Farage accused of protecting Reform candidate over racist remarks

Nigel Farage was told by Reform UK's head of communications that he was "protecting" a mayoral candidate accused of making racist remarks, according to undercover footage reported by ITV and The Guardian. The Guardian

The candidate is Chris Parry, a retired rear admiral who stood for Reform UK in the Hampshire and the Solent mayoral election. In the footage, Parry said former foreign secretary David Lammy, a Labour MP, should "go home to the Caribbean". He suggested at least eight other politicians from minority ethnic backgrounds do not have primary loyalty towards the UK.

Ed Sumner, Reform UK's head of communications, was filmed telling another press officer that Parry was "clearly a racist". Reform UK suspended Parry on 26 March after a Guardian report on his remarks about a Jewish neighbourhood watch group. Parry had described members of the group as "cosplayers" and likened them to "Islamists on horseback".

The footage forms part of "Undercover: A Year in Reform", an ITV undercover documentary into Farage's party. ITV News ITV Exposure conducted the undercover investigation into Reform UK. Several members of the party, including elected local-level politicians, were filmed making racist, sexual and violent remarks, according to Reuters. Reuters A number of Reform councillors stood down after segments showed them making threats of extreme violence and racist and misogynistic remarks. ITV News said its report contains racist and offensive language.

The same investigation recorded Sarah Pochin, the Reform UK MP for Runcorn and Helsby, saying party officials "are so fucking chauvinistic" and "they just exclude you if you are a woman". There were calls for Reform councillors to resign after the investigation. Farage insisted Reform UK does not have an issue with vetting. BBC