Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, is facing mounting pressure and accusations of tolerating racism within his party's senior ranks. The controversy centres on his failure to take action against a key mayoral candidate, Chris Parry, who has made a series of inflammatory social media comments questioning the loyalty of prominent British politicians from minority ethnic backgrounds.
A Catalogue of Controversial Comments
The row erupted after an investigation by The Guardian into the social media history of Chris Parry, who is Reform's candidate for the Hampshire and the Solent mayoralty. Parry had already drawn criticism for suggesting that Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy should "go home to the Caribbean".
Further scrutiny revealed he had targeted at least eight other figures. Parry questioned whether Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's Muslim faith required loyalty to other Muslims above the UK. He stated that former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf's "first loyalty is not to any country in the UK". In another post about David Lammy, he wrote: "This is what happens when you have someone whose primary loyalty is not to the UK as foreign secretary."
Other politicians singled out included London Mayor Sadiq Khan, independent MP Zarah Sultana, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, Labour MP Dawn Butler, Scottish equalities minister Kaukab Stewart, and Labour MP Naz Shah. Regarding Shah, who took her parliamentary oath on the Qur'an, Parry commented: "That’s OK, if she commits blasphemy by betraying the British people and demonstrating primary loyalty to another country."
Reform Leadership's Defensive Stance
Despite the severity of the allegations, Nigel Farage's top allies have conspicuously refused to condemn Chris Parry. At a Westminster press conference on Tuesday, Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice was read Parry's comment about David Lammy but declined to criticise it, stating he was "not familiar with what was said" and that challenging ministers was "part of politics".
The previous day, Reform MP Danny Kruger also avoided direct condemnation, saying the matter was "one for Nigel and the party leadership to decide". He instead praised Parry as a "distinguished public servant". For his part, Chris Parry has refused to back down. In a Talk TV interview, he defended his stance, saying, "All I’m saying is if you’re the foreign secretary of this country your primary loyalty must be to this country." When asked if Lammy's loyalty was to the UK, Parry responded, "Ask him."
Accusations of Weak Leadership and Tolerance of Racism
Labour chairwoman Anna Turley launched a scathing attack on Nigel Farage's leadership. She stated that Farage's inaction proved he was "willing to turn a blind eye to racism" within Reform's senior ranks. Turley argued that a basic vetting of Parry's social media would have exposed the comments, branding them "racist and abhorrent".
"The fact Farage has failed to take any action against Chris Parry despite his first racist comments being exposed two weeks ago shows what a weak leader he is," Turley said. "He is dragging his party further into the gutter and is unfit for high office." This scandal presents a significant test for Reform UK, which has positioned itself as a major political force, and places Nigel Farage's judgement and authority under intense scrutiny.
