Nigel Farage has suggested that teachers would strike soon after a Reform UK government takes office, accusing them of spreading harmful ideas by telling black children they are victims and white children they are oppressors.
The Reform UK leader shared his views on British schools during an event for a private Christian college in Michigan, stating that the "Marxist left" has taken over the education system.
"I expect a teachers' strike very quickly after we win the next general election," he said during a discussion at the event last month.
"They are harming our children. They make them feel ashamed of their country. They tell an eight-year-old black child he is a victim and an eight-year-old white child he is an oppressor. They create division instead of unity. They fuel a negative culture."
Reacting to Farage's comments, Daniel Kebede, head of the National Education Union, dismissed the idea that Marxists control education as "not credible."
He noted that strikes must relate to teachers' working conditions and questioned whether Reform would target these immediately upon gaining power.
"Farage has built his career on divisive politics, and now, like Trump, he is preparing to confront teachers and unions," Kebede said.
"That is deeply irresponsible. Neither I, nor my union, nor teachers promote the theories he claims. If he becomes prime minister, he would undermine public services, including education, and harm children’s future."
Reform, currently ahead in polls by around 10 points, has not detailed its education policies or named an education spokesperson.
However, Farage’s speech indicated his party would seek major changes to the school system.
"We have a huge task ahead in education—an enormous challenge. It won't be fixed in six months or a year; it will take years to reverse," he said.
He argued that younger generations are more open to critical thinking but described millennials as "completely misguided."
Honoring Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist who was killed last month after organizing debates on US campuses, Farage added:
"Education should teach critical thinking—showing there are different perspectives and letting people decide for themselves, rather than labeling one side as good and the other as evil. This is a major issue in both Britain and America."
Reform and the NEU have previously clashed after Kebede called the party "far-right and racist," comparing Farage to Donald Trump.
Farage, in turn, has referred to Kebede as "a self-declared Marxist."
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