Laura Kuenssberg hit out at Nigel Farage and asked whether his criticism of Rishi Sunak's D-Day snub had been racially motivated.
Responding to the memorial day row in which the Prime Minister left the event early, Mr Farage accused Rishi Sunak of not caring about “our history or our culture”.
He blasted Mr Sunak as “not patriotic”, and someone who “doesn't believe in the country, its people, its history or frankly even its culture”.
He warned: “If you're a patriotic voter, don't vote for Rishi Sunak”.
This morning the star BBC presenter asked whether Mr Farage's use of the phrase “our history” and “our culture” was in fact dog-whistle racism against the Indian heritage Prime Minister.
But the Reform UK leader quickly slapped down the allegation, pointing out that 40% of Britain's war effort had been provided by Commonwealth countries.
He argued: “He should have known in his heart that it was right to be there – I was there! I've been raising money for several weeks to send veterans back to Normandy.
“I know what your question's leading at – 40% of our contribution in WW1 and WW2 came from the Commonwealth.
“He is utterly disconnected by class, by privilege, from how the ordinary people in this country feel. He revealed that I think spectacularly when he left Normandy early, and out there now there are millions of people who were traditional Conservative voters who are now thinking 'do we go on supporting the Conservatives, or do we support Reform?'”
He concluded that the scandal will be the “acid test” of this election.
However Ms Kuenssberg pressed the allegation that his comments had been racially motivated, asking: “When you say 'our culture', I think many of our viewers might imagine that you are trying – not very subtlety – to emphasize the Prime Minister's immigrant heritage” .
Mr Farage reiterated that 40% of the UK's contribution in two wars came from the Commonwealth.
He added: “Clearly Mr Sunak doesn't understand that”.
The insurgent right-winger accused Mr Sunak of making “the biggest mistake of his political career”.
He also claimed that, if we weren't currently in an election campaign, there would be a leadership challenge against him “this week”.
“The man is not fit to lead the country.”
Labour's Shabana Mahmood accused Mr Farage of using a “dog whistle” tactic in making the comments. The Shadow Justice Secretary told Laura Kuenssberg: “I think this is a classic Nigel Farage trick”.
“Lean just enough to signal a bit of a dog whistle, then lean straight back and sound perfectly reasonable and say something good about the contribution that Commonwealth soldiers (ethnic minorities) made towards the war effort.
“We can all see exactly what Nigel Farage is doing. He's got form, it's completely unacceptable, this is a man who has a track record of seeking to divide communities he just wants to do it with a veneer of respectability whilst he's at it. “