"Do you think that's racist?"
Things got heated on BBC Breakfast as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was grilled by presenter Sally Nugent over whether a former aide’s description of Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch as a “Nigerian scammer” was racist.
Nugent interviewed Farage about comments made online by Raheem Kassam, a former aide to the Reform UK leader, who described Badenoch as a “Nigerian scammer”.
Nugent asked Farage directly whether he believed the phrase was racist.
In response, Farage disputed the description of Kassam as his former chief of staff, pointing out that he was currently in America and was of Indian heritage.
When Nugent challenged the suggestion that Kassam’s background had any bearing on whether the remark could be racist, Farage replied:
“I don’t know, you tell me the answer to that.
“As far as the scam is concerned, well, it’s a strong word, but it’s pretty clear that Kemi Badenoch often does not tell the truth about things that have happened and tries her very best to reinvent her past.”
Nugent continued to press Farage on whether he endorsed the description of Badenoch as a “Nigerian scammer”, prompting him to explain his position further.
He added: “I just said to you, very, very clearly, that the word scammer is about someone who doesn’t always tell the truth.
“There are quite a few instances over the last couple of months of her not telling the truth.”
Nugent then asked: “Do you think that’s racist? Do you think the phrase ‘Nigerian scammer’ is racist?”
Appearing to lose his cool, Farage responded: “I’ve just explained to you that there are two different words.
“One is scammer, and the other is Nigerian. He’s of Indian heritage. Ask him how he describes himself.
“Kemi Badenoch calls herself British; she grew up in Nigeria. By the way, this is not a debate I’m getting involved in. Somebody in America is making a comment on Twitter.”
‘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
As the exchange continued, Nugent pointed out that Kassam was a close ally of Farage.
However, Farage appeared dismissive of the suggestion that this made the comments relevant to him, replying:
“So what? People say all sorts of things on Twitter, every single day.”
Despite Farage’s insistence that he did not want to get involved in the debate, Nugent continued to ask whether he considered the phrase racist.
He eventually said: “No, I don’t. I don’t think saying someone grew up in Nigeria is racist, no, I don’t. I don’t think it is, you tell me. What do you think?”
While Nigel Farage acknowledged that the remark was “over the top”, he maintained that he did not believe it was deliberately racist.
