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Nigel Farage race row: how politicians, commentators and Ukip leader himself reacted

David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg unite in condemning Farage

Matt Dathan
Thursday 12 March 2015 14:26 GMT
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We woke up this morning to a fresh race row sparked by Nigel Farage. In an interview for a Channel 4 documentary due to be aired next Thursday, the Ukip leader says he wants laws banning racial discrimination in the workplace to be scrapped.

The comments have fuelled an angry response, with all political leaders wanting to be seen condemning Mr Farage. Watch the video and then see how his remarks have generated a heated debate on Twitter and the airwaves.

Sadiq Khan kicked the reaction off with this rather hyperbolic response:

"This is one of the most shocking things I have ever heard from a mainstream politician and demonstrates breath-taking ignorance. 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."

Farage hit straight back:

David Cameron was "deeply concerned" (not just about the threat of Nigel Farage nicking Tory votes):

On his weekly LBC radio phone-in, Nick Clegg said Mr Farage "instills fear by confusing a lot of these things."

Ed Miliband chipped in once he realised it was a popular thing to do:

And predictably, Farage replied:

The Daily Mirror columnist suggested we boot Farage out on his own terms:

But Jeremy Vine (unfortunately not the real one) suggested Ukip are to blame for needing racial discrimination laws in the first place:

Farage attempted to clarify his comments:

"Employers should be able to employ British people over somebody from Poland without fearing they've breached discrimination laws.

But the jokes kept on coming:

Farage's team drew up a quick poster:

And finally, the Ukip leader used the whole row to convince Cameron to man-up and join the TV debates:

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