Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin has ignited a political firestorm after making remarks on national television that many across the political spectrum have condemned as racist. During an appearance on TalkTV on October 25, 2025, Pochin responded to a caller’s complaint about diversity in television advertising by saying, “It drives me mad seeing adverts full of black and Asian people.” Her comments, which she later described as “phrased poorly,” have drawn sharp criticism from government ministers, opposition parties, and civil society, with calls for her suspension from her own party.
Pochin, who represents Runcorn and Helsby, is no stranger to controversy. Earlier in June 2025, she became Reform UK’s first female MP and immediately used her platform in Parliament to call for a ban on the Islamic face veil, or burqa, branding it “oppressive,” “a threat to public safety,” and “hugely misogynistic.” The Prime Minister dismissed her proposal at the time, but Pochin has continued to lobby for a burqa ban, repeating her demand in interviews and pushing for the policy to be officially adopted into the Reform Party manifesto as recently as September.
In her latest TalkTV appearance, Pochin doubled down on her anti-burqa stance, calling the garment a “misogynistic garment” and declaring, “If they want to wear it, if men want their women to wear it, if women want to wear it, fine. Go back to your countries where it is acceptable because it is not acceptable in this country. We are a Christian country. We are fundamentally living by Christian values. We respect other religions but this is an oppression on British streets.”
The backlash to Pochin’s comments was swift and fierce. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, speaking on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, described her remarks as “a disgrace” and “racist,” adding, “She’s only sorry that she’s been caught and called out. What we have seen on our streets in recent weeks and months is a return of 1970s, 1980s-style racism that I thought we had left in the history books. The only way we are going to defeat this racism is to call it out and confront it for what it is.”
Justice Secretary David Lammy echoed Streeting’s condemnation, calling Pochin’s statements “mean, nasty and racist.” He went further, urging Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to “sack” Pochin from the party, stating, “Her statements were mean, were nasty and were racist. Our country is so much better than this. Unbelievably nasty statements. All of us are neighbours in this country. All of us, recognise the contribution of the Windrush generation, black Britons particularly in so many areas of our life. These were terribly racist remarks.”
The Liberal Democrats also weighed in, demanding that Pochin lose the party whip, which would force her to sit as an independent MP in the House of Commons. Max Wilkinson, the party’s home affairs spokesperson, dismissed Pochin’s apology as “nothing more than a shameless attempt to dodge responsibility for her own words,” arguing, “Instead of showing a shred of remorse, she’s doubled down and tried to excuse the inexcusable. Nigel Farage keeps insisting that racism has no place in his party. Now is his chance to prove it – he must withdraw the whip or concede that Reform tolerates blatant racism.”
Pochin, for her part, issued a public apology, stating, “My comments were phrased poorly, and I apologise for any offence caused, which was not my intention. The point I was trying to make is that the British advertising agency world have gone DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] mad and many adverts are now unrepresentative of British society as a whole. I will endeavour to ensure my language is more accurate going forward.”
Despite her apology, Pochin appeared to defend her position on social media, posting a video of Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar lamenting the lack of diversity in senior Scottish positions and writing, “Dear Wes Streeting, I’m sorry you feel that way. Perhaps you could remind us all how strongly you spoke up when this happened.” Streeting replied, “That apology of yours lasted long, didn’t it?”
Within Reform UK, reactions have been mixed. Zia Yusuf, the party’s head of policy and a close ally of Pochin, defended her as a “close friend” and “great MP,” while acknowledging that her comments were “poorly phrased.” Speaking on Sky News, Yusuf called for context, saying, “She didn’t say those words and she has apologised, saying it was a poorly phrased thing to say, but you’ve got to put that into context. The caller, a gentleman called Stuart, called in and I think he was right to be upset about the massive under-representation of some groups in television advertising and significant over-representation of others, and we have to be able to talk about these things.”
However, not all on the right have defended Pochin. The Conservative Party’s shadow home secretary Chris Philp, while initially refusing to label Pochin’s remarks as racist, later told Times Radio that her comment “was racist.” Arron Banks, a prominent Reform UK supporter and close ally of Farage, took a different tack, arguing on X (formerly Twitter), “I can’t see there is anything to apologise for.”
The controversy has reignited debate about representation, racism, and freedom of expression in British politics. Muslim political commentator Fahima Mahomed, speaking to 5Pillars, criticized Pochin’s focus on banning the burqa, calling it divisive and discriminatory. “If her concern was truly about security, why single out Muslim women? Why not call out the face masks and balaclavas worn by men committing street crimes, mobile phone snatches, or participating in anti-social behaviour? It feels less about security and more about targeting a visible minority. This kind of rhetoric isn’t leadership, it’s divisive. British women need MPs who are advocating for equality, safety, and opportunity for all women, not singling out minority groups for political point-scoring,” Mahomed said.
The row comes at a time when Reform UK, under Nigel Farage’s leadership, is enjoying a surge in the polls, holding a 10-point lead over Labour according to the latest Techne UK poll reported by The Independent. Yet, as Remembrance Day approaches, the debate has taken on added poignancy, with Streeting reminding the public of the sacrifices made by people of all backgrounds during the Second World War. “People who bled and died for our democracy and our freedom weren’t just my grandfather and my great-grandfather who looked like me and worship the same God as me. It was people from right across what was then the empire, now the Commonwealth, people who are Muslim, people who are Sikh, people who are Hindu, people who look differently than you and I do. And we should remember that, defend it and fight for what this country stands for: decent, respectful and inclusive democracy, the most successful multi-faith democracy in the world.”
As the fallout continues, the episode has exposed deep divisions not just within Reform UK, but across British politics. The question now is whether the party’s leadership will take the decisive action many are calling for, or if the controversy will further entrench the divides over race, representation, and what it means to be British in 2025.
