A Reform UK activist described as a would-be MP has been recorded by an undercover ITV reporter saying that people crossing the Channel should be put in "concentration camps" and that being Muslim and British is "like oil and water", in footage due to be broadcast on Sunday.
The recording is the latest instalment of an ITV Exposure investigation into the party, first published on 14 October, which has already shown Reform councillors and approved candidates using racist language and has prompted the party to say that investigations are under way. The new clip revives questions about the vetting of Reform candidates that Nigel Farage, the party leader, has spent the week defending.
Discussing people crossing the Channel in small boats, the activist said: "In the first week of election, build concentration camps, and everyone who comes across on the Channel, you're in there."
He described himself as "pretty hardline about Islam" and said: "If a Muslim's prepared to de-convert, I'm happy." He went on to say that "you cannot be a Muslim and British... it's like oil and water."
The activist is not named in the PA news agency copy or in The Independent's report of the footage, and neither outlet establishes that he has been selected to fight any seat. ITV reported that he told the broadcaster his views were not extremist and reflected those of British people in general.
Reform UK said in a statement on Friday: "There is no room for racism in Reform UK. We always respect due process of investigations and whilst these are ongoing it would not be appropriate to comment on individual cases." The party has also said that not all of those covertly recorded by ITV are members of Reform UK. It has not said whether the activist in the latest footage is a member or an approved candidate, or whether he is among those being investigated.
Farage said earlier in the week that the party carries out vetting but that "you can't vet people for what they say in the future". In September 2024 he promised to professionalise Reform and improve its candidate vetting. The party told ITV when the investigation was first published that "a handful of individuals who do not share our values will initially make it through vetting. This is the same for all organisations."
Labour's Bridget Phillipson responded to the latest footage with a statement that began: "Bad apples don't fall far from the tree." She said the revelations went to the top of Reform UK.
Other footage released on Friday included a Reform councillor describing the party's board as "hardline" and saying its members held views that would result in their expulsion if expressed publicly, according to PA.
ITV's original report, drawn in part from filming in Birmingham in April and May ahead of the local elections, showed a senior Reform councillor from Solihull saying of Asian people: "drag them out of their homes, stick them on planes and f*** them off to Pakistan." A Reform councillor from South London was recorded calling for King Charles to be decapitated because he "is a Muslim", and a Councillor Feeney said: "if it's an Asian name, I'm not even knocking at the door, they're not voting Reform and I ain't wasting my time".
The allegations arise from a broadcaster's investigation and are not the findings of any standards body or court. Reform has not said how many people are under investigation or whether anyone has been suspended or expelled. The footage of the activist is due to be broadcast by ITV on Sunday.
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