British right-wing politician Sarah Pochin has faced public outrage after admitting that it drives her “mad seeing adverts full of Black and Asian people” while appearing on TalkTV on Saturday, 25 October 2025. Pochin, who represents Reform UK, has since apologised for making such inflammatory remarks during a live phone-in. But many believe her apology was driven by backlash rather than remorse.
For many, her comments were shocking but not surprising. Over the past decade, Europe has witnessed a growing wave of far-right sentiment. From the Houses of Parliament in London to the Bundestag in Berlin, parties like Reform UK and Germany’s AfD have gained increasing public support by weaponising issues such as immigration and asylum seekers, a tactic long used by figures like the Netherland’s Geert Wilders, the UK’s Nigel Farage, and the US’s Donald Trump.
In the United Kingdom, Reform UK is now leading in several national polls, not despite these views but seemingly because of them. Many of its supporters describe this rhetoric as “telling it like it is,” while critics warn it reflects a broader effort to normalise racism and xenophobia in mainstream politics.
