London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told media that the racist slur thrown at him by a right-wing Reform UK party worker makes him ‘angry’.
A supporter of Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform UK party called Britain's first ethnic minority prime minister using the derogatory term ‘Paki’.
The incident came to light after a news channel aired a campaigner using the word, which is a racial slur aimed at people of South Asian descent.
Rishi Sunak’s daughters Krishna and Anoushka were present at the time.
‘It hurts, and it makes me angry. I don't repeat those words lightly. I do so deliberately because this is too important not to call out clearly for what it is,’ Sunak was quoted as saying.
The 44-year-old leader said "When you see Reform candidates and campaigners, seemingly using racist and misogynistic language and opinions seemingly without challenge, I think it tells you something about the culture within the Reform Party."
Condemning the campaigner Andrew Parker's remarks as ‘appalling’, the leader of the Reform UK party Farage distanced himself from the controversy.
Farage made it clear that the remark did not reflect the view of the party, adding that a few individuals had "let us down" .
‘The appalling sentiments expressed by some in these exchanges bear no relation to my own views, those of the vast majority of our supporters or Reform UK,’ Farage reportedly stated.
While campaigning on an anti-immigration views, Reform UK hopes to gain a foothold in the parliament to become the ‘real’ opposition.
However, the outfit, according to the anti-racism organisation Hope Not Hate, had to withdraw 166 candidates so far this year with many of whom having made racial or offensive remarks.