Equalities minister Bridget Phillipson has accused senior figures in Reform UK and the Conservative Party of making racist statements, as part of a wider warning that racism and sexism are becoming "normalised" in Britain. Speaking on the Guardian's Politics Weekly podcast, she named Conservative shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy and Reform UK's Robert Jenrick, rejecting suggestions she was simply "calling them names" by making the accusation.

Phillipson cited Timothy's description of prayer at a public Iftar event as an "act of domination and division", and Jenrick's remark that he "didn't see another white face" during a visit to Birmingham last October, saying she believed neither would make similar comments about any other group. She also expressed concern about rising misogyny, criticising police failings on violence against women and girls, and referenced her earlier Commons clash with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who had branded her a "spiteful class warrior". The Independent has approached both Jenrick and Timothy for comment.