Nigel Farage is not fit to be prime minister if he does not call out racist comments by his MPs and route out Russian influence in his party, Sir Keir Starmer has told GB News.
The Prime Minister also called for Reform UK to order an investigation to ascertain “pro-Russian links” within the party in the wake of the sentencing of its former Welsh leader Nathan Gill for taking pro-Russian bribes.
His comments came after Sir Keir was branded “spineless” for failing to take a stronger line after Sarah Pochin said the proportion of black and Asian people in adverts “drives me mad”.
Asked by GB News’ Political Editor Christopher Hope if he considered Mr Farage to be racist, Sir Keir said: “I think she (Pochin) said she’s fed up of seeing Black and Asian faces on the television.
“That is a shocking and racist thing to say, and Nigel Farage has done nothing about it.”
Responding to Sir Keir’s comments about his unfitness to be PM, Mr Farage said: “The Prime Minister needs to urgently investigate the links with the Chinese Communist Party within the Labour Party.
“Spies have been discovered donating to Labour MPs and there has been the mysterious collapse of a recent spy trial. Perhaps he needs to look closer to home.”
Ex-shadow minister and Labour MP Barry Gardiner was reportedly one of the recipients of £500,000 across six years from Christine Lee, a suspected Chinese spy connected to the Chinese Communist Party.
GB News sat down with Sir Keir Starmer in Johannesburg
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GB NEWS
Asked about Gill being sentenced to 10 years today, Sir Keir said: “I think Nigel Farage needs to immediately launch an investigation into his party. How did that happen? And what other pro-Russian links are there between Reform and all of his members and people?”
Asked if Mr Farage is “fit to be PM”, Sir Keir replied: “Anybody who fails to call out racism, anyone who is pro Russia is not fit to lead our country.
“But he must start that investigation. This is a serious prison sentence, 10 years for that involvement with pro Russian, pro Russian bribes.
“He needs to launch an investigation. How did that happen in his party? And what other links are in his party?”
Sir Keir Starmer said Nigel Farage is ‘not fit to be PM’
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GB NEWS
Last month Ms Pochin, Reform UK’s MP for Runcorn and Helsby, apologised for saying that “it drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people”.
Ms Pochin said her comments were “phrased poorly”, but insisted many adverts are “unrepresentative of British society.”
Later, Mr Farage said he was “very angry” with her but added that he understood “the basic point”.
He added: “If I thought that the intention behind it was racist, I would have taken a lot more action than I have to date.”
Last month, pollsters at Ipsos revealed Mr Farage was Britain’s preferred candidate to lead the country.
Mr Farage scraped ahead of Sir Keir by three per cent when a survey assessed Britons’ preference towards political leaders, as well as who they would prefer in No10.
In the same survey, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham beat Sir Keir over who the electorate believe would make a better PM by almost ten per cent.