Farage says Reform has some bad eggs like any large group
Nigel FarageReform UK leader and MP for Clacton
Farage tells a Plymouth rally that Reform councillors, who he says were provoked, said things the party would rather they had not. He argues that any large group has some bad eggs and that Reform is not uniquely awful.
“Wherever you get thousands of people that congregate together, you will get some bad eggs. Do not buy in to the media narrative that somehow there's something uniquely awful about people in Reform. It just isn't true.”
Reporting
Reporting
Other statements by Nigel Farage in this case
- Farage defends Reform vetting and its response to misconductEarlier: Defended or excused
Where this statement fits
Farage defends Reform's vetting after ITV films racist remarks
ITV News published undercover reporting of racist and sexist remarks by Reform UK councillors and candidates. Nigel Farage defended the party's vetting and disciplinary response. Critics, including Labour chair Bridget Phillipson and ITV political editor Robert Peston, argued that the findings raised questions about leadership and checks on past conduct.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
The live blog quotes Farage's Plymouth rally speech and his Sky News interview the same day, both responding to ITV's reporting on Reform.
Reporting
About this source
The ITV News podcast plays clips of Farage's October 20 rally speech in Plymouth and of a broadcast interview, then its hosts discuss them. The episode description says the film aired in full on October 18.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Speaking at a Reform UK rally in Plymouth two days after the film aired, Farage says Reform councillors, having been provoked, said some things the party would rather they had not, and lists misconduct cases from other parties.
After the quotation
In a Sky News interview the same day, he says some of the comments are appalling but there is a real snobbery about this, and that Reform is pretty much the same as everybody else.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Farage accepts that some Reform councillors made remarks the party regrets, but treats them as the bad eggs found in any large group and rejects the idea that Reform has an unusual problem. This downplays the extent of the vetting failure under scrutiny. It goes beyond disputing a media label because he offers that explanation as his answer to the findings.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Nigel Farage, Reform UK
More from this case
Read the full caseReform says it will take no action against two Hounslow councillors
Reform UK
“Cllrs Parkins and Kerr were giving their own personal opinions on the death penalty for members of child rape gangs in what they believed was a private conversation. We will not be taking further action against them.”Read statement
Jenrick says Reform acted against the individuals at issue
“But the individuals that you’re referring to today were suspended or were asked to resign, and that has happened.”Read statement
HOPE not hate calls the reported failures a leadership choice
HOPE not hate
“This isn’t a few slipping through. It’s a choice. Reform UK must publish the vetting files.”Read statement
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- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Farage says Reform has some bad eggs like any large group
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/6819-farage-tells-a-plymouth-rally-that-reform-councillors
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The Dispute Index. "Farage says Reform has some bad eggs like any large group". First published: 2026-11-09. Last updated: 2026-11-09. https://disputeindex.com/events/6819-farage-tells-a-plymouth-rally-that-reform-councillors