Reform UK MP Given Brutal Reality Check By BBC Journalist After On-Air Bust-Up
A Reform UK MP was given a brutal reality check after an on-air row about asylum seekers.
Sarah Pochin said it was “a fact” that Afghans and Eritreans are more likely to carry out sexual assaults.
But BBC Politics Live presenter Vicki Young then produced figures which showed that was not true.
Pochin had made her claim after attending a Reform press conference in which party leader Nigel Farage vowed to crack down on crime if he becomes prime minister.
The Runcorn and Helsby MP said: “It’s a fact that this particular element, particularly Afghan, particularly Eritrean asylum seekers, have a particular problem with sexual assaults and sexual violence against women – it is a fact.”
As other panellists challenged her, Pochin repeated: “It’s an absolute fact, it’s a fact – it’s reported that as a percentage of the population, they are far higher to offend.”
Turning to another guest on the programme, the MP said: “You can turn your nose up. It’s people like you in denial that’s putting women like me at risk.”
Later in the programme, Vicki Young told Pochin: “Can I give some context, please, around what you’re talking about, the Afghan and Eritrean sexual assault convictions.
“They committed 129 offences over three years, and that is out of a total number of convictions where the nationalities are known of 16,771. So that is the context around the numbers, I just think we should deal in facts.”
Sarah Pochin(Reform MP): "It's a fact that Afghan & Eritrean asylum seekers have a particular problem with sexual assaults.. IT'S A FACT!
— Haggis_UK ???????? ???????? (@Haggis_UK) July 21, 2025
Vicki Young: Afghan & Eritreans committed 129 offences over 3 years out of 16.8k total offences where nationality is known#PoliticsLivepic.twitter.com/N4scPq7r0i
Pochin was involved in a separate bust-up on Times Radio last week over unsourced claims that some Afghans brought to the UK after a Ministry of Defence data leak were convicted sex offenders.
She was repeating a claim originally made by Farage, but which Reform have provided no evidence for and which defence secretary John Healey has denied.
Reform sources pointed to a report in the Telegraph claiming that some of those now being offered asylum in the UK had previously had their claims rejected because of previous violence and sexual assault claims.