Reform MP apologises after saying adverts full of black people 'drive me mad'

The MP for Runcorn and Helsby was responding to a viewer on TalkTV who complained about the demographics of advertising.

Ms Pochin said the viewer was "absolutely right" and "it drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people."

She continued: "It doesn’t reflect our society and I feel that your average white person, average white family is...not represented anymore."

Ms Pochin blamed the situation on the "woke liberati" in the "arty-farty world"

"It might be fine inside the M25, but it’s definitely not representative of the rest of the country," she said.

Her comments were met with outrage from Labour and Liberal Democrats.

Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley said: "It’s astonishing that a senior Reform MP is spending her time counting the numbers of people with a different skin colour to her on TV adverts.

"Defining British people by the colour of their skin is completely unacceptable and shows once again that Reform are more interested in dividing our country than uniting it.

"Nigel Farage needs to condemn this now, and urgently clarify whether Sarah Pochin’s views on race are welcome in his party."

Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne Josh Babarinde wrote on social media: "If the colour of someone else’s skin drives you 'mad', you are a Grade-A racist."

In a later statement, Ms Pochin said she was trying to say the advertising industry had gone "DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) mad."

She said: "My comments were phrased poorly and I apologise for any offence caused, which was not my intention.

"The point I was trying to make is that the British advertising agency world have gone DEI mad and many adverts are now unrepresentative of British society as a whole.

"I will endeavour to ensure my language is more accurate going forward."