The Conservatives intensified their attack on alleged racism within Reform UK on Saturday after Raheem Kassam, a close ally of Nigel Farage, referred to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch as a “Nigerian scammer”.
Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake accused Kassam, a long-time adviser to Farage, of directing “racist slurs” at the leader of the opposition.
In one post on X, Kassam wrote: “How are people still falling for this Nigerian scammer? Don’t give her your credit card number and bank account details!”
In separate posts, he asked: “So Kemi, tell us the truth. Are you a walking gaffe or an illegal immigrant?” He also repeatedly used Badenoch’s full name, Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch.
The Conservatives have demanded that Farage “come clean” about Kassam’s exact position within Reform. Kassam has been closely associated with Farage for more than 10 years and previously served as his chief of staff when Farage led Ukip.
Kassam was present at Reform’s London headquarters as recently as last week, although the party insists he holds no formal role.
The remarks came as Reform faces accusations that it is pursuing an “ethno-nationalist” agenda. Some MPs have claimed that only white people can be considered truly English. Kassam once described himself as a “one-man human shield” for Farage and said he would take the politician to steam rooms to prevent him from sweating in public.
Badenoch has enjoyed a rise in support since using her speech at the Conservative Party conference this month to condemn Reform MPs who have repeated the claim that whiteness defines English identity.
Conservative chairman Kevin Hollinrake accused Raheem Kassam (pictured right), a long-standing adviser to Mr Farage, of “launching racist slurs” against the Tory leader
The Conservatives called on Mr Farage to “come clean” about Raheem Kassam’s precise role in Reform after the posts were published
The dispute follows a difficult week for Reform, which faced renewed scrutiny over its candidate-vetting procedures after an undercover ITV investigation found several councillors and candidates expressing racist views and using offensive language. A Reform spokesman said: “There is no room for racism in Reform UK.”
Hollinrake told The Mail on Sunday: “It’s time for Mr Farage to come clean about precisely what role Raheem Kassam has within Reform. Does he have a paid position?
“Is he acting as an informal adviser? What influence does he have over Reform’s communications and broader political strategy?
“Reform says there is no room for racism in the party. How does that square with Mr Kassam apparently maintaining close links to Mr Farage while simultaneously directing racist slurs at the Leader of the Opposition?”
Kassam rejected the accusation and accused Hollinrake of using “woke, Leftist terms”. He said: “I’m Indian, but I don’t think it is racist to call me Indian. Kemi is a compulsive liar. She is, without doubt, a scammer.”
A friend of Kassam also claimed that a group of Conservative MPs had recently visited the restaurant he runs in Washington DC and asked him to work with them.
The friend said: “He has only been over from Washington for a few weeks and the Tories are already panicking, which is sort of flattering. But he has no intention of staying in London long term.”
A Reform insider said: “Raheem has worked with people on the political Right on and off for more than a decade, including the Conservative Party.
The Conservatives intensified their attack on alleged racism in Reform UK after Nigel Farage ally Raheem Kassam described Kemi Badenoch (pictured) as a “Nigerian scammer”
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“Tory MPs dined at his Washington restaurant last year and asked him to return and work with them. They’re obviously attacking him now because he refused.”
A Tory source strenuously denied the claim.
Mr Kassam has sent a flurry of messages in recent weeks on X, including one containing footage of Mrs Badenoch speaking at her father’s memorial in 2022.
He wrote: ‘When Kemi Badenoch speaks to other Nigerians, she turns off her fake English accent.
‘She also tells them that she loves Nigeria just as much as England. And what’s all this about saying Islamic prayers in Nigeria? She is running to be PM while stating equal allegiance to another country??? How are people still falling for this Nigerian scammer? Don’t give her your credit card number and bank account details!’
Earlier this month, he criticised the version of the Bayeux Tapestry the Tories mocked up for their party conference, spoofing Labour figures such as Andy Burnham, John Healey and Sir Keir Starmer.
Mr Kassam complained that their version of the embroidery, originally depicting events from 1064 onwards, ‘includes their Nigerian leader, Olukemi Badenoch. This is Netflix-tier bad’.
Mrs Badenoch’s approval ratings shot up when voters were shown clips of her saying she didn’t want to live in a nation run by people who ‘debate whether my mixed-race children are English’ – including a leap from 40 per cent to 57 per cent among Reform voters.
Mr Farage has warned his colleagues to stop drawing lines around Englishness, ‘exchanging words’ with Suella Braverman after she suggested she could not be considered English because her parents were born abroad.