Far-right political party Reform UK have become embroiled in a serious racism scandal after councillors and candidates for the party were exposed for their “extreme and racist” and Islamophobic views on camera following an undercover operation by ITV News.
The investigation, conducted over a year by ITV’s Exposure programme, secretly recorded elected councillors and party candidates across England and Wales expressing extreme views about Muslims, Asian communities and black children.
One Reform councillor described Asian families as “absolute parasites”, while another referred to black children as “animals”. The footage has raised questions about the party’s candidate-vetting procedures and its repeated pledges to exclude extremists and bigots.
One of the most prominent figures featured in the investigation was Alan Feeney, a Reform councillor in Solihull who had previously been a Conservative before defecting to Reform in 2025.
During undercover filming in April and May 2026, Feeney complained about the number of Asian families living in the area, describing the neighbourhood as “infested” and calling Asian people “absolute parasites”.
He also claimed that Muslims were present throughout British public institutions, including the judiciary, schools and healthcare, and alleged that they were “not working on our side”.
Feeney said he believed that no more than one per cent of the British population should be non-white. He also advocated forcibly removing Asian people from their homes and sending them to Pakistan.
The councillor was recorded describing his approach to canvassing as “Alan’s racist canvassing”, saying he would not knock on doors if he saw an Asian name.
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At the May 2026 local elections, Feeney was elected as a Reform councillor and subsequently appointed deputy mayor of Solihull Borough Council.
Following ITV’s revelations, Feeney said he had “mutually agreed” to leave Reform UK for personal reasons and would continue as an independent councillor.
Calls for ” secret Muslim” King Charles to be beheaded
The investigation also recorded Dean Miller, a Reform councillor in Bromley, south London, making racist remarks about black children and expressing far-right conspiracy theories about the King.
Miller claimed London had been “ethnically cleansed” of white people and complained about the growth of Nigerian communities in Bromley.
He subsequently described black children as “animals” while discussing alleged vandalism in the area.
Miller also repeated an unfounded claim that King Charles was secretly Muslim, citing an alleged prayer mat in one of the monarch’s rooms. He described the supposed religious affiliation as “traitorous” and called for the King to be beheaded.
Miller later told ITV he had been heavily medicated because of a chronic pain condition at the time of the recordings. He has resigned from Reform UK.
Another Reform figure, Chris Whelan, was filmed making racist comments about Asian people and sexually explicit remarks about a female party candidate. Whelan has also left the party, citing personal and health reasons.
ITV reported that three councillors — Feeney, Miller and Whelan — had resigned from Reform following the revelations. Jamie Campbell, another councillor featured in the footage, remained in post at the time of reporting.
Additional embarrassment was caused when footage of Reform MP Sarah Pochin showed her appearing to admit that Reform “excludes you if you’re a woman” and that the party has a “male issue.”
Pochin, who represents Runcorn and Helsby, has become known for her anti-burqa rants and has long accused Islam and Muslim culture of being intolerant and oppressive towards women.
Questions over vetting process
The footage also raises questions about whether Reform’s candidate-vetting procedures are sufficient to identify individuals with extremist views.
In September 2024, party leader Nigel Farage pledged to improve the vetting process, saying Reform did not want extremists or bigots in its ranks.
However, ITV’s investigation recorded party figures discussing how candidates could conceal controversial views to secure electoral success.
During a conversation about campaigning, Feeney said candidates needed to appeal to a broad audience before gaining office, adding: “Once you’re in you can do what you want.”
Other Reform councillors were recorded suggesting that controversial policies should not be publicly announced until after an election.
In a further report published on 15 October, ITV described additional findings concerning Reform’s internal vetting and communications operations. These included allegations that a party official advised an aspiring candidate to delete social media posts linked to far-right activist Tommy Robinson rather than treating them as a reason to reject the application.
In response to the initial findings, Reform UK said investigations had begun where members, activists and councillors had behaved inappropriately. The party said some individuals had been suspended and that due process would be followed.
It added that it had improved and prioritised its vetting procedures, but acknowledged that “a handful of individuals who do not share our values” could still pass through its checks.
Farage subsequently accused ITV of targeting his party and argued that vetting could not predict what someone might say in future conversations. He also suggested the investigation was part of an effort by the establishment to damage Reform.
The revelations have prompted criticism from political opponents, with Labour chair Bridget Phillipson condemning the comments and calling for those responsible to be expelled from the party. The Liberal Democrats and Conservatives also criticised the findings.
ITV’s full documentary, Undercover: A Year in Reform, is scheduled to air on 18 October on ITV1 and ITVX.
The investigation has placed renewed scrutiny on Reform UK’s efforts to present itself as a party ready for government, and on whether its vetting procedures can prevent candidates expressing racist, Islamophobic and misogynistic views from representing it in elected office.
