Nigel Farage has a 'woman problem', says Tory frontbencher Victoria Atkins: 'Women can see and smell sexism'

Women can "see and smell sexism within Reform UK a mile off", one of the most senior female Conservative frontbenchers has claimed.

Victoria Atkins MP, the Shadow Environment Secretary, said that she was aware of "senior professional women" who were called "groupies" and other "sexualised banter" after going to the party's conference last year.

Mrs Atkins was speaking after Sarah Pochin, one of the most senior female Reform MPs, was filmed telling an ITV undercover reporter that the party needed "women press officers".

She was recorded by a secret camera saying the party was "chauvinistic" and "they just exclude you if you are a woman".

Ms Pochin added: "There's a bit of a male issue going on."

Speaking to GB News' Chopper's Political Podcast, Ms Atkins said: "Any woman can see and smell the sexism within Reform UK a mile off.

"We know that senior women within the party are sidelined. We saw these comments."

She added: "I've had senior professional women unrelated to the party who went to Reform conference last year, who said to me in completely separate conversations that they have various experiences of Reform men calling them groupies or the banter, the sort of sexualised banter."

Asked what she was referring to, Ms Atkins said: "I mean very sort of sexualised banter about women whilst those women are in a professional meeting with them because they had to go there with their jobs.

"This is not how a modern political party should be operating, but I think people can spot it a mile off.

"If you remember the Makerfield by-election, I think one of the strongest campaigns that Andy Burnham had in that by-election campaign was the attitudes as revealed of the Reform candidate and the reaction of women to those attitudes.

"I'm afraid they've got a real problem with this.

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"And it doesn't matter how often they pat women on the head and say, oh no, nothing to see here.

"We can see it, we can feel it. And I think it's going to be a real problem for them."

Asked directly if Mr Farage "has a woman problem", Ms Atkins replied: "Yes."

Ms Pochin joined Reform UK from the Tories in March 2025.

She was elected as the MP for Runcorn & Helsby in May 2025 following a knife-edge by-election victory.

Ms Pochin defeated Labour challenger Karen Shore by just six votes after disgraced ex-MP Mike Amesbury resigned when he was given a suspended sentence for punching a constituent.

“One of the main reasons Sarah left the Tories in the first place was the rampant sexism that existed from local to national level," a Reform UK spokesman told GB News.

"For Victoria Atkins to make these wild accusations about Reform when she knows the institutional issues in her own party is completely disingenuous.

“Reform has come a long way as a party.

"We’ve grown enormously in a short space of time and have been addressing issues as they arise.

"With the launch of Women for Reform and women in top leadership positions across the party, we have shown our commitment to empowering them at all levels.”

Watch Chopper's Political Podcast every Friday from 6am on GB News.