Reform suspends members after undercover investigation exposes councillors making racist remarks

Reform UK says it has suspended members of the party after an undercover ITV investigation secretly filmed councillors calling Muslims “parasites” and describing Black children as “animals”.

One even called for King Charles to be beheaded, arguing it was because he “is a Muslim”.

The footage, part of a documentary by ITV Exposure to be screened on Sunday night, followed Reform UK election candidates and councillors across England and Wales during the May local elections and four by-election campaigns in 2025 and 2026.

It recorded a senior Reform councillor in Solihull saying of Asian people: “Drag them out of their homes, stick them on planes and f*** them off to Pakistan.”

Speaking about a female Reform candidate, another Reform male councillor from the town said “if she was my daughter, it would still be bath night on a Thursday”.

In response, Reform UK accused ITV of “extreme methods of deception” during the undercover investigation.

The party said: “Not all individuals covertly recorded by ITV are members of 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 also said it had improved 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.”

The investigation came “at a time when Nigel Farage and other members of Reform are being targeted by individuals who wished them harm and caused a security issue which was documented during the course of the undercover investigation”, but was not included in the report, the party said.

In September 2024, Nigel Farage promised he would improve the party’s vetting process saying “we don’t want extremists, we don’t want bigots, we don’t want people who think that way, because we represent the silent, decent majority of this great country that we live in.”

The documentary recorded Reform Councillor Alan Feeney in Solihull saying the area had been “infested” with Asian families, and called them “absolute parasites”.

Speaking about Muslims, he said “they’re in our judiciary, they’re in our schools, they’re in our healthcare, they’re everywhere, and they are not working on our side, they’re against us”.

He also said he believed that “no more than one percent of British population can be non-white”.

He added: “You almost need to out-Muslim the Muslims.

“You’d need a proper nuclear option, like literally drag them at their homes, stick them on planes and f*** them off to Pakistan. Which you’ll never do in a month of Sundays….You just have to make it a country they don’t want to be in… I mean you’re getting to a point where you ban Muslims from standing from public office”.

Another Reform election candidate in Solihull, Chris Whelan, said of a female Reform candidate: “If she was my daughter, it would still be bath night on a Thursday. I’ll wash you properly this time.”

ITV reported that Councillor Feeney said he had “mutually agreed” to resign from Reform UK, citing “personal reasons”, and would be continuing as an Independent councillor and that Councillor Whelan had also resigned from Reform for personal and health reasons.

The Independent has approached both men.

Dean Miller, a Reform councillor for Bromley, said of illegal immigrants crossing the Channel: “I’d get nicked for saying what I would do. Do you know what I mean? I’ll take them out bruv, I don’t care… the way I see it, you’ve got to kill or you’re going to be killed… These f**kers have come to rape and pillage and f**king kill us. There’s no doubt about it.”

He was filmed undercover calling for King Charles to be beheaded: “Apparently King Charles is a f**king Muslim… someone from the inside saw a f**king prayer mat and all that in one of his f**king rooms … I think that’s f**king traitorous“.

Of children in the area he was elected to represent, who he claimed had been vandalising shops, he said: “It’s just like all the ethnic f**king kids, like they’re not white, they’re all f**king Black and they’re like f**king animals. It’s horrible to say it, I’m not racist, but you know what I mean.”

ITV said he later told the programme he is disabled and was heavily medicated at the time, and has resigned from Reform. The Independent has approached Councillor Miller.

Labour chair Bridget Phillipson said: “The extreme racism and appalling behaviour exposed by this investigation is truly sickening. Nigel Farage can’t shrug these latest revelations off as being a few bad apples. Every Reform councillor, council candidate or party member found to have made such despicable comments must be thrown out of Reform UK immediately.

“Nigel Farage needs to explain why this keeps happening in his party and why he is failing to deal with blatant racism among those who stand for public office with his backing. It’s clear that Farage and his party are determined to poison our politics and threaten the shared British values Labour will always proudly defend.@

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described the report as “chilling”, and said: “I feel for anyone watching this tonight who is frightened to see such racism and hatred festering in their community.”

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Nigel Farage promised to make Reform ready for government. These sorry individuals are proof he has failed.”

Undercover: A Year In Reform will be aired on Sunday 18th October at 10.20pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV & STV Player