Reform UK suspends activist over remarks on Muslims and British identity in ITV footage

LONDON — Reform UK has suspended party activist Jason Powell, who applied to be a parliamentary candidate, after undercover ITV News footage reportedly showed him saying Muslims cannot be British, the BBC reported on Saturday.

The party said Powell was suspended from membership while an internal investigation takes place. The footage is part of the ITV documentary "Undercover: A Year in Reform", due to be broadcast on Sunday.

According to the BBC, Powell says in the footage: "You cannot be Muslim and British, it's like oil and water." He also says migrants who arrive illegally should be kept in "concentration camps" if they cannot be returned to their country of origin. PA reported he described himself as "pretty hardline about Islam".

PA also reported him discussing Channel crossings. He is quoted as saying: "In the first week of election, build concentration camps, and everyone who comes across on the Channel, you're in there."

Councillors under investigation

Reform is also investigating two of its councillors in the London borough of Hounslow, the BBC reported. In the footage, Councillor David Kerr advocates machine-gunning thousands of grooming gang members, according to the BBC. His colleague, Councillor Adam Parkins, suggests that if he became prime minister he would hold Sunday morning executions in the Downing Street rose garden.

Parkins told the BBC that advocating the death penalty for men who "systemically groomed and raped young girls" was a perfectly legitimate opinion. The BBC did not report a response from Kerr.

A Reform spokesperson told the BBC the party is pursuing legal action against ITV and the production company over its use of undercover reporting.

Reactions

In a statement to ITV, Reform said there was "no room for racism" in the party. It said it had opened investigations where activists or members had "clearly behaved inappropriately". It added that it had improved and prioritised its vetting, but that "one cannot vet a future comment". It said it would not comment on individual cases while investigations continue.

Labour Party chairwoman Bridget Phillipson said Nigel Farage's response showed he was "completely unfit to lead". She said: "Bad apples don't fall far from the tree."

Earlier in the week, Farage said "you can't vet people for what they say in the future". He said that if someone spoke to hundreds of Conservative councillors and tried to provoke them, "you would find all sorts of things and all sorts of comments said".

Reform MP Robert Jenrick told the BBC's Today programme that all political parties had "bad apples". He said he "didn't like what I heard in the documentary" but that the party had acted quickly, removing or suspending those shown in the footage.

Background

The latest allegations follow ITV News footage broadcast on Wednesday night. The BBC said it showed some Reform councillors and candidates using racist, violent and sexist language. PA reported that excerpts released earlier in the week included black children being called "animals" and a member saying his area had become "infested" with Asian families.

In another clip, Reform MP Sarah Pochin described the party as "chauvinistic", PA reported. She said: "They just exclude you if you're a woman." PA also reported a councillor saying the party's board was "hardline" and held views that would lead to expulsion if stated publicly.

The BBC has not independently verified the footage. The full documentary had not been broadcast at the time of the reports.