Reform UK's deputy leader has refused to condemn inflammatory remarks made by one of the party's own mayoral candidates, who told Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy he should "go home" to the Caribbean.
Tice claims unfamiliarity with racist post
At a press conference on Tuesday 16 December 2025, Richard Tice was questioned about a social media post from Chris Parry, Reform's candidate for the Hampshire and the Solent mayoralty. The retired Royal Navy officer had written on X in February: "Lammy must go home to the Caribbean where (his) loyalty lies."
Mr Tice responded by saying he was "not familiar" with what was said. He shifted focus to Mr Lammy's role as a Cabinet minister, stating, "whether we think he's doing a good job or a bad job is just part of politics."
When the specific comment was read aloud to him, the deputy leader declined to elaborate, stating curtly, "I've given an answer."
Labour demands candidate's removal
The incident has prompted Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley to write directly to Reform leader Nigel Farage. In her letter, she called for Mr Parry to be sacked as a candidate, warning that failure to do so would signal a willingness to "turn a blind eye to racism."
Ms Turley was unequivocal in her condemnation. "This is not difficult," she wrote. "Political disagreement over matters of policy is perfectly legitimate, but calling into question the loyalties of a politician on the basis of his ethnicity is racist."
She emphasised that David Lammy, who was born in London to Guyanese parents, is a British man being told to go to a region he is not from. "It should have no place in our politics, and no place in your party," she concluded.
Reform figures offer muted responses
This is not the first time a senior Reform figure has hesitated to criticise Mr Parry's post. The day before, on Monday, the party's newest MP, Danny Kruger, also declined to condemn it, saying he would not comment "without knowing the context."
Mr Kruger described the candidate as a "distinguished public servant" and said it was "good to have his support for Reform." He did, however, add that he and the party "completely condemn any expression of racism."
For his part, Chris Parry has avoided explaining his post. In an interview on TalkTV, he refused to "talk about" it, instead directing people to "go to Twitter and see what was written and the context in which it happened."
Broader context of allegations
The controversy emerges as Nigel Farage himself continues to face scrutiny over historical allegations of making racist and antisemitic remarks during his school days, which he denies. When asked on Tuesday if he stood by previous comments that Mr Farage's accusers were "making things up," Richard Tice dismissed the line of questioning.
"It's old news," Mr Tice said. "We covered that a couple of weeks ago. We're moving on." He stated the party was now focused on "today's issues" and looking forward.
The repeated failure of Reform UK's leadership to directly and forcefully repudiate a comment widely seen as racist is likely to intensify criticism of the party's culture and vetting processes as election campaigns heat up.
