Sunak attacks Farage after racist Reform activist's slur

Rishi Sunak took the gloves off in his fight with Reform UK yesterday, revealing his hurt and anger after his daughters were exposed to their father being called a P*** by a canvasser for Nigel Farage's party. Andrew Parker was caught using the racial slur while canvassing in Clacton, Essex, where Mr Farage is standing to be an MP.

- KATE DEVLIN JOE MIDDLETON DAVID MADDOX

Mr Parker, who was filmed as part of an undercover investigation by Channel 4 News, said: “I’ve always been a Tory voter. But what annoys me is that fucking P*** we’ve got in. What good is he? You tell me, you know. He’s just wet. Fucking useless.” Essex Police said they were “urgently assessing” the comments “to establish if there are any criminal offences”.

On a campaign visit to a school in Teesside, the prime minister told broadcasters: “My two daughters have to see and hear Reform people who campaign for Nigel Farage calling me an ‘effing P***’. It hurts and it makes me angry, and I think he has some questions to answer.”

Mr Sunak also accused Mr Farage of “appeasing Putin” in comments the Reform leader made that appeared to blame the West for provoking the invasion of Ukraine, suggesting a change of strategy by the prime minister against the right-wing insurgent party eating away at the Tory voter base.

It follows weeks of attempts by advisers and MPs from the centre of the party to persuade Mr Sunak to attack the extremism found among some supporters of Reform, while the prime minister tried to take a more conciliatory approach.

On his decision to repeat the racial slur out loud, the prime minister told reporters: “I do it deliberately and I hate having to do it. I chose my words deliberately. I hate having to repeat it. Absolutely hate it. But I also think it’s important to call this out for what it is, and be clear about what it is.”