‘Establishment stitch-up!’ Reform race row leaves ethnic minority candidates raging against ‘smear’ campaign

The Reform UK leader was left “dismayed” by Parker’s “tirade of infective abuse” but accused Channel 4 of a “political set-up” after it emerged the canvasser was also an actor.

Channel 4 rejected Farage’s allegations, saying the broadcaster did not pay anyone in its report and claimed Parker was filmed covertly during the undercover operation.

A number of ethnic minority candidates from the rebranded Brexit Party have since spoken to GB News about Reform UK’s racism row and thrown their weight behind Farage.

Mid Norfolk candidate Kabeer Kher voiced support for the Reform UK leader’s response to the undercover report and echoed his belief that Parker is an actor.

Kher, who was born in Northern Ireland to an Indian family who arrived in the UK in 1952, told GB News: “I’ve not heard anyone use the P-word since the 1990s. The fact that this man turned up to a group of people he didn’t know and used it alongside his ludicrous claims of wanting to shoot people in the Channel, proves that this is either an actor or a mentally ill person who needs medical care.

“The fact that Channel 4 would broadcast this man’s performance is deeply offensive to me as a man of Indian heritage. I have been called that P-word many times during my childhood, and to have it weaponised in this way by an actor and a production company was quite upsetting to me.

“Unfortunately, there are still many people in Britain who won’t have heard that this is an actor who said these words, and they will think that this is representative of Reform UK, but nothing could be further from the truth.

“Everyone I have ever met in Reform UK has been so welcoming to me and encouraging. I am swamped every time I enter a working man’s pub by people who are desperate for change and believe in what we stand for.”

Stressing his Conservative challenger George Freeman was “shamefully” using the episode to pressure him to “disavow” Reform UK, Kher added: “Every single person I have spoken to today can see these lies for what they are and they will be voting Reform UK in ever greater numbers than before, to protest against the Establishment swamp that tries to smear us.

“If you’re throwing mud, you’re losing ground, and the Establishment is losing ground to us every week. So I expect these attacks will intensify over time. But what they haven’t realised yet is that each attack only makes us stronger, because no one believes them any more.”

Kher, who was polling 20 per cent of the vote in Mid Norfolk in Find Out Now’s recent MRP survey, concluded: “This whole episode stinks of an Establishment stitch-up and I’m fully behind Nigel Farage who once again called it early and called it right.”

Reform UK’s Birmingham Erdington candidate Jack Brookes shared concerns about the media’s coverage of the populist party.

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He said: “Reform is not racist. I have met many candidates of various faiths and ethnicities. We are all British and believe in meritocracy - the opposite of being racist. The most racist people I’ve met have been middle-class white liberals claiming to be anti-racist. Malcolm X was right about liberals.”

Brookes, who is mixed race, added: “I can stand [for Reform UK] because I believe in the people in this party. We see morals and merit - we see British. ‘British’ was never about skin colour; it always was values and beliefs. Hence the United Kingdom.”

Edmonton & Winchmore Hill candidate Neville Watson even told GB News that the language of racism has become a “cancer” on political discourse.

Watson, who grew up in the late sixties and seventies as a descendant of the Windrush Generation, said: “Let’s break free from this lazy language of racism. Instead of smearing us, let’s engage in thoughtful discourse. Reform UK deserves fair evaluation based on our policies and principles, not the actions of any single individual. It’s time to move forward with nuance and balance, recognising the danger of homogenising diverse groups.”

Addressing the issue of immigration, Watson argued: “We need to manage immigration effectively. This involves monitoring who enters and leaves the country. By doing so, we strike a healthy balance between openness and security, while ensuring that our borders remain both accessible and controlled.

“Our country thrives on diversity and innovation. To tap into the vast global talent pool, we must have effective tools in place. Controlled immigration against uncontrolled immigration allows us to attract skilled individuals who contribute to our economy, research, and cultural vibrancy.

“Balancing immigration also ensures that the labour market remains stable and wages are not suppressed. Uncontrolled immigration, however, can strain public services, leading to overcrowding and pressure on resources. By managing immigration, we as a nation can ensure fairness and prevent undue burden on healthcare, education, and other essential services.”

“I believe that our party has been dealing with it duly,” Reform UK’s Croydon West candidate Vinayak Malhotra also told GB News. “Reform UK is not a racist party and racism has no place in it.

“I stand for Reform UK because I believe in its mission to create a more prosperous, fair, and democratic Britain. The party's commitment to economic reform, democratic accountability, and improved public services aligns with my values and vision for the future. I'm proud to be a part of the movement dedicated to meaningful change that benefits all citizens.”

Reform UK donor Zia Yusuf, who is a Muslim entrepreneur of Sri Lankan origin, separately expressed his concern about a “smear campaign”.

Speaking to Michelle Dewberry on Friday, Yusuf said: “Taking a tiny fraction of a group’s comments, that are obviously totally unacceptable and abhorrent, again assuming that this is real that I would not assume by any means, it is deeply suspicious, and smearing an entire group is wrong. I would really encourage people to debate Reform on issues.

“The reason why these attacks are generally just name calling, Putin apologists or racists, is because clearly the political Establishment, the established parties, cannot actually debate Reform on policies because Reform’s policies are the ones that make sense and are the ones that are actually going to solve this country’s problems.”

Yusuf later swatted away claims Farage is an Islamophobe, writing in The Telegraph: “My sincere view is that Nigel loves this country and wants what’s best for all Britons, regardless of race or religion.”

However, a number of candidates at least initially picked by Reform UK have been exposed for making racist and offensive comments.

Raymond Saint and Grant StClair-Armstrong lost Reform UK’s support after it emerged the pair previously voiced support for the British National Party.

Ben Aston also claimed Jews were “agitating” to import “third-world Muslims” into Britain.

Jack Aaron, Julian Malins and Samantha Goggin seemingly appeared to make questionable comments on foreign policy issues ranging from Russia to the Falklands War.

Earlier this week, Farage stressed he wanted “nothing to do” with Reform UK candidates who have expressed hateful views.

The populist party has since dropped a further three candidates for making offensive or racist comments, including Saint and StClair-Armstrong.

However, the latest scandal surrounding Parker’s comments in Clacton led to responses from a number of other party leaders, including Sunak.

The Prime Minister, who claimed Farage had “questions to answer” said: “My two daughters have to see and hear Reform people who campaign for Nigel Farage calling me an ‘f*****g P**i’. It hurts and it makes me angry, and I think he has some questions to answer.

“I don’t repeat those words lightly. I do so deliberately because this is too important not to call out clearly for what it is.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer claimed he was “shocked” by the racist and homophobic comments made by the Reform UK canvassers, describing the incident as a test of Farage’s leadership.

Farage faced a grilling from BBC Question Time audience members about the racism scandal engulfing Reform UK became a major story of the election on Friday.

The Brexit stalwart later accused the BBC of “political interference” over its “rigged” audience and is now boycotting the state broadcaster until Reform UK receives an apology for the alleged bias.

Farage added: “Reform will be campaigning vigorously to abolish the licence fee.”

Question Time host Fiona Bruce claimed the audience was made up of those who “represent a mix of political sentiments”, including Reform UK voters.

In a six-minute video uploaded to social media, Farage claimed the latest debacle is part of a wider “stitch-up” operation perpetrated by the “mainstream media”.

The Reform UK leader claimed last week’s Russia row was the first effort to knock the populist party off course.

He added: “Folks, this is the biggest stitch-up I have ever seen in my life and I bet you there’s even more we’re going to find out, even more will come out over the course of the next couple of days.

“Well, you know what, you only start taking flak, as they used to say in Bomber Commander in World War Two, when you’re getting near the target and we’re getting near the target. The Establishment are literally terrified of us.”

Despite the debacle, Reform UK expects to pick up seats after July 4 as the populist party’s support bounces between 14 and 21 per cent.

Birmingham Erdington: Independent Dr Shaukat Ali, Liberal Democrat Farzana Aslam, Reform UK Jack Brookes, Labour Party Paulette Hamilton, Conservative Party Steve Knee, Green Party Karen Trench and TUSC Corinthia Ward.

Clacton: Liberal Democrats Matthew Bensilum, Reform UK Nigel Farage, Climate Craig Jamieson, Independent Tony Mack, Green Party Natasha Osben, Labour Party Jovan Owusu-Nepaul, Heritage Tasos Papanastasiou, Ukip Andrew Pemberton and Conservative Party Giles Watling.

Croydon West: TUSC April Ashley, Conservative Party Simon Fox, Liberal Democrats Jahir Hussain, Labour Party Sarah Jones, Reform UK Vinayak Malhotra, Taking the Initiative Donna Murray-Turner, Green Party Ria Patel and Workers Party Ahsan Ullah.

Edmonton & Winchmore Hill: CPA Yemi Awolola, Green Party Luke Balnave, Workers Party Denise Headley, Conservative Party Zoe Huggins, Liberal Democrats Tim Martin, Labour Party Kate Osamor, Independent Khalid Sadur and Reform UK Neville Watson.

Mid Norfolk: Conservative George Freeman, Green Party Ash Haynes, Liberal Democrats Stuart Howart, Reform UK Kabeer Kher and Labour Party Michael Rosen.