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Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Moment reporter brutally calls out Farage's false claims at press conference
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been embroiled in a row over a 'racist' attack advert put out by his party against Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar Nigel Farage's false claims about Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar have been brutally called out by a journalist during a live press conference. The Reform UK leader has been embroiled in a row over an attack advert put out by his party against Mr Sarwar. The ad, which has been branded "racist", claimed Mr Sarwar said he would "prioritise" Pakistani people in a 2020 speech - when he had actually said the Pakistani community should be represented in politics. Speaking to reporters in Aberdeen today, Mr Farage also took aim at Mr Sarwar highlighting a lack of diversity in top positions in Scotland in separate comments in 2020. The Labour politician noted that key figures across Scotland, from the judiciary, to council chief executives to head teachers, were all white. Mr Farage claimed Mr Sarwar had "a record of obsessing on this issue" and said his speech "was sectarian in its very nature", adding: "We are the South Asian community. We are going to take over the country and take over the world." But a journalist sitting at the press conference hit back at the outspoken politician, calling out to him on the stage: "He didn't say any such thing." Brazen Mr Farage replied: "Well he did actually, very, very clearly." To which the journalist said: "He did not say that the South Asian community would take over the country or the world, nor did did he use the word prioritise. I hear what you're saying but why can't you just accept what he literally said and not mischaracterise what he said?" The Reform leader said: "We believe what he said was a form of sectarian policies and we don't like it one little bit." Mr Farage's visit to Scotland comes ahead of Thursday's Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. The Clacton MP said he was confident his party would place at least third, but if Reform won it would be the "biggest earthquake Scottish politics has ever seen". Asked about the attack ad having dominated the campaign, Mr Farage insisted Reform UK "don't talk about race at all". He said: "We think everybody should be treated equally. We object, very strongly, to the segmentation of people into different types." Labour and the SNP condemned the ad as "racist" and called for Meta to remove it from Facebook. Mr Sarwar last week branded Mr Farage a "poisonous man who doesn't understand Scotland". Mr Sarwar, who was born in Glasgow to Pakistani Muslim parents, today spoke of the "guilt" he feels as his children have to experience attacks against him. Mr Sarwar grew up as the son of a politician - the UK's first Muslim MP Muhammad Sarwar - and told journalists on Monday he had grown to normalise the racist attacks levelled against his family. Asked how his family deals with racist attacks levelled at him throughout his career, the Scottish Labour leader told journalists in Hamilton: "To be honest, it only motivates me and drives me, and makes me want to work even harder. "I think what gives me a bit more perspective is there were similar kinds of attacks, not identical, but similar kinds of attacks when I was growing up and my father was trying to be a politician, when he was trying to get elected as the country's first Muslim MP, and there was threats, there was abuse, there was violence at that time. "I think that probably has added resilience for me, and therefore it's water off a duck's back. I think the challenge is, where I feel a wee bit of guilt and where I feel a wee bit of trepidation, is the impact it has on my kids."
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Reform candidate rejects racism claims after Sarwar video row
The party has faced widespread criticism for its portrayal of the Scottish Labour leader. The Facebook and Instagram advert uses heavily edited footage from a 2022 speech by Mr Sarwar in which he called for greater South Asian representation in politics. READ MORE The clip — which has been viewed more than 800,000 times — included a caption claiming Mr Sarwar wanted to 'prioritise the Pakistani community', a phrase he did not use. Both Scottish Labour and the SNP have described the video as racist and called on Meta — the company that owns the social media platforms — to remove it. Mr Sarwar, who was born in Glasgow to Pakistani Muslim parents, ha challenged Mr Farage to a public debate. 'Ask your chauffeur to put Hamilton into Google Maps,' he said during a BBC interview on Wednesday. 'Come up here. I will challenge him anytime, any place in Hamilton, any town hall — and he can challenge me on his views. I will challenge him on his views.' He branded the Reform UK leader a 'pathetic, poisonous, little man'. Mr Farage is due to visit Scotland on Monday, and will be making a speech in Aberdeen in the morning. He is also expected to join the campaign. Asked about the video, Ross Lambie told The Herald: 'Reform's position on this has always been that we believe in merit. 'People should get positions of power, promotion and work because of their merit. It should not matter what age they are, whether a man or a woman, or what ethnicity they are. 'Whereas the SNP and Labour have gone down this rabbit hole of DEI [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] and want to try and socially engineer the makeup of companies, governments and councils. We just do not believe in that.' He added: 'My wife is an immigrant. She worked for the BBC at one point. She is from a Muslim country. I have a mixed-race daughter. You judge Reform based on the people in it — like me, from a working-class background, my parents are from the council estate just down the road.' READ MORE Voters in the constituency go to the polls on Thursday in the by-election triggered by the death of the SNP's Christina McKelvie. Last night, First Minister John Swinney claimed the vote was now a 'straight contest' between the SNP and Mr Farage's party. In comments issued ahead of a campaign visit to Hamilton, he said: 'Labour have let people across Scotland down, and they have quite clearly given up on this by-election. 'Thursday's vote is now a straight contest between the SNP and Nigel Farage — and I am urging people to reject the ugly, divisive politics of Nigel Farage and to unite behind the SNP.' Scottish Labour rejected the claim they had conceded the seat. eputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said the constituency remained a two-horse race between Labour and the SNP. She said Reform 'cannot win here', adding: 'This is a direct fight between Scottish Labour and the SNP, no matter how much Reform and the SNP want to pretend otherwise. 'This weekend, Scottish Labour campaigners will be talking to voters the length and breadth of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse so we can deliver a new direction for this community and elect local champion Davy Russell.'
North Wales Chronicle
6 days ago
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
Sarwar ready to challenge Farage ‘anytime, any place' amid row over Reform ad
Mr Farage, the Reform UK leader, played the online ad at a press conference in London on Tuesday, before claiming the Scottish Labour leader had 'introduced sectarianism into Scottish politics'. That attack promoted Mr Sarwar to brand the MP a 'poisonous man who doesn't understand Scotland'. Now the Scottish Labour leader has said he will 'challenge' Mr Farage on his views, going on to insist: 'The people of Scotland will utterly reject him.' There is a bit of a row going on in Scotland at the moment. We must be doing rather well. — Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) May 27, 2025 His comments came amid speculation Mr Farage could visit Scotland in the run-up to next Thursday's Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Holyrood by-election.26/5/25 While Reform has not yet won an election in Scotland, the June 5 by-election is taking place as opinion polls show a surge in support for the party north of the border – with one survey even suggesting it could come second in next year's Holyrood election ahead of Labour and the Conservatives. Hitting out at his rival, Mr Sarwar told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: 'This man has no idea where Hamilton is. I've been in Hamilton most days, I know other political parties have been in Hamilton a lot. 'What I suggest to Nigel Farage is he should ask his chauffeur to put Hamilton into Google Maps. 'Come up here. I'll challenge him anytime, any place, in Hamilton, any town hall, and he can challenge me on my views, I'll challenge him on his views, and you can see that the people of Scotland will utterly reject him, because he can't win there and he can't win in Scotland. 'This man wants to pretend he's a great champion of working people across our country.' But Mr Sarwar, who worked as a dentist before going into elected politics, added: 'While I was working in Scotland's NHS in one of the most deprived communities in the country, he was on the Brussels gravy train. 'While I'm campaigning to defend our NHS and save our NHS, this man wants to privatise our NHS. 'He's got no interest in Scotland. He probably couldn't even tell you where Hamilton was on the map.' In the ad – which both Labour and the SNP have demanded be removed from Facebook – Reform claims Mr Sarwar, who was born in Glasgow to Pakistani Muslim parents, will 'prioritise' Pakistani people. However clips of the Scottish Labour leader speaking do not show him saying that. Speaking about the on Tuesday, Mr Farage said: 'All we've done is to put out the exact words spoken by him without any comment. 'We've said nothing, just that we will represent the people of that constituency. 'The fact that they, having chosen to go down the sectarian route, choose to throw accusations back at us says to me that we are winning.' Mr Sarwar however insisted: 'There is no doubt that Nigel Farage wants us to talk about him, and there's no doubt he wants to play up on this divisive rhetoric in order to get attention, because the man craves the oxygen of attention rather than actually wanting to change our country, and that's the big difference. 'I want to change Scotland, he wants to divide it. This is a man who has got no place in Scottish politics. 'The people of Scotland, by a vast majority, will utterly reject his politics.'
Western Telegraph
6 days ago
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
Sarwar ready to challenge Farage ‘anytime, any place' amid row over Reform ad
Mr Farage, the Reform UK leader, played the online ad at a press conference in London on Tuesday, before claiming the Scottish Labour leader had 'introduced sectarianism into Scottish politics'. That attack promoted Mr Sarwar to brand the MP a 'poisonous man who doesn't understand Scotland'. Now the Scottish Labour leader has said he will 'challenge' Mr Farage on his views, going on to insist: 'The people of Scotland will utterly reject him.' There is a bit of a row going on in Scotland at the moment. We must be doing rather well. — Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) May 27, 2025 His comments came amid speculation Mr Farage could visit Scotland in the run-up to next Thursday's Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Holyrood by-election.26/5/25 While Reform has not yet won an election in Scotland, the June 5 by-election is taking place as opinion polls show a surge in support for the party north of the border – with one survey even suggesting it could come second in next year's Holyrood election ahead of Labour and the Conservatives. Hitting out at his rival, Mr Sarwar told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: 'This man has no idea where Hamilton is. I've been in Hamilton most days, I know other political parties have been in Hamilton a lot. 'What I suggest to Nigel Farage is he should ask his chauffeur to put Hamilton into Google Maps. 'Come up here. I'll challenge him anytime, any place, in Hamilton, any town hall, and he can challenge me on my views, I'll challenge him on his views, and you can see that the people of Scotland will utterly reject him, because he can't win there and he can't win in Scotland. 'This man wants to pretend he's a great champion of working people across our country.' But Mr Sarwar, who worked as a dentist before going into elected politics, added: 'While I was working in Scotland's NHS in one of the most deprived communities in the country, he was on the Brussels gravy train. 'While I'm campaigning to defend our NHS and save our NHS, this man wants to privatise our NHS. 'He's got no interest in Scotland. He probably couldn't even tell you where Hamilton was on the map.' It is thought Nigel Farage may visit Scotland ahead of a Holyrood by-election next week (Ben Whitley/PA) In the ad – which both Labour and the SNP have demanded be removed from Facebook – Reform claims Mr Sarwar, who was born in Glasgow to Pakistani Muslim parents, will 'prioritise' Pakistani people. However clips of the Scottish Labour leader speaking do not show him saying that. Speaking about the on Tuesday, Mr Farage said: 'All we've done is to put out the exact words spoken by him without any comment. 'We've said nothing, just that we will represent the people of that constituency. 'The fact that they, having chosen to go down the sectarian route, choose to throw accusations back at us says to me that we are winning.' Mr Sarwar however insisted: 'There is no doubt that Nigel Farage wants us to talk about him, and there's no doubt he wants to play up on this divisive rhetoric in order to get attention, because the man craves the oxygen of attention rather than actually wanting to change our country, and that's the big difference. 'I want to change Scotland, he wants to divide it. This is a man who has got no place in Scottish politics. 'The people of Scotland, by a vast majority, will utterly reject his politics.'
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Farage savaged as 'poisonous' after defending 'racist' Reform ad
Leader of Scottish Labour Anas Sarwar has said he will challenge Nigel Farage 'anytime, any place' after the Reform UK leader defended a 'racist' advert released by his party The leader of Scottish Labour has said he will challenge Nigel Farage"anytime, any place" after the Reform UK leader tried to justify a "racist" advert released by his party. Mr Farage yesterday defended his party's attack ad which claimed Anas Sarwar, who was born in Glasgow to Pakistani Muslim parents, will "prioritise" Pakistani people. That attack prompted Mr Sarwar to brand the MP a "poisonous man who doesn't understand Scotland". At a press conference that was televised to the nation on Tuesday, Mr Farage played a clip of the Labour politician which he said supposedly justified Reform UK's advert. But the video did not show Mr Sarwar saying what the ad had claimed, with it instead showing him saying the Pakistani community should be represented in politics. "Pakistanis need (to be) represented in every mainstream political party in Scotland and across the UK," the Scottish MP said in the video. Mr Farage accused the leader of Scottish Labour of introducing "sectarianism into Scottish politics". Defending the ad, he said: "All we've done is to put out the exact words spoken by him without any comment, we've said nothing, just that we will represent the people of that constituency. "The fact that they, having chosen to go down the sectarian route, choose to throw accusations back at us says to me that we are winning." Mr Sarwar branded Reform UK's attack "a blatant attempt from Nigel Farage to try and poison our politics here in Scotland". Labour and the SNP condemned the ad, which the party spent thousands of pounds on, as "racist" and have called for Meta to remove it from Facebook. The row comes amid speculation Mr Farage could visit Scotland in the run-up to next Thursday's Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Holyrood by-election. While Reform has not yet won an election in Scotland, the June 5 by-election is taking place as opinion polls show a surge in support for the party north of the border. On Wednesday, Mr Sarwar told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: "This man has no idea where Hamilton is. I've been in Hamilton most days, I know other political parties have been in Hamilton a lot. "What I suggest to Nigel Farage is he should ask his chauffeur to put Hamilton into Google Maps. "Come up here. I'll challenge him anytime, any place, in Hamilton, any town hall, and he can challenge me on my views. I'll challenge him on his views, and you can see that the people of Scotland will utterly reject him, because he can't win there and he can't win in Scotland. "This man wants to pretend he's a great champion of working people across our country." Scottish First Minister John Swinney condemned Mr Farage's remarks, with the SNP leader writing on social media: "There must be absolutely no place for racism in Scotland. Anas Sarwar is a political rival of mine but he shouldn't be subjected to race-baiting attacks. "Farage has done more than anyone else to demonise minorities and inflame tensions. It must stop." Patrick Harvie, the Scottish Greens co-leader, described the ad as "despicable", warning: "This hateful kind of politics can't be welcomed into Scotland." He added: "Broadcasting this extremist material to tens of thousands of people across the UK on TV news channels is shameful, and only serves to hurt minority communities across the country. The broadcasters which have carried this unchallenged propaganda have some hard questions to answer."
