Nigel Farage has stated he didn’t racially abuse fellow pupils whereas at college in a “hurtful or insulting way”.
The Reform UK chief stated he had by no means been a part of “an extremist organisation or engaged in direct, unpleasant personal abuse” however added: “Can I remember everything that happened at school? No, I can’t.”
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Chatting with reporters on Monday, Mr Farage stated there was a “strong political element” to the allegations, which had been first revealed in The Guardian.
However requested whether or not he racially abused fellow pupils when he was at college, Mr Farage stated: “No.
“And that is 49 years in the past, by the best way. 49 years in the past. Have I ever tried to take it out on any particular person on the idea of the place they’re from? No.”
Pressed on the identical query once more, he replied: “I would never, ever do it in a hurtful or insulting way.”
He added: “I just entered my teens. Can I remember everything that happened at school? No, I can’t. Have I ever been part of an extremist organisation or engaged in direct, unpleasant personal abuse, genuine abuse, on that basis? No.”
Challenged on what was described as a “very caveated” reply – and that he was “not quite ruling this out”, the Reform UK chief responded: “I’ve never directly really tried to go and hurt anybody.
“Have I stated issues 50 years in the past that you might interpret as being banter in a playground that you might interpret in a contemporary mild of day in some kind of means? Sure.
“Have I ever misspoken in my life in my younger days when I was a child? Probably.
“I’d say to you, there’s a sturdy political component to this.”
The latest accusations come after Sarah Pochin, the Reform MP for Runcorn and Helsby, was embroiled in a racism row after she said it “drives me mad after I see adverts filled with black folks, filled with Asian folks”, which do not “mirror our society” – comments she later apologised for.
Mr Farage told reporters that while he was “sad” about the “ugly” remarks, he did not think they were “racist”.
But Sir Keir Starmer has called Mr Farage “spineless” for not taking action against Ms Pochin for “apparent racism”.
He told reporters last week: “The person is spineless. If that had been somebody in my celebration, I might have handled it immediately.
“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.”
