allowed to choose, or "discriminate", in favour of British-born people.
Labour backbencher Imran Hussain was scathing in his response, telling The Mirror: “Once again, Nigel Farage has shown his true colours. It is an absolute disgrace that he has doubled down on a defence of discrimination.” He drew a direct comparison to far-right politics of the past, adding: “Saying employers should be allowed to pick and choose based on who is ‘British-born’ sounds like a political slogan from the National Front in the 1970s.”
A Long-Held Position Resurfaces
This controversy stems from remarks Farage made during the 2015 general election campaign for a Channel 4 documentary. When asked what discrimination legislation he would scrap, he replied "Much of it," and explicitly said: "I think you should be able to choose on the basis of nationality, I do."
When questioned by The Mirror this week about whether he stood by those comments, Farage was unequivocal: "I don't in any way row back from the comments I made then. I do think we should actually put British workers first. I genuinely do." In 2015, he also claimed that under UKIP, which he then led, there would be no laws against discrimination on the grounds of race or colour, asserting the party was "colour-blind".
Cross-Party Condemnation and Union Backlash
The reaction from across the political spectrum and from trade unions has been swift and severe. Labour MP Clive Lewis, who chairs the all-party Parliamentary group for race and communities, warned that weakening protections for one group erodes rights for all. He argued that such a policy would make "working life colder and more insecure" and give bosses excessive power.
Liberal Democrat business spokeswoman Sarah Olney dismissed Farage's focus, stating: "If Nigel Farage thinks that what employers care about is having the ability to discriminate against their staff, he doesn't know a thing about British business." Labour MP Alex Sobel called the intervention "outrageous" and said it showed Reform was "a threat to the rights of working people".
Trade union leaders joined the condemnation. TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak labelled it a "desperate move – even for Farage," while UNISON's Christina McAnea said rolling back protections would be a "backwards step" that helps neither the economy nor the public.
Farage's comments have thrust the debate over workers' rights and racial equality back into the political spotlight, framing a stark divide between his vision for employment law and the protections that have been in place for decades.
