London:
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday reacted to racist comments made against him, saying he was ‘saddened and angry’ by it. Speaking to reporters during the general election campaign, Sunak said his two daughters, Krishna and Anushka, had to see and hear Reform UK activists “calling me Pakistani” while campaigning for party leader Nigel Farage.
“It hurts and makes me angry,” said the 44-year-old British leader of Indian origin.
Sunak said: “When you see Reform Party candidates and campaigners using racist and inappropriate language and ideas unchallenged, I think that tells you about the culture within the Reform Party. Shows something.
He was making the comments after a far-right Reform UK campaigner was filmed using racist slurs towards people of South Asian heritage, leading to criticism from party leader and general election candidate Nigel Farage for the act.
‘Reform UK’ stance against immigration
Reform UK is fielding hundreds of candidates with anti-immigration leanings in the July 4 election, aiming to mount a major challenge to the incumbent Conservative Party. Reform UK is far behind in the general election.
Due to the earlier-than-expected election, the party has been unable to fully vet all its campaigners and one of them (Andrew Parker) was filmed by a Channel 4 reporter.
Farage said in a statement that the appalling sentiments expressed by some had nothing to do with the views of him and his supporters or Reform UK.
The same activist was also heard suggesting that troops with guns should be deployed to ‘just kill’ illegal immigrants who land on Britain’s shores.
Farage, 60, who practices divisive politics, will be making his eighth attempt to be elected to parliament after seven failed attempts. Polls show Farage, who is in the race to represent the seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea, could have an easy lead.
The Labor Party is likely to form the government after the general election
The House of Commons has 650 seats and reform is likely to win only a handful of seats, but Farage says he aims to lead a ‘real’ opposition to a Labor government. The Labor Party is likely to form the government after the general election.
Meanwhile, a British Indian leader has warned voters that voting for ‘Reform UK’ means voting for a tax-raising Labor Party.
He also hit back at Farage’s controversial statements, claiming that the West had incited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attack Ukraine.
“What he said was wrong, it was completely wrong,” Sunak told The Telegraph. He is Putin’s hand puppet.
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