The UK Independence Party leader said he would get rid of anti-discrimination legislation.
Nigel Farage’s controversial remarks came during the filming of a documentary “Things We Won’t Say About Race That Are True,” BBC reports.
“If I talked to my children… about the question of race, they wouldn’t know what I was talking about,” he said, arguing that laws intended to prevent racial discrimination in the workplace “would probably have been valid” 40 years ago, but no longer. Accordingly, he would get rid of “much of” the current legislation.
Farage said his comments were misinterpreted and that he was talking about nationality, not race. He clarified, “What I said was that I do believe there should be a presumption for British employers in favor of them employing British people as opposed to somebody from Poland.”
[BBC]
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Donald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the Year
- Why We Chose Trump as Person of the Year
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- The 20 Best Christmas TV Episodes
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Write to Tessa Berenson Rogers at tessa.Rogers@time.com