Reform UK hopeful filmed saying asylum seekers should be held in 'concentration camps'
A would-be parliamentary candidate for the UK party Reform UK told an undercover ITV reporter that Muslims cannot be British and asylum seekers should be put in concentration camps. The party says it is investigating and that racism has no place in it.
An activist for the right-wing populist party Reform UK who hopes to become an MP has told an undercover reporter that Muslims cannot be British and that asylum seekers should be put in "concentration camps". The recording is part of a covert investigation by the British broadcaster ITV, which has already led to accusations of "appalling behaviour" and "extreme racism" within the party. The full footage is due to be broadcast on Sunday.
What the activist said
The man, who has not yet been publicly named, described himself as "pretty hardline about Islam". He noted that Zia Yusuf, Reform's home affairs spokesperson, is a Muslim, and claimed a person cannot be both Muslim and British, comparing the two to oil and water. Discussing people crossing the English Channel in small boats, he said concentration camps should be built in the first week after an election and everyone arriving that way should be held in them.
Earlier revelations
Excerpts released earlier in the week showed Reform councillors and candidates using racist language. In one, black children were called "animals"; in another, a member said his area had become "infested" with Asian families. On Friday, Alan Feeney resigned as a Reform councillor in Solihull and Birmingham after ITV filmed him calling Asian homeowners "parasites". In a Facebook post he said his remarks were wrong and unacceptable and that he took full responsibility.
Reactions
Reform said it had opened investigations where activists or members had clearly behaved inappropriately, and stressed there was no room for racism in the party. It said it had improved its vetting, but that a handful of people who do not share its values can slip through, because a future comment cannot be vetted. Party leader Nigel Farage made a similar point earlier in the week.
Bridget Phillipson, chair of the Labour party, said Farage's response showed he was "completely unfit to lead" and accused him of failing to take responsibility.
