Is Reform using Sarah Pochin's racist comments to test public opinion?
Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin has been condemned for “racist” comments about being driven “mad” by seeing TV adverts featuring Black or Asian families. Is she being used as a “canary” by Nigel Farage?
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In brief…
- Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin sparked backlash after complaining about racial diversity in TV adverts, later apologising and claiming her comments were “poorly phrased.”
- Keir Starmer condemned her remarks as “racist” and criticised Nigel Farage for failing to show leadership.
- The News Agents suggest Farage may be using Pochin’s remarks to test public opinion, but the controversy risks undermining Reform UK’s credibility.
What’s the story?
There's nothing that upsets Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin more than when she sees diversity on the television.
"It drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people," Pochin said during an interview with Talk TV.
She said the average "white person" and "white family" is no longer represented,
The Runcorn and Helsby MP later issued an apology on social media, saying her words were "poorly phrased", and she wished to "unreservedly apologise for any offence caused", citing a Channel 4 study which showed that black people are over-represented in British advertising.
Pochin previously hit headlines in June 2025, when she asked the House of Commons to ban the burqa “in the interest of public safety”.
How have Labour responded?
Labour took a firm position on calling out Reform for the comments, with Wes Streeting being the first minister to step forward and condemn the comment as “racist.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer followed suit, calling it “shocking racism” that will “tear the country apart”.
“Nigel Farage has got some questions to answer, because either he doesn't consider it racist, which, in my view, is shocking in itself, or he does think it's racist, and he's shown absolutely no leadership,” Starmer said in a statement.
Will Pochin’s comments help or hurt Reform?
Emily thinks that Farage is using Pochin as a “canary” - and it’s part of a bigger gameplan in his and Reform UK’s strategy.
“She gets out there and says something pretty ludicrous, which Reform then carefully distances themselves from,” she says.
“Nigel Farage doesn't want to be in the burqa chat. He doesn't want to be in the racist chat, he wants to make the party appear more mainstream, but it is very helpful for him, and for the party, to have somebody that is pushing at the door of racism.
“This is how they work out where the public mood is,” Emily adds.
Then, when that door is open, people might jump on the bandwagon - and the job is done for him.
But this tactic could backfire.
Reform UK is synonymous with one person - Nigel Farage, and with a total of only five MPs, they should be trying to present as a party with enough competent and serious leaders to fill a cabinet, if they really want to win the next election.
“Farage is seen as a one man band,” Jon says.
“Reform has to be able to present a team of people who look like responsible adults who can take up the levers of government if they ever won an election. At the moment, they cannot.
“They have not got that when one of their MPs is Sarah Pochin who's saying things that are beyond the pale.”