Reform UK investigates councillors and candidates over extreme racist remarks

Reform UK has been plunged into a profound political crisis after an undercover investigation exposed sitting councillors and election candidates making extreme racist remarks, promoting violence, and sharing misogynistic views. The explosive revelations, captured on secret recordings, have triggered immediate party suspensions and high-profile resignations, placing intense pressure on party leadership over its candidate vetting procedures.

The covert recordings were captured as part of a lengthy investigation by ITV News and Hardcash Productions. The resulting documentary footage exposes local politicians across England and Wales making inflammatory statements. In Solihull, Alan Feeney—who served as a Reform councillor and deputy mayor—was filmed asserting that the area was "infested" with Asian families and describing homeowners as absolute parasites.

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Mr Feeney was recorded suggesting that no more than a tiny fraction of the British population should be non-white, and reportedly remarked that the government should adopt a nuclear option to drag families from their homes and place them on planes to Pakistan. Additional footage revealed local candidate Jamie Campbell discussing plans to bury pork chops in the ground to prevent the construction of a local mosque, while colleague Chris Whelan made deeply offensive comments regarding a female candidate. Both Mr Feeney and Mr Whelan subsequently resigned from the party, citing personal or health reasons, though Mr Feeney chose to remain on the council as an independent.

Further south, Bromley councillor Dean Miller was caught on camera making shocking claims about the monarchy, alleging that King Charles was secretly a Muslim and stating that the monarch's head should be cut off. Mr Miller was also recorded making violent threats regarding cross-Channel migration. Following the exposure, Mr Miller resigned from Reform UK, explaining to broadcasters that he was disabled and heavily medicated at the time of the recordings. In Greater Manchester, Tameside councillor Raymond Dunning was recorded detailing plans to train young men in insurgency tactics to clear out individuals he deemed unwanted.

The fallout has severely disrupted Reform UK's national schedule, forcing party leader Nigel Farage to postpone a planned major appearance in Essex. The party issued a vigorous defence, arguing that the covert operation relied upon extreme methods of deception. According to official statements, undercover journalists infiltrated headquarters using altered identification documents, false addresses, and fabricated credentials, creating significant security vulnerabilities during a period when Mr Farage had already faced targeted threats.

Reform maintained that while it continually works to improve its vetting procedures, it is impossible to predict future remarks made when individuals are entrapped in covert discussions. The party confirmed that investigations have commenced wherever members or councillors behaved inappropriately, resulting in immediate suspensions where necessary.

Opposition figures seized upon the scandal to challenge the party's broader credibility. Labour chair Bridget Phillipson stated that the behavior exposed was truly sickening and argued that Mr Farage could not simply dismiss the incidents as the work of a few isolated bad apples. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described the footage as chilling, comparing the atmosphere of hatred to divisive international politics. Meanwhile, a Conservative Party spokesperson asserted that the scandal demonstrated Mr Farage's failure to adequately prepare his movement for serious governance.

What happens next depends heavily on the broadcast of the upcoming documentary, titled Undercover: A Year In Reform, which is slated to air on television and digital streaming platforms. Local council monitoring officers, including those in Solihull and Birmingham, are expected to review formal complaints demanding immediate formal sanctions against the remaining councillors, while national leadership faces mounting calls to overhaul internal vetting mechanisms before upcoming electoral cycles.