Reform UK defends vetting as four of nine councillors in undercover probe remain

An undercover television investigation has recorded Reform UK councillors and candidates using racist, Islamophobic and misogynistic language over a year of filming. The investigation covered the run-up to May's local elections and four by-election campaigns across England and Wales. It found extreme views among people who had been approved to stand for the party, including elected councillors. Reform UK says there is no room for racism in the party and that investigations have begun. It says some people have been suspended or have left, and that vetting has improved. Nigel Farage, the party leader, says you cannot vet people for what they may say in the future. Robert Jenrick, a senior Reform UK MP, defended the party's vetting and said all parties have bad apples.

What the investigation found

In Solihull, undercover reporters spent days with Alan Feeney, a Reform councillor and former Conservative who became Deputy Mayor of Solihull Borough Council. He was recorded calling Asian families 'absolute parasites', saying an area was 'infested' with Asian households and saying: 'I'd be saying no more than 1% of British population can be non-white.' In another recording, he said: 'You'd need a proper nuclear option, like literally drag them at their homes, stick them on planes and **** them off to Pakistan.' He also said: 'You almost need to out-Muslim the Muslims.' When challenged by a voter, he denied targeting Asian people and said he was only interested in planning issues. After being approached, he resigned from Reform UK. He later confirmed he had resigned his council seats and left the party, and apologised unreservedly, saying the comments did not reflect his true beliefs.

Two other Solihull figures, Chris Whelan and Jamie Campbell, were also recorded. Whelan made racist and sexually explicit comments about female colleagues. He stood down from the Reform UK group on the council and later resigned as a councillor altogether. Campbell was recorded suggesting pork chops could be buried to stop a mosque being built. He apologised online, said he was not racist and did not respond to a request for comment. The party said it would not take further action against him at that stage.

Elsewhere, Martin Roberts, who twice stood for Reform in Wales and was treasurer in Pontypridd, used racial slurs in conversations with an undercover reporter. He told the programme he was trying to be humorous and informal, accepted and regretted using inappropriate language, and denied being a bigot or extremist. Dean Miller, elected to Bromley Council, was recorded saying 'We've been ethnically cleansed out of London' and making extreme comments about ethnic minority children. He also said the King is a secret Muslim and should be beheaded. He told the programme he was heavily medicated at the time because of a chronic pain condition and later resigned from Reform UK.

In Hounslow, west London, two Reform councillors talked about hiding their views from voters. One said: 'You need to seem palatable to everyone.' Another said: 'So the stuff that people feel uncomfortable with, don't even announce it, just do it. Just make the changes in the background.' One added: 'We're fine, we just need to get the f*** elected.'

Vetting failures

The investigation also examined Reform UK's vetting process and its Westminster headquarters. An undercover reporter got a job in the party's press office. The programme reported that a local branch chairman advised a potential candidate to delete social media posts supporting the far-right activist Tommy Robinson to get round vetting rules. Alex Lomas, a Reform activist, said he twice failed the party's vetting process, once for excessive use of offensive language and once over a Tommy Robinson tweet. He said he was then emailed and phoned a few days later and invited to stand. He stood for Reform in Oldham and lost by 200 votes. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Chris Parry, Reform's mayoral candidate in Hampshire, had said online that Labour MP David Lammy should go home to the Caribbean where his loyalties lie, and questioned the loyalty of eight other black and Asian politicians. The party's director of communications said at a Christmas party that Parry would be sacked. Three weeks later he had not been. Nigel Farage was recorded saying Parry could stay if he apologised. Parry said people should look at the original context of his tweets and that he exercises his right to criticise anyone in power he judges to be acting against the interests of the British people.

Gavin Beals, a Reform councillor in North Northamptonshire, was reported to have been registered on a white supremacist dating website for white people and the survival of the white race, which promoted Nazi publications. Reform did not suspend him because he had been registered for a short time. Beals said he was inadvertently linked to the site, would not have chosen to join and abhors racism.

The investigation also found links between Reform figures and controversial groups. The Portsmouth Patriots are an anti-immigration group where a Nazi salute was filmed at a rally. An undercover reporter filmed at a march the Patriots spoke at and helped steward. In one recording, a person said: 'I've got a fucking Himmler ring on and that, a fucking SS ring.'

Sarah Pochin, a Reform MP, was recorded telling an undercover reporter that the party is chauvinistic. She said: 'They just succeed you if you're a woman' and 'There's a bit of a male issue going on.' She did not respond to a request for comment. One of Reform's youngest councillors said the party did not have a women problem but a 'perception problem' caused by external forces.

Responses

Reform UK issued a statement saying: 'There is no room for racism in Reform UK. Where members, activists and councillors have clearly behaved inappropriately, investigations have commenced. In some cases, there have been suspensions and due process must be followed. Reform UK has improved and prioritised its vetting procedures, but from time to time, a handful of individuals who do not share our values will initially make it through vetting. This is the same for all organisations. However good the vetting, one cannot vet a future comment, especially in circumstances where an individual is entrapped in a discussion with an undercover reporter.'

Nigel Farage said he could not predict what people would say after a drink or when provoked. He also said there are 20,000 councillors across the country, that other parties also have people with extreme opinions, and that the establishment wants Reform out of the picture. Robert Jenrick said Reform's vetting is strong and improving. He claimed all parties have bad apples and that media organisations were spending millions to find Nigel Farage saying something inappropriate. Reform's London Mayoral candidate said he was angry that councillors with repulsive views had been allowed near the party and had damaged his campaign.

The Prime Minister said: 'We've allowed a poison into our politics in recent years and it's time to draw a line on it.' He said there is no place for racism, anti-Semitism or discrimination in British politics and called on Reform to take immediate and firm action. Labour described the comments as truly sickening. The Conservatives said the episode showed Nigel Farage had not made Reform ready for government. The Liberal Democrats called the findings chilling. Andy Burnham said there should be no place for racism and discrimination in British politics.

Reform's deputy leader, Richard Tice, accused the programme of probable criminal activity over its use of an undercover reporter. The programme said it would comply with the broadcasting code and relevant laws and that the broadcast was in the public interest. The party cancelled a press conference in Southend as the first instalment was published. At the time of the latest coverage, four of the nine councillors featured in the investigation remained in their posts and in the party. A full documentary was due to be broadcast on Sunday.