Prominent British broadcaster Sangita Myska has directly accused Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of creating a 'toxic environment' that emboldens racist attacks, after she was subjected to alleged racial slurs from a now-expelled senior party councillor.
Alleged Abuse from a Reform UK Figure
The controversy centres on Ian Cooper, the former leader of Staffordshire County Council and a two-time Reform UK parliamentary candidate for Tamworth. The party was forced to revoke his membership last Friday after an investigation.
Myska, a journalist with a long career at the BBC and LBC, alleges Cooper told her she was English 'only in your dreams' due to her south Asian heritage. In an April post from his X account, he reportedly wrote: 'You are neither ethnically, culturally or historically English. Your diaspora isn't NW European. All you have is a piece of paper entitling you to British citizenship.'
Cooper also stands accused of a series of other offensive online posts. These allegedly include calling London Mayor Sadiq Khan a 'narcissistic Pakistani', claiming migrants were 'intent on colonising the UK', and telling lawyer and activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu to 'F off back to Nigeria'. He also allegedly stated that 'no foreign national or first generation migrant should be allowed to sit in parliament', targeting Justice Secretary David Lammy.
Farage Held Responsible for Party Culture
Myska holds Nigel Farage and the wider Reform UK leadership responsible for fostering the culture that enables such rhetoric. 'Without a shadow of a doubt, Nigel Farage's track record is emboldening party members and now elected councillors... to express views that were once considered completely unacceptable in mainstream political discourse,' she stated.
She emphasised that Reform UK is a private company and 'it's the chief executive that will set the culture and that person is Nigel Farage.' Myska warned that Farage has managed to shift what is considered normal in UK politics, calling it a 'dangerous' precedent.
This comes as Farage faces separate allegations of racist and antisemitic behaviour during his time at Dulwich College, claims he denies were made with 'malice'.
A Deepening 'Toxic' Climate for People of Colour
Myska, who left LBC earlier this year, described an 'unbelievably toxic environment in which anything goes' that she traces back to the Brexit campaign. She argues the position of people of colour in British public life is 'becoming harder by the day'.
'It feels like a feat for many of us to remain in the realms of public discourse on social media because of the racist abuse levelled at us on a daily basis,' she said. She added that legitimate debates on immigration and small boats are being used as cover to attack anyone who is not white British.
Labour MP for Tamworth, Sarah Edwards, said Cooper's posts displayed 'deeply disturbing white supremacist views'. Reform UK has not publicly condemned the specific posts but confirmed Cooper's expulsion for failing to declare social media accounts during vetting.
Myska concluded defiantly, stating she and others have dug their heels in because 'Britain is our home, it's where we made our lives and we have no intention of going anywhere.'
