Trevor Noah: I never said entire UK racist, says comic after Rishi Sunak row

Comedian Trevor Noah says helium did not assertion "the full UK is racist" aft a enactment implicit a skit helium did astir the assignment of Rishi Sunak arsenic PM.

On US quality programme The Daily Show earlier this week, Noah had said determination had been a "backlash" implicit Mr Sunak.

His comments were criticised successful the UK, with galore including ex-chancellor Sajid Javid calling Noah "simply wrong".

But Noah has present defended his segment, saying helium was reacting to racists, and: "That's wherefore I said. 'Some people'."

Mr Sunak is the UK's archetypal British Asian premier curate and officially took implicit arsenic Conservative person and PM connected Tuesday, aft a enactment process.

In the archetypal comments connected the US programme, Noah - who is South African and grew up during apartheid - said: "You perceive a batch of the radical saying 'Oh, they're taking over, present the Indians are going to instrumentality implicit Great Britain and what's next?'

"And I ever find myself going 'So what? What are you acrophobic of? I deliberation it's due to the fact that the quiescent portion that a batch of radical don't realise what they're saying is, 'We don't privation these radical who were antecedently oppressed to get into powerfulness due to the fact that past they whitethorn bash to america what we did to them.'"

During his skit, Noah played a clip from vigor presumption LBC during the latest Conservative enactment contention a week ago, erstwhile a caller falsely claimed Mr Sunak was "not adjacent British".

Mr Javid tweeted successful effect that the comments from the comedian were "so wrong" and that Britain "is the astir palmy multiracial ideology connected world and arrogant of this historical achievement".

Former Tory enactment contender Rory Stewart said Mr Noah's remarks were "completely bizarre" and an illustration of "lazy stereotyping".

Downing Street said connected Thursday that Mr Sunak did not judge Britain was a racist country.

Presenter Piers Morgan besides tweeted that US media was "falsely portraying Britain arsenic a racist country".

Noah yet responded connected Friday evening, saying: "C'mon Piers, you're smarter than that.

"I wasn't saying "The full UK is racist", I was responding to the racists who don't privation Rishi arsenic PM due to the fact that of his race. That's wherefore I said. "Some people"."

Noah has agelong spoken astir radical equality, publishing a publication successful 2017 titled Born a Crime, a notation to the information helium was calved successful South Africa to a achromatic Swiss begetter and a achromatic Xhosa mother, astatine a clip erstwhile specified a narration was punishable by imprisonment.

He began his vocation successful South Africa, releasing a drawstring of stand-up specials and hosting a late-night speech amusement earlier relocating to the US successful 2011.

Mr Sunak was calved successful Hampshire, south-east England, to Indian parents - a pharmacist parent and a GP begetter - and is joined to Akshata Murty, with whom helium has 2 young daughters Krishna and Anoushka.