Lammy: I was spat on for being Black - but racists are wrong about our country

The deputy PM has hit out at Reform MP Sarah Pochin's 'disgusting' remarks over adverts featuring ethnic minorities

- DAVID MADDOX

David Lammy has insisted that despite experiencing horrendous prejudice while growing up, he does not believe Britain is a racist country and hit out at those who “would have us believe that we are more divided than we really are”.

Writing exclusively for The Independent to mark Black History Month, the justice secretary described how he was spat at as a young boy for being Black, and said he was “terrified” of the skinheads who “patrolled our neighbourhoods, spreading their hate”.

But he insisted his experiences of efforts to combat division have shown him Britain is not a racist country and is instead a nation of people “determined to play their part in putting it right”.

Arguing that most people want to live in a “tolerant society”, Mr Lammy hit out at Reform, warning the party’s worldview is counter to Britain’s true spirit.

He highlighted comments made last weekend by Reform’s MP Sarah Pochin, who told Talk TV that seeing Black and Asian people in adverts made her angry, warning that such remarks were becoming “normalised” and marked a return to “flagrant racism”.

While Ms Pochin has since apologised, Labour ministers have said she was only sorry “for saying the quiet bit out loud”.

Mr Lammy said: “Most people want to live in a tolerant society and are disgusted by the racist views of the Reform MP Sarah Pochin, who said there were too many Black and Asian faces in adverts. They feel the peril of such comments becoming normalised and stand with us against the return of such flagrant racism.”