Reform UK's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf has launched a scathing attack on ITV, claiming a party member has been left "psychologically damaged" by the broadcaster's undercover investigation. The accusation follows ITV's year-long probe into Reform, which led to the suspension of councillors accused of expressing racist, sexist or extremist views.
Undercover Investigation Details
ITV's investigation, revealed earlier this month, recorded Alan Feeney, deputy mayor of Solihull, referring to Asian homeowners as "parasites". It also showed an undercover reporter being advised by a local party chairman to delete social media posts supporting far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Yusuf has now claimed that one of ITV's undercover reporters falsely told a Reform member they shared the same military background. The member, a Royal Marine who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, reportedly took the reporter for a drink and shared "deeply personal" information about his time on the front line.
Yusuf's Statement
Taking to X, Yusuf wrote: "I want to tell you about one of the people ITV psychologically damaged, who does not appear in any documentary." He described the member as a Portsmouth-based Royal Marine who served "with distinction" and said the reporter's claim of shared military service was "a lie".
Yusuf continued: "The Marine, believing him, took him for a drink. They spent hours talking about their 'shared' service. He shared deeply personal stories from the front line. He thought he was talking to a friend who had been through the same things."
He added that the member felt "violated" after learning the man was an actor with a hidden camera, sent to damage the party he volunteers for. Yusuf concluded: "A man who put his life on the line for this country had his most private memories extracted by deception for a TV programme. ITV should be ashamed."
Legal Action and ITV Response
The statement comes after Yusuf revealed Reform has reported ITV to the police over the investigation. He said the party is also reporting individual journalists, believing they breached fraud and election law in making the documentary.
Yusuf said: "We have reported multiple ITV journalists and their board of directors to the police, and will be taking legal action against all of them. Journalists are supposed to report the news. These ones set out to create it." He added: "We will pursue this through the courts relentlessly. I want to be frank about why we feel so strongly: Many Reform staff members and volunteers were psychologically manipulated and damaged by ITV's undercover reporters."
An ITV spokesperson said: "ITV stands by its journalism. The programme Undercover: A Year In Reform was produced in compliance with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, relevant laws, and its broadcast is in the public interest. All journalists were instructed to operate within this framework and did so under the supervision of the programme's producers. Should the police get in touch we would fully cooperate."
