The key facts
- ITV carried out undercover filming for a year among Reform UK councillors and candidates in England and Wales; eight people from the party feature in the film
- Solihull councillor Alan Feeney called Asian residents 'parasites'; he and others implicated have left the group or been suspended
- Farage denies problems with candidate vetting; leaders of other parties have demanded firm action
ITV undercover filming and Farage's response
Nigel Farage has rejected claims of problems with Reform UK's candidate vetting after the release of the ITV News film 'Undercover: A Year in Reform', in which the party's councillors and candidates were covertly recorded making racist, offensive and sexist remarks. In an interview with BBC Look East, he said the party vets candidates 'to a much higher level than other parties', but 'you cannot vet future utterances': 'I cannot predict what a person will say after a drink, when provoked or prompted to say something.' He promised 'appropriate action' after the broadcast. ITV's filming lasted about a year among Reform candidates and councillors in England and Wales, including campaigns ahead of the May elections and four by-elections this year and last; eight people from the party feature in the film. The BBC does not know how many people in total ITV reporters spoke to. Reform said everyone filmed is under investigation and has already resigned or been suspended. Two years ago, Farage promised to root out 'bad apples' from the ranks of candidates, saying there was no place in the party for 'fanatics' and 'extremists'.
The Solihull councillor and other episodes in the film
In the film, Alan Feeney, a Solihull councillor in the West Midlands and deputy mayor of the town, who defected from the Conservatives in 2025, called Asian homeowners 'absolute parasites' and said the area was 'infested' with Asian families; he also stated that 'no more than 1% of Britain's population can be non-white'. Farage called this case the most 'blatant' in the filming, noting that it involved a 'long-standing Conservative councillor', and said that 'anyone who says anything like that' is not welcome in the party. In another episode, Feeney, together with candidates Jamie Campbell and Chris Whelan, discussed rumours of a mosque being built; Campbell suggested 'buying pork chops and burying them in the ground', Whelan added that 'we'll take photographs', and Feeney joked about a 'pig cemetery'. Discussing a female candidate from Birmingham, Feeney and Whelan made demeaning remarks. According to ITV, Feeney left Reform UK on Monday evening 'by mutual agreement', citing 'personal reasons', and will continue working as an independent councillor. The BBC tried to contact him, as well as Campbell and Whelan (the latter has stepped down as a councillor). A Reform spokesperson in Solihull condemned Feeney's and Whelan's 'misogynistic and offensive comments' and confirmed they are no longer councillors for the party; the spokesperson described Campbell's comment as 'a joke in poor taste, but without malice', adding that the party will take no further action. The film also features Dean Miller, a councillor for the London Borough of Bromley in south London, who during the Makerfield by-election campaign spoke of the 'ethnic cleansing' of London and made remarks about Muslims, while stating that he is 'not a racist'. According to ITV, Miller has left Reform and will sit as an independent; in a statement he said that at the time of the remarks he was taking strong medication for chronic pain. The BBC contacted him for comment.
Reaction from other parties
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Reform must take 'immediate and firm action against those found to have made these blatant remarks', adding that 'there is no place in British politics for any racism, antisemitism or discrimination'. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'It is worth asking why there are so many stories like this about people in Reform making these appalling remarks.' Responding to a question about one of those featured — a former Conservative councillor — she said: 'That is no longer my problem', adding: 'I do not want such people in the Conservative Party. I am glad they have left.' Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called what is happening 'alarming' and expressed sympathy for those frightened to see 'such racism and hatred growing in their communities'. A Green Party spokesperson said: 'The demonisation of migrants and Muslims is Reform's central focus, and these racist remarks reflect the party's politics.'
Image source, PA Media
