Nigel Farage wrongly claimed Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the south Asian community “are going to take over the world” – after last week facing accusations of racism following a Reform UK attack advert.
The Reform UK leader used a speech in Aberdeen on Monday to ramp up his attacks on the Scottish Labour leader, once again accusing him of “sectarian politics” and claiming he has a “record of obsession” – citing a speech he gave in Holyrood in 2020 as evidence of this.
Mr Farage last week faced accusations of racism after his party put out a Facebook ad claiming Mr Sarwar was prioritising the Pakistani community, sparking a row which has dominated the Hamilton by-election in Scotland.
The ad – which the SNP and Labour have demanded be removed by Meta – shows clips of Mr Sarwar calling for more representation of Scots with south Asian heritage in a speech he made three years ago, although he did not say he would prioritise one group.
Asked about the advert at a press conference in Aberdeen, Mr Farage said: “We don't talk about race at all. We think everybody should be treated equally. We object very strongly to the segmentation of people into different types.”
Speaking as anti-racism protesters gathered outside the venue, he also pointed out his party's chairman, Zia Yusuf, as someone who "is Scottish born, but comes from parents who come from the Indian subcontinent".
Mr Farage continued: “To be frank... Mr Sarwar has a record of obsessing on this issue. There was the famous speech that he gave in the Scottish Parliament saying, why is the judiciary white? Why are, you know, these leading figures in Scotland white? It was the most extraordinary speech given the statistics and figures here.
“Actually, I think that speech that he gave was sectarian in its very nature - you know, we are the South Asian community, we are going to take over the country and take over the world.”
When it was pointed out that Mr Sarwar didn’t say that, Mr Farage doubled down on his claim, saying: “Well, he did actually. Very, very clearly.”
He added: “We believe what he said was a form of sectarian politics, and we don't like it one little bit.”
In his 2022 speech, Mr Sarwar called for more political representation for people from Pakistani and South Asian backgrounds, saying that they should no longer be viewed as simply a “vote bank” by politicians but instead should have the chance to influence change themselves.
He said: “We will only truly get real power, not if we just have more Pakistanis sitting in council chambers and parliaments, but actually having more Pakistanis and South Asians sitting in the corridors of power, making the decisions.
“And that's where I'll end tonight, is to say the change is coming, and the days where our South Asian community are viewed as a vote bank or a curry bank are well and truly gone.
“The days where south Asian communities get to lead political parties and get to lead countries is now upon us.
“The days when south Asian communities get to decide, not just what school our children go to, but what they are taught in those schools is also coming.”
Responding to Reform’s attack ad last week, Scottish first minister John Swinney said Mr Farage had “brought racism and hatred” into Scotland. Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer said Reform is “introducing poison into our politics”, with Labour previously claiming the advert was “blatantly racist”.
Mr Farage’s speech came as he unveiled the defection of former Labour councillor Jamie McGuire to Reform UK - Scottish Labour’s first defection to the party. Former Tory councillor Duncan Massey also defected to Reform UK on Monday.
Mr Farage also used his Aberdeen speech to attack net zero, claiming that all it would achieve is to export Britain’s carbon dioxide production abroad.
Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice claimed net zero is the “greatest act of financial self harm ever imposed on this nation by people in Westminster”.
“It’s not them that suffer”, he added. “It's ordinary men and women, families and children that suffer in our communities, and that's why we are battling so hard to turn this around.”
Mr Farage was addressing an audience which he said included several prominent businessmen and businesswomen who are “very worried about the future of the oil and gas industry”.
Voters go to the polls on June 5 in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Holyrood constituency – a by-election called following the death of SNP MSP Christina McKelvie.
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