Undercover footage prompts Nigel Farage to defend Reform vetting after councillors filmed making racist comments

Farage responds to footage

Speaking to BBC Look East, Farage said Reform vetted candidates “to a much higher standard than other parties”. He also said it was impossible to vet for comments people might make in the future.

Farage promised “appropriate action” after the broadcast. He said the most serious case appeared to involve a long-serving Conservative councillor, apparently referring to Feeney, and argued that undercover reporters could elicit unsavoury remarks from politicians in any party. Two years earlier, Farage had vowed to remove “bad apples” from Reform’s candidates, saying bigots and extremists were not welcome.

Comments in Solihull footage

ITV said its undercover reporting involved Reform candidates and councillors across England and Wales, in the run-up to May’s elections and four by-election campaigns this year and last. Its filming, collected over a year, involved eight Reform figures; the BBC said it did not know how many people ITV had spoken to in total.

Feeney, Solihull’s deputy mayor, described the area as “infested” with Asian families and called them “absolute parasites”. In another part of the broadcast, he discussed speculation about a mosque with Reform candidates Jamie Campbell and Chris Whelan. Whelan suggested taking pictures, and Feeney made a remark about a pig cemetery.

The BBC said it had tried to contact Feeney. ITV reported that he had agreed to resign from Reform on Monday evening for personal reasons and would continue as an independent councillor. A Reform UK Solihull spokesman condemned Feeney and Whelan’s comments as misogynistic and offensive, and said they were no longer Reform councillors.

Other remarks draw condemnation

The ITV footage also showed Dean Miller, a Bromley councillor, campaigning for Reform in the Makerfield by-election. Miller said he was not racist, then made comments about Muslims and King Charles that included expletives.

Farage said there was no place for racism, antisemitism or discrimination in British politics and called for the firmest possible action. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called the footage chilling and said he felt for people frightened by racism and hatred in their communities.