Nigel Farage has said he was "unhappy" with a Reform MP who said it drove her “mad” to see adverts full of Black and Asian people - but declined to call the comments racist.
Runcorn and Helsby MP Sarah Pochin was forced to apologise for her remarks on Saturday amid a furious backlash. Mr Farage repeatedly refused to say her remarks were racist as he faced calls to sack her.
Mr Farage was joined at the event by grooming gangs survivor Ellie Reynolds. She resigned from the survivors panel and branded the probe "corrupt". Mr Farage suggested a Parliamentary probe into the scandal and said the public was running out of patience.
See all the updates below as they happened
Labour calls on Reform UK to strip the whip from under-fire MP
Just before Nigel Farage's press conference, Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley demanded Reform UK strip the party whip from Sarah Pochin.
In a letter to Mr Farage, she said: "Saying that seeing black and Asian people in TV adverts 'drives me mad' is racist. You have the power to withdraw the Reform UK whip from Sarah Pochin. You should do it today. I look forward to your urgent response."
That's it for the press conference
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has now finished his press conference
Nigel Farage declines to back calls for Parliament to go after Prince Andrew
Nigel Farage seems reluctant to pile further pressure on Prince Andrew.
He says 'Parliament should only interfere in areas like this in a real extreme situation' - and says there's "no need to give him a kicking" as Andrew is on his way out.
Survivor says she wouldn't touch the panel with a '10-foot barge pole'
Ellie Reynolds says she has no faith in the panel and she wouldn't touch it again with a '10 foot barge pole'.
She says she had very little faith it would get anything done and now she has none.
Asked why she was appearing alongside Nigel Farage, she says she will speak to anyone who will help bring about change.
Farage says victims are becoming a political football
Nigel Farage agrees that survivors are becoming a political football - but says his plans could 'de-politicise' it by bringing it into Parliament.
Parliament must be a 'court' on grooming gangs
Nigel Farage is grilled on whether victims will get justice through his plans for a parliamentary inquiry.
He said: “I believe that what the victims and survivors want is for those that are guilty to come to justice.
“What I’m actually calling for here is Parliament to become a court and that we discover under oath the truth about who knew what and when, about how they refused to say anything, and so that there can be prosecutions for negligence to follow.”
Nigel Farage says he's 'shocked' ex-Welsh Reform leader took bribes
Nigel Farage is asked about Nathan Gill, the former Welsh Reform leader, who admitted he took bribes to make statements in favour of Russia in the European Parliament.
Mr Farage says he was "shocked" to find this out, adding: "Just goes to show... you absolutely never actually know anyone."
Keir Starmer says Sarah Pochin was racist - and condemns Farage for showing 'absolutely no leadership'
Keir Starmer has called Sarah Pochin's remarks about Black and Asian people in ads "shocking racism".
Asked if what she said was racist, the Prime Minister told broadcasters: "Yes, she was.
"It's shocking racism and it's the sort of thing that will tear our country apart, and it tells you everything about Reform.
"Nigel Farage has got some questions to answer, because either he doesn't consider it racist, which in my view is shocking in itself, or he does think it's racist and he's shown absolutely no leadership.
"I'm the Prime Minister of the whole of our country, our reasonable, tolerant, diverse country, and I want to serve the whole country. He can't even call out racism."
Asked whether she should have the whip removed, he said: "He needs to take action, it's not a question of just the whip, this is shocking racism, it has to be dealt with and it should be rooted out of his party.
"And the question for Nigel Farage is, why has he shown absolutely no leadership on this?"
Nigel Farage denies Sarah Pochin was racist but says he's 'unhappy'
Nigel Farage says he's unhappy with Sarah Pochin's comments but won't say it was racist.
He says: "The words that Sarah Pochin used were ugly and taken on their own could be read to be very unpleasant indeed. I am unhappy with what she has done... but it was in the broader context of DEI madness in the advertising industry."
He adds: "If I thought the intention behind it was racist, which I don't, I would have taken more action than have done."
Nigel Farage calls for a parliamentary probe into grooming gangs
Nigel Farage calls on Parliament to set up its own inquiry into grooming gangs.
The Reform UK leader says he would speak to Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and would write to the Home Affairs Select Committee about Parliament using its "extraordinary powers" to investigate the scandal.
He says he is offering Parliament a chance to rebuild trust with the public - as people are running out of patience.
He suggested both the House of Lords and the House of Commons could be involved in a "commission".
"It's time for parliament to step up and do its job," he says.
Grooming gangs survivor Ellie Reynolds says the inquiry is mess
Ellie Reynolds, who resigned from the survivors panel, is tearing into the set up of the grooming gangs inquiry.
She says survivors were 'stripped of their voices' as she says the panel shied away from addressing the issues of ethniticy of perpetrators.
The two leading candidates for chair - who have since pulled out - were a social worker and a police officer. She said no survivors were going to be happy with that as they had been ignored by people in those professions.
Nigel Farage says grooming gangs are a 'stain' on this country
Nigel Farage is describing the horrors of the grooming gangs scandal, which he says is 'stain' on this country's history.
He says Kemi Badenoch has no credibility on it as she did nothing when she was Women's Minister. And he attacks the Government for its handling of the row.
He invites survivor Ellie Reynolds to speak, who has resigned from the panel.
Parliamentary motion tabled to censure Sarah Pochin
The Liberal Democrats have tabled a censure motion in Parliament, urging MPs to rebuke Sarah Pochin’s racist remarks and for Nigel Farage to withdraw the whip.
Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson, Max Wilkinson said: “Sarah Pochin’s remarks were blatantly racist. Decent MPs from across party lines should now come together to condemn this disgraceful behaviour and show the public that this will never be tolerated by Parliament."
Ms Pochin apologised on Saturday after facing a backlash.
Nigel Farage says he will offer 'solution' to grooming gangs inquiry
Nigel Farage posted on X that he will offer a "solution to the failing grooming gangs inquiry" in his upcoming press conference.
The probe has been dogged with issues. Several survivors recently quit the panel and called for the resignation of minister Jess Phillips, while others said she must stay in post.
The Home Office admitted last week it could take months to appoint a chair after former deputy police chief Jim Gamble pulled out, citing a "lack of confidence" among some survivors "due to my previous occupation".
Nigel Farage gives press conference amid racism row
Nigel Farage will give a press conference at 2pm as he faces calls to break his "deafening" silence after a Reform MP said seeing adverts full of Black and Asian people "drives me mad".
Anna Turley, who chairs the Labour Party, has written to the Reform UK leader demanding to know why he has not responded to comments made by Sarah Pochin.
Responding to a caller's question on Talk TV at the weekend, Runcorn and Helsby MP Ms Pochin said: “It drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people, you know people who are anything other than white”.
Ms Turley wrote to the Reform chief: "Sarah Pochin’s comments were a disgrace. And your silence is deafening."