Nigel Farage hit back at a major teaching union after it branded Reform UK as "racist and far-right". A motion was passed at the annual conference of the National Education Union (NEU) saying Reform is a "racist and far-right party because of its policies around immigration and its campaigns against migrants".

It added that organisations, like Reform UK, "seek to build on the despair, poverty and alienation in our society by scapegoating refugees, asylum seekers, Muslims, Jews and others who do not fit their beliefs". Delegates called for the union's political fund to be used to help campaign against the insurgent party's election candidates whose policies and campaigns were "racist".

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, described Reform leader Mr Farage as a "pound shop Trump" who he claimed had made a career out of "dog whistle politics".

Speaking to the media at the conference in Harrogate in North Yorkshire, Mr Kebede said: "I think there's an awful lot of racists who are getting involved in Reform.

"I think Nigel Farage is a right-wing populist."

Speaking about the Reform UK leader, Mr Kebede added: "I'm surprised that our union seems to be living rent free in his head, to be honest. But this is just lifted directly from the Donald Trump playbook.

"Both Elon Musk and Donald Trump have been directly attacking the AFT and the NEA, the American teachers' unions, and this is what Nigel Farage is. He's a pound shop Donald Trump."

In response, Mr Farage repeated his warning that Reform would "go to war" with teaching unions.

The Clacton MP said: “The NEU is led by a self-confessed Marxist who is determined that our children’s minds should be poisoned about everything to do with this country, its history and what it fought for.

“If Reform wins the 2029 general election we will go to war with the NEU and all the left-wing teaching unions. Children should be taught objectively and fairly.”