Prime Minister Keir Starmer has launched a scathing attack on Nigel Farage, labelling the Reform UK leader 'spineless' for his failure to address serious allegations of racism within his party.
School Comments and a Demand for Answers
The confrontation escalated as Mr Starmer departed for the G20 summit in South Africa, demanding that Mr Farage provide an immediate explanation for alleged racist comments he made as a schoolboy. A former classmate has come forward claiming that Mr Farage, while a pupil at the private Dulwich College, stated that 'Hitler was right' and made references to Nazi gas chambers.
Reform UK has vehemently denied the claims, branding them a politically motivated smear campaign against their leader. However, the Prime Minister insists the matter cannot be ignored.
A Pattern of Inaction on Racism
Sir Keir highlighted what he described as a consistent failure of leadership from the Reform UK boss. He pointed to the recent case of Reform MP Sarah Pochin, who in October stated that seeing so many black and brown faces in TV adverts made her 'mad'.
While Mr Farage called the remarks 'ugly', he defended Ms Pochin by asserting she did not intend to be racist and took no disciplinary action. For the Prime Minister, this inaction is telling.
'I Would Have Dealt With It Straight Away'
Speaking to reporters on his flight to the international summit on 21 November 2025, the Labour leader left no room for ambiguity regarding his own stance. 'The man is spineless,' he stated. 'If that had been someone in my party, I'd have dealt with it straight away.'
He further challenged Mr Farage to break his silence, saying, 'He needs to explain the latest allegations and whilst he’s at it he needs to explain why he’s too spineless to take action in relation to what is obvious racism in the comments of his fellow MP.'
Sir Keir concluded by accusing the Reform leader of having plenty to say on other issues but showing a complete lack of leadership when it comes to confronting racism, leaving significant questions hanging over the party as the political pressure mounts.
