Channel 5 fans fume after Vine guest brands Reform UK 'racist' as Andrea Jenkyns launches fierce defence: 'It's pro British!'

The debate centred on historic allegations made against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage during his school years, with former pupils claiming the Clacton MP used racist language as a teenager at Dulwich College.

But the discussion quickly escalated into a broader clash over Reform UK’s policies, prompting a wave of online reaction from viewers who felt the party was being unfairly maligned.

Ms Shaheen began by warning that Reform UK would likely dismiss the resurfaced allegations as part of a politically motivated attack.

“Denying, deflecting...We’re going to hear a lot of that from the Reform Party when these sorts of allegations come out,” she said.

The economist added that the claims were “horrible to think about", pointing to a schoolmate’s recollection of racist comments allegedly made by Mr Farage.

Ms Jenkyns immediately pushed back, arguing that political opponents often face unfounded accusations.

“People get accused of things all the time when they’re innocent,” she said. “There are so many politically motivated campaigns.”

Ms Shaheen countered that Reform UK’s position on immigration made such allegations unsurprising to some voters.

“Your party has a lot of questionable positions. It might not be openly racist, but it’s there in your policies. The main thing you guys are always going on about is immigration and asylum seekers constantly," she said.

The Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire interjected firmly: “Illegal migration. It’s about putting the British people, the taxpayers, at the top of the queue.”

Jeremy Vine then introduced further claims made by another former pupil, including allegations that Mr Farage had previously used antisemitic language.

He noted that some accusations concerned remarks about Jewish people before pointing out that Reform UK positions itself as strongly pro-Israel.

Mr Shaheen pushed back, saying being pro-Israel did not automatically indicate support for Jewish communities more broadly and pointed out that "a lot of Jewish people don't agree with the actions of the Israeli Government and don't believe in the way the country works."

She continued: He could still be anti-semetic but it is politically in his favour to support Israel."

The conversation then shifted to Labour, after Vine referenced Ms Shaheen’s own political history.

Ms Shaheen said the party had “stood her down” and that she had been discouraged from speaking about Islamophobia within Labour.

She argued that Labour’s own rhetoric on asylum seekers had drifted closer to Reform UK's language in some ways.

The segment sparked heated responses on the Jeremy Vine 5 Facebook page, with fan's of the show criticising Ms Shaheen's take.

Supporters of Reform UK accused the panel of “scraping the barrel” and criticised attempts to revisit events from Farage’s teenage years.

"Give Reform a go… We've had a ping-pong of Labour and Conservative for too long. Let's see how we fare," one viewer wrote.

"There are many British people of many races and cultures who feel the same. The only ones complaining are the ones who have something to lose because they've been on a free ride. Let's level the playing field."

Another penned: "If they're only allegations, he doesn't need to explain anything unless it's to a court of law."

A third fan of the show added: "I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me how they think Reform is racist."

Others insisted the allegations were irrelevant unless proven in court, while some argued the party’s platform was simply “pro-British, not anti anything.”

Critics of Reform UK also weighed in, claiming the party lacked clear policies and accusing Farage of “making it up as he goes along.”

But many viewers expressed frustration that the broadcast allowed Reform UK to be labelled “racist” without challenge.

“I’m still waiting for someone to explain to me how they think Reform is racist,” said one commenter.