Farage calls 'Nigerian scammer' slur accidental

Nigel Farage told BBC Breakfast on Monday that he does not consider the phrase “Nigerian scammer” to be racist. The Reform UK leader gave the answer while being interviewed by presenter Sally Nugent. He made the claim after his closest ally, Raheem Kassam, used the term to describe opposition leader Kemi Badenoch last week.

Kassam, who is positioned as Reform’s next chief of staff, posted the comment on social media. Farage initially suggested Kassam was no longer a friend or former chief of staff. He then shifted his argument, stating that Kassam is of Indian heritage. Farage implied that this background made the use of a Nigerian descriptor less likely to be a racial slur.

When Nugent pressed him on whether the specific combination of words was racist, Farage said, “No, I don’t.” He argued that the two words were separate truths rather than a single image. He noted that Badenoch is of Nigerian descent and that she had spoken demonstrably untrue statements. He maintained that he could not be held responsible for social media posts by his supporters.

The controversy began earlier in the week when Kassam called Badenoch a “Nigerian scammer.” Reform MPs reacted with mixed signals to the comment. Robert Jenrick described the remark as a form of forensic journalism. Danny Kruger suggested the phrase could not be racist because he could not conceive of Farage’s friends being bigots. Farage’s first major media appearance in months ended with him defending the remark.

Kassam emailed a journalist on Tuesday morning to provide an update. He said Farage had criticized his tweet for being neither clever nor funny. Kassam admitted the post could have been better phrased and timed. He also claimed Badenoch was a con artist for turning the Conservative Party into a version of the Liberal Democrats. He suggested that British politicians had lost their sense of humor and that more people should be calling her by the nickname.

Kassam posted a new message on X on Tuesday morning referring to Badenoch as “Kemi Scammenoch.” He has since deleted that post. He also removed his pinned tweet containing the original “Nigerian scammer” comment. The timeline of events places the initial tweet last week, the BBC interview on Monday, and Kassam’s follow-up posts on Tuesday.

The government recently advised the public to hoard baked beans and water to survive a three-day power outage. Farage’s media tour coincided with these preparations. The interview took place in the BBC studio. Kassam’s email arrived later that morning. The deleted posts remain visible in archived screenshots.