Reform’s Pochin apologises after hitting out at adverts ‘full of black people’

Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin has apologised for any offence caused after saying “it drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people”.

She said her comments were “phrased poorly” but insisted that many adverts are “unrepresentative of British society”.

Labour said her comments were “completely unacceptable” and called on party leader Nigel Farage to condemn them.

The Runcorn and Helsby MP was responding to a viewer on TalkTV who complained about the demographics of advertising.

The MP said the viewer was “absolutely right” and “it drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people”.

She said: “It doesn’t reflect our society and I feel that your average white person, average white family is…  not represented anymore.”

Ms Pochin blamed the situation on the “woke liberati” in the “arty-farty world”.

“It might be fine inside the M25, but it’s definitely not representative of the rest of the country,” she said.

In a later statement, she said she was trying to say the advertising industry had gone “DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) mad”.

She said: “My comments were phrased poorly and I apologise for any offence caused, which was not my intention.

“The point I was trying to make is that the British advertising agency world have gone DEI mad and many adverts are now unrepresentative of British society as a whole.

“I will endeavour to ensure my language is more accurate going forward.”

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.

“Nigel Farage needs to condemn this now, and urgently clarify whether Sarah Pochin’s views on race are welcome in his party.”