Reform UK's Zia Yusuf defends MP accused of 'racism'

Reform UK has defended 1 of its MPs who has been accused of "racism" aft she complained astir the fig of achromatic and Asian radical successful TV adverts.

Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's caput of policy, described Sarah Pochin arsenic a "close friend" and "great MP", and acknowledged she had made the "poorly phrased" comments and had apologised.

However, speaking connected Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, helium said her comments had to beryllium "put into context", adding radical indispensable beryllium capable to "talk about" practice successful tv advertising.

Mr Yusuf said helium believed the Talk TV caller who Ms Pochin was successful speech with was "right to beryllium upset astir the monolithic under-representation of immoderate groups successful tv advertizing and important overrepresentation of others - and we person to beryllium capable to speech astir these things".

He added: "I deliberation is simply a precise valid point. We indispensable beryllium capable to speech astir it."

Ms Pochin, the Reform MP for Runcorn and Helsby, is nether occurrence aft telling the spectator it "drives maine huffy erstwhile I spot adverts afloat of achromatic people, afloat of Asian people".

She said specified adverts did not "reflect our society" and added: "I consciousness that your mean achromatic person, mean achromatic household is… not represented immoderate more."

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Ms Pochin has since apologised for her comments, but Health Secretary Wes Streeting said her comments were "a disgrace" and deed retired astatine Reform UK's person Nigel Farage for not rebuking her.

The Liberal Democrats person demanded that she suffer the enactment whip, which would unit her to beryllium arsenic an autarkic MP successful the Commons.

In a connection issuing her apology, Ms Pochin said: "My comments were phrased poorly, and I apologise for immoderate offence caused, which was not my intention.

"The constituent I was trying to marque is that the British advertizing bureau satellite person gone DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] huffy and galore adverts are present unrepresentative of British nine arsenic a whole.

"I volition endeavour to guarantee my connection is much close going forward."

Max Wilkinson, the Liberal Democrat location affairs spokesperson, said her apology was "nothing much than a shameless effort to dodge work for her ain words".

"Instead of showing a shred of remorse, she's doubled down and tried to excuse the inexcusable," helium said.

"Nigel Farage keeps insisting that racism has nary spot successful his party. Now is his accidental to beryllium it - helium indispensable retreat the whip oregon concede that Reform tolerates blatant racism."

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Mr Streeting besides condemned Ms Pochin's comments, telling the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: "She's lone atrocious that she's been caught and called out.

"What we person seen connected our streets successful caller weeks and months is simply a instrumentality of 1970s, 1980s-style racism that I thought we had near successful the past books.

"The lone mode we are going to decision this racism is to telephone it retired and face it for what it is

"The deafening soundlessness from her enactment person says it all."

Earlier this year, Ms Pochin sparked contention erstwhile she asked Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer whether helium would travel the pb of immoderate European countries in banning the burka.

Mr Yusuf resigned from the enactment aboriginal that day, but subsequently rejoined.