Key facts
- Nigel Farage defended Raheem Kassam's comment calling Kemi Badenoch a "Nigerian scammer."
- Farage suggested Kassam's remark was not intentionally racist and related to "cultural relativism."
- Kassam later deleted tweets containing the "Nigerian scammer" remark and a variation.
- Kassam suggested that in the US, "out-and-out racism was an acceptable rite of political discourse."
Nigel Farage defended a controversial remark made by Raheem Kassam, a close associate and potential chief of staff for Reform UK, who called Black politician Kemi Badenoch a "Nigerian scammer." Farage suggested the comment was not intentionally racist, attributing it to "cultural relativism" and stating that Kassam, who has Indian heritage, could not be considered racist. The remarks came during Farage's media round following the controversy. Reform UK MPs Robert Jenrick and Danny Kruger offered differing views on the comment's nature. Kassam later deleted the offending tweets, suggesting that in the US, "out-and-out racism was an acceptable rite of political discourse."