British Asian Ukip leader quits over 'racist populism'
Ukip 'rising star' says party is 'exploiting the stupidity of ignorant anti-immigrant voters'

A PROMINENT British Asian youth leader has announced that she is leaving Ukip because it has begun peddling a "form of racist populism".
Sanya-Jeet Thandi, who acted as chair of Ukip's London youth wing, says in an article in The Guardian that she is leaving the party due to the "terrifying" direction it has taken and she can no longer support it.
The departure of the 20-year-old is "awkward" for Nigel Farage, the Financial Times says, coming just a week after the party held a political rally featuring ethnic minority council candidates.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the run up to the European elections Ukip has attempted to counter allegations that it is a racist political party.
But in her article, Thandi says that the party has become just that, and had veered away from the principles that first attracted her to it, which included lower taxes, a smaller state and "an immigration policy that offered fair and equal opportunities for everyone".
"The direction in which the party is going is terrifying," she claims. "Ukip has descended into a form of racist populism that I cannot bring myself to vote for. This week I decided to leave the party and I will abstain from voting in the upcoming European elections. I urge other Ukip supporters to do the same."
The former Ukip member says she has been particularly troubled by a Ukip election poster featuring an image of a finger pointing out at the viewer with the caption, "26m people in Europe are looking for work. And whose jobs are they after?"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Thandi says: "The... poster epitomises where the party is going wrong. This anti-immigrant campaign undermines Ukip's claim not to be a racist party. They are turning the election into a game of 'us' and 'them'. Well, I am with 'them'.
"Ukip is exploiting the stupidity of ignorant anti-immigrant voters for electoral gain. While the party deliberately attracts the racist vote, I refuse to be associated with them," Thandi writes.
-
‘It’s not normal for parents to raise their children in isolation’
instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Is a market crash around the corner?
Talking Points Observers see echoes of 1929
-
Frankenstein is alive, the Alabama prison system is exposed and Rose Byrne goes full Crazy Mom in October movies
the week recommends This month’s new releases include ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘The Alabama Solution’ and ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’
-
Taking the low road: why the SNP is still standing strong
Talking Point Party is on track for a fifth consecutive victory in May’s Holyrood election, despite controversies and plummeting support
-
The end of ‘golden ticket’ asylum rights
The Explainer Refugees lose automatic right to bring family over and must ‘earn’ indefinite right to remain
-
Does Reform have a Russia problem?
Talking Point Nigel Farage is ‘in bed with Putin’, claims Rachel Reeves, after party’s former leader in Wales pleaded guilty to taking bribes from the Kremlin
-
The Liberal Democrats: on the march?
Talking Point After winning their highest number of seats in 2024, can the Lib Dems marry ‘stunts’ with a ‘more focused electoral strategy’?
-
Is Britain turning into ‘Trump’s America’?
Today’s Big Question Direction of UK politics reflects influence and funding from across the pond
-
Behind the ‘Boriswave’: Farage plans to scrap indefinite leave to remain
The Explainer The problem of the post-Brexit immigration surge – and Reform’s radical solution
-
What difference will the 'historic' UK-Germany treaty make?
Today's Big Question Europe's two biggest economies sign first treaty since WWII, underscoring 'triangle alliance' with France amid growing Russian threat and US distance
-
Is the G7 still relevant?
Talking Point Donald Trump's early departure cast a shadow over this week's meeting of the world's major democracies