Election watchdog needs tough new powers to tackle alleged racism after Reform ‘p***’ row

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But if a politician goes on national TV and dishonesty brands almost half of British Muslims as terrorist supporters, that is implied incitement.” Mr Oluwole cited a Sky News interview last month, where Mr Farage, the former Ukip leader said: “We have a growing number of young people in this country who do not subscribe to British values, in fact loathe much of what we stand for.” When asked if he was talking about Muslims, Farage replied: “We are. Labour’s Bell Ribeiro-Addy says the Electoral Commission needs to police offensive campaigning During a TV interview in 2017, Mr Farage said “frankly, if you open your door to uncontrolled immigration from Middle Eastern countries, you are inviting in terrorism.” Concerns have been raised that such divisive rhetoric is being normalised. From Enoch Powell’s racist ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech in 1968 to former prime minister Boris Johnson, who called burka-wearing Muslim women “letterboxes”, Black Lives Matter UK pointed to a history of political figures “leveraging racism for their gain”. Nigel Farage claimed Reform’s ‘bad apples’ have been rooted out Addressing a rally in Birmingham on Sunday, party leader Nigel Farage insisted that “the bad apples are gone” after withdrawing support for three candidates.