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| Nigel Farage would axe 'much of' race discrimination laws | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| UKIP would scrap much of the legislation designed to prevent racial discrimination in work, party leader Nigel Farage has said. | UKIP would scrap much of the legislation designed to prevent racial discrimination in work, party leader Nigel Farage has said. |
| He was speaking in a Channel 4 documentary to be shown next week. | He was speaking in a Channel 4 documentary to be shown next week. |
| He says the fact that an employer cannot choose between a Briton and somebody from overseas is "ludicrous". | He says the fact that an employer cannot choose between a Briton and somebody from overseas is "ludicrous". |
| His comments have been heavily criticised, with Downing Street saying they are "deeply concerning" and Labour branding them "shocking". | |
| Mr Farage was speaking in an interview with the former head of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, Trevor Phillips, for a documentary called Things We Won't Say About Race That Are True. | Mr Farage was speaking in an interview with the former head of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, Trevor Phillips, for a documentary called Things We Won't Say About Race That Are True. |
| 'Colour-blind' | |
| He said that while concern over preventing racial discrimination in employment "would probably have been valid" 40 years ago, it is not today. | |
| "If I talked to my children... about the question of race, they wouldn't know what I was talking about," he was reported to say. | "If I talked to my children... about the question of race, they wouldn't know what I was talking about," he was reported to say. |
| He also said he would get rid of "much of" existing legislation. | He also said he would get rid of "much of" existing legislation. |
| And when asked if he would retain a ban on discrimination on the grounds of race or colour, he said: "No... because we take the view, we are colour-blind. We as a party are colour-blind." | And when asked if he would retain a ban on discrimination on the grounds of race or colour, he said: "No... because we take the view, we are colour-blind. We as a party are colour-blind." |
| Criticising recruitment laws, he said: "I think the employer should be much freer to make decisions on who she or he employs. | Criticising recruitment laws, he said: "I think the employer should be much freer to make decisions on who she or he employs. |
| "I think the situation that we now have, where an employer is not allowed to choose between a British-born person and somebody from Poland, is a ludicrous state of affairs. | "I think the situation that we now have, where an employer is not allowed to choose between a British-born person and somebody from Poland, is a ludicrous state of affairs. |
| 'Far from perfect' | |
| "I would argue that the law does need changing, and that if an employer wishes to choose, or you can use the word 'discriminate' if you want to, but wishes to choose to employ a British-born person, they should be allowed to do so." | "I would argue that the law does need changing, and that if an employer wishes to choose, or you can use the word 'discriminate' if you want to, but wishes to choose to employ a British-born person, they should be allowed to do so." |
| Downing Street described Nigel Farage's call to scrap equalities legislation as "deeply concerning." | |
| "Nigel Farage is wrong and desperate for attention. The laws are there to protect people from racial discrimination," Number 10 said. | |
| Labour's shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan said Mr Farage's comments were one of the most shocking things he had ever heard from a mainstream politician. | |
| Mr Khan said: "We have made huge progress on tackling racial inequality and discrimination in this country, partly because of Labour's strong anti-discrimination laws, but things are still far from perfect. | Mr Khan said: "We have made huge progress on tackling racial inequality and discrimination in this country, partly because of Labour's strong anti-discrimination laws, but things are still far from perfect. |
| "When my parents moved to London they frequently saw signs saying 'no blacks, no dogs, no Irish'. What UKIP is suggesting would take us back to those days." | "When my parents moved to London they frequently saw signs saying 'no blacks, no dogs, no Irish'. What UKIP is suggesting would take us back to those days." |