Politics bbc breakfast nigel farage Sally Nugent
Nigel Farage’s furious deflection was a real squirmfest, as Sally Nugent pressed him over an ally calling Kemi Badenoch a ‘Nigerian scammer’
This is turning out to be a bad week for Reform, and for Nigel Farage in particular.
On Monday, their press conference was a flop of epic proportions, they’ve dropped further down the polls, and then Farage agreed to face BBC Breakfast’s Sally Nugent. We suspect he’s regretting that already.
Here’s how he handled being asked about the racism accusations against his long-standing ally Raheem Kassam, who has doubled (and tripled) down on calling Kemi Badenoch a Nigerian scammer.
‘Do you think it’s racist’
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was questioned on #BBCBreakfast after his former senior aide Raheem Kassam called Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch as a ‘Nigerian scammer’
https://t.co/YWIXX1DvHT https://t.co/14rGmh2BxS
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) October 27, 2026
Here are some key parts of their exchange.
“Raheem Kassam has spoken about the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, calling her a Nigerian scammer. Do you think that’s racist?”
“He’s of Indian heritage.”
“Does that mean he can’t be racist?”
“You tell me the answer to that. As far as scammer’s concerned, well it’s a pretty strong word, but it’s pretty clear that Kemi Badenoch very often does not tell the truth.”
“Do you think the phrase Nigerian scammer is racist?”
“There are two different words. One is scammer, which is someone who does not tell the truth …”
“You are the leader of Reform UK. Do you think that comment is racist?”
“I don’t think saying somebody grew up in Nigeria is racist.So, no.”
“No, it’s not. Is that your answer?”
“I don’t think it is. You tell me what do you think?”
“You’re talking about personal security of members of Parliament, and things being put on social media that are not appropriate, and you’re saying that that doesn’t matter?”
“Nobody in Parliament gets more death threats than me. Every single day. Don’t talk to me about security.”
Tweeters enjoyed seeing Farage’s feet being held to the fire. These reactions spoke volumes.