Nigel Farage is facing growing calls to apologise after Reform UK councillors and members were secretly recorded making “vile racist and misogynistic” comments. The Reform UK leader on Thursday suggested the undercover investigation was carried out “because the establishment frankly want us out of the picture”.
Secret recordings reveal offensive remarks
In the ITV News report, Bromley councillor Dean Miller was filmed referring to black children as “animals” and claiming “King Charles is a Muslim”. Another Reform member was filmed saying his area had become “infested” with Asian families.
Mr Miller allegedly claimed London had been "ethnically cleansed" and complained about demographic change in his borough. According to the broadcaster, he said: "Because you never used to get any blacks over in Bromley, and now Bromley [has] massive Nigerian communities there."
In a separate exchange, Mr Miller allegedly referred to local children involved in vandalism, saying: "Like all the ethnic kids, they're not white, they're all black, and they're like animals." The councillor was also recorded making claims about the King. According to ITV, Mr Miller said: "Apparently King Charles is a Muslim," before going on to suggest the monarch had betrayed the country and making remarks about beheading him.
Farage defends vetting process
Mr Farage cancelled a press conference in Essex on Thursday morning following the revelations but still went on a walkabout in Chelmsford where he met members of the public. The party leader said one of the people filmed had previously been a Conservative councillor, and while Reform carries out vetting “you can’t vet people for what they say in the future”.
Speaking on a visit to Chelmsford in Essex, Mr Farage said: “You can’t vet people for what they say in the future and of these people on ITV that have caused outrage, the worst of them by far was a Conservative councillor for years and years and years who joined us last year.
“I put it to you, if you went and spoke to hundreds of Conservative councillors and tried to provoke them you would find all sorts of things and all sorts of comments said. It’s just that you never will see an expensive investigation like that into the other parties because the establishment frankly want us out of the picture.”
He continued: “We deal appropriately always with people saying and doing bad things, no question about that. We vet much more heavily than the other parties, but you can’t vet against what somebody might say in the future, especially if they’re provoked in conversation.”
Political leaders respond
The Prime Minister said Reform UK must take “immediate and firm action” against its councillors. Asked for his reaction to the revelation, Andy Burnham told reporters during a visit to the North West: “We’ve allowed a poison into our politics in recent years, and it’s time to draw a line under it.
“In fact, I praised the Leader of the Opposition (Kemi Badenoch) in the House of Commons yesterday afternoon, who herself drew a line at her party conference between her party and that type of politics, and we all need to call it out more. I’m pleased ITV has done this. There is no place for any form of racism, antisemitism, discrimination in British politics, and we all should be relentless in repeating that and taking the firmest possible action.
“And I hope the Reform Party will take immediate and firm action against those who’ve been revealed to be making these abhorrent comments.”
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: "Nigel Farage should face the music and apologise for this vile racism and misogyny from his Reform councillors. The public deserves to know if he’s allowing a culture of racism to fester in his party, but instead he’s hiding away and yet again refusing to take responsibility."
During the walkabout in Chelmsford a man told Mr Farage he was “out of order” for not attending the Clacton by-election count in August, which saw him retain his seat, while Count Binface finished second. Mr Farage told the man, who said he used to be an activist: “I didn’t want to get punched.” A woman who heckled Mr Farage from a distance was kept away by security staff, and the Reform UK leader did not engage with her comments.
