Zia Yusuf has come out in ardent defence of Reform UK Sarah Pochin just hours after a racism row erupted over black and Asian people featuring in TV adverts.
The Runcorn and Helsby MP yesterday apologised “for any offence caused” after saying “it drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people”.
Sitting down with GB News political editor Christopher Hope on the Camilla Tominey Show, Reform’s policy chief refuted any claims that the MP should hang up her hat.
“Look, Sarah is a lovely person that you’ve taken, that you’ve taken a very specific part of what she said,” Mr Yusuf said.
Delivering her apology, Mrs Pochin admitted her comments were “phrased poorly” but insisted that many adverts are “unrepresentative of British society”.
The Reform MP made the controversial comments during a TV interview about the demographics of advertising.
Mrs Pochin said the viewer was “absolutely right”, adding: “It drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people.”
Speaking about the comments in context, Mr Yusuf added how the viewer spoke about the misrepresentation of specific demographics and its consequent impact “in the real world”.
“And no one ever talks about this, partly because people are worried about this sort of a backlash. There is no group that attains that has lower attainment educationally in this country than white working class boys.
“No mainstream politician talks about it.”
Mr Yusuf claimed that just 14 per cent of white British boys on school meals attend university, lower than any other demographic.
“Disgraceful. It’s a disgrace,” he fumed.
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He continued: “The evidence is such that white working class boys are they are the ones being left behind more than any other group. I’m not afraid. No other no politician talks about it in part because they worry about this backlash.
“I speak to not only those kids, I speak to their parents, I speak to their mums. I remember one who was in tears about the lack of opportunity for her kids.
“And what’s the response [from politicians]? More discrimination against them.”
Following Ms Pochin’s comments, Labour and the Liberal Democrats were up in arms, raring to hit out at the Reform MP.
Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley said: “It’s astonishing that a senior Reform MP is spending her time counting the numbers of people with a different skin colour to her on TV adverts.
“Defining British people by the colour of their skin is completely unacceptable and shows once again that Reform are more interested in dividing our country than uniting it.”
She urged leader Nigel Farage to condemn the MP’s words and to “urgently clarify” whether Ms Pochin’s views were “welcome” in his party.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne Josh Babarinde delivered a more succinct criticism on social media, declaring: “If the colour of someone else’s skin drives you ‘mad’, you are a Grade-A racist.”
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