A senior Reform UK official accused Nigel Farage of “protecting” a mayoral candidate who said David Lammy should “go back home to the Caribbean”.

The party’s leader was urged to sack Chris Parry last December after he said in a social media post that was where the then justice secretary’s “loyalties lie”.

However, the former Rear Admiral in the Royal Navy survived as Reform’s candidate to be mayor of Hampshire and the Solent.

An undercover ITV reporter who got a job as a Reform press officer recorded Ed Sumner, the director of communications, saying Parry would be sacked, but he was over-ruled by Farage.

Instead, the Reform leader said Parry should “apologise to Lammy… if David Lammy’s taken offence”.

Sumner told Farage: “You’re protecting him.”

Farage replies: “It’s showing a bit of sorrow … trouble is he’s a Rear Admiral, that’s the problem.”

After Farage leaves, Sumner is recorded saying “if it was up to me, I’d have kicked him (Parry) out months ago”.

Parry was eventually ditched as a Reform candidate three months later after he compared a Jewish community group to “Islamists on horseback”.

Parry told ITV: “I would urge people to go back to the original contexts and tweets to see what was said and why. They related to reparations and failures by the police and government.

“They will see I always exercise my right to criticise anyone in power or the public eye, whom I judge to be acting against the interests of the British people.”

The latest revelations come a day after it was revealed that the same undercover ITV probe had recorded Reform councillors and candidates expressing “extreme” racist views.

One councillor described Asian families as “parasites” and saying the government should “stick them on planes and fuck them off to Pakistan”.

Labour chair Bridget Phillipson said: “These latest shocking and deeply disturbing revelations go right to the top of Reform UK.

“Nigel Farage needs to wake up and realise the buck stops with him. He also must urgently explain why he allegedly stood by a blatant racist instead of kicking him out of his party.

“Time and again Farage has had every opportunity to demonstrate leadership and get Reform’s house in order and every single time he has failed.

“In Reform’s own words: they’re defending the indefensible. They are completely unfit for office.”

In a statement, Reform accused ITV and Hardcash Productions of “extreme methods of deception”.

“They have infiltrated our workplace including commissioning an undercover journalist to provide altered identification documents, a false address, and false credentials so that they could be given access to Reform’s headquarters , computer systems, and spy on its employees,” the party said.

“That same journalist did not limit themselves to recording candid conversations in the workplace. That journalist also sought to find out sensitive security information, travel arrangements, and financial information outside of the scope of this investigation.

“ITV have failed to address this in correspondence despite this conduct being drawn to their attention. This is at a time when Nigel Farage and other members of Reform are being targeted by individuals who wished them harm and caused a security issue which was documented during the course of the undercover investigation.

“They have not included this in their report, despite being on notice since March this year. There is currently an on-going police investigation relating to security breaches against Mr Farage as is well known.

“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.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Reform UK wanted this year’s annual conference in Birmingham to be about “making Britain fall in love with Nigel Farage again”.

But that plan to woo voters and consolidate their base by presenting a strategy for their first 100 days in power fell apart before it had even begun.

Channel 4 News broadcast an undercover sting operation from investigative group Verbatim shortly before delegates began arriving.

The footage accused Reform of taking funds from a US company to commission three supposedly independent polls at £32,500 earlier this year, research which was then shared with the media.

Reform’s head of policy James Orr and Farage’s close aide Dan Jukes organised the donation. They were unaware the donors were actually undercover reporters.

British electoral law says political donations can only be made by someone eligible to vote in the UK or a UK-registered company.

But Jukes appeared to propose a work-around so that an American businessman could donate £500,000 to the party through his British son.

Reform initially called the documentary a “hoax”, and said it was guilty of no wrongdoing.

It then launched an internal investigation and both Jukes and Orr stepped down from their roles.

Farage, who was seen in some of the footage engaging with the undercover journalists when they were presented as donors, told the BBC: “I frankly wasn’t even listening.”

The Metropolitan Police and the Electoral Commission are now assessing reports into the donations.

Unsurprisingly, the conference ended up being a far-cry from the plan to look more professional.

Here’s some of the strangest moments you might want to catch up on, just as Reform fall into a fresh scandal after some local councillors and party candidates were accused of racism in an ITV sting.

Jukes has worked with Farage for years and their relationship has been compared to father and son.

Orr was the policy brain of the party, and his attendance at a conference set to be a policy-blitz was crucial.

But Farage distanced himself significantly, calling them “contractors” who were only guilty of “loose pub talk”.

There was also significant confusion over whether they would ever be able to return, even though Reform’s internal investigation is yet to conclude.

Reform’s chair Lee Anderson told broadcasters they were not coming back, while other party officials said it was too early to say.

In the month since the scandal first broke, Reform has cleared both aides of wrongdoing in an internal probe.

However, they made it clear they would not decide the future of Jukes and Orr until the Metropolitan Police had finished their own probe.

A small sign depicting Farage as the Monopoly Man running off with a bag of cash amid a sea of flames appeared behind the deputy party leader during his speech.

It had the caption, “Collect £5 million, burn the planet,” in reference to the ongoing parliamentary probe into the undeclared lump sum Farage received before he became an MP.

The sign, unfurled by Greenpeace, was swiftly removed.

After the banner incident, Farage’s subsequent keynote speech was delayed by more than an hour.

Reform sources claimed it was due to a warning from Counter-Terror Police who “wouldn’t let him on stage yet”.

However, West Midlands Police said: “We can confirm that Counter Terrorism Policing have had no involvement in the delivery of the Reform UK Party Conference 2026.”

Multiple demonstrators were thrown out once the keynote speech got going.

Farage tried to downplay the disruptions, telling the crowd: “We’ve got a screamer. Oh dear.”

He added: “That poor young girl, she looked like she was going to do herself an injury.”

He then said: “Boring, boring, boring.”

Activist group Climate Resistance claimed responsibility for the protest.

One woman was removed by security guards, only for members of the crowd to apparently grab at her face and hair, hitting her with a walking stick.

She told LBC: “I was hit and grabbed by the hair and by my jaw by attendees at the Reform UK conference after calling out Nigel Farage for being a conman during his keynote speech.”

She added: “Nigel Farage himself, as well as members of the audience, are inciting this violence by celebrating assaults like the one I experienced.”

West Midlands Police said in a statement they are aware of the video circulating online. They are yet to receive a complaint from the woman involved but urged anyone with information to come forward.

Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf later said: “On the question of whether I condemn people punching people, yes, I condemn people punching people.”

Nadine Dorries, formerly the Conservative culture secretary under Boris Johnson, defected to Reform after stepping down as an MP in 2024.

She tried furiously to defend Farage over the documentary, accusing it of being “very heavily edited”.

Reform’s candidate to be London mayor, Laila Cunningham, admitted to BBC Newsnight she had not watched the whole documentary.

Presenter Matt Chorley was stunned, replying: “What? Laila, you are a senior member of Reform UK, standing for election to be London mayor next year.

“This is the only story coming out of the Reform UK, serious allegations, which has got the Metropolitan Police and Electoral Commission assessing. And you’re coming on here to tell me everything is fine, no rules have been broken, and you’re telling me you haven’t watched the footage?”

Watch the spat here:

The Reform MP furiously defended his party leader after Channel 4’s documentary showed the Reform UK leader saying “thank you” to the fictitious donors.

He told Times Radio: “You can’t criticise a leader for saying thank you over lunch to someone. I know a lot of slings and arrows are thrown at Nigel Frage, but being polite is not a crime these days.”

Jenrick, Reform’s Treasury spokesperson, announced his plan to resign as chancellor if he did not deliver on his promises to cut taxes once in power.

However, the party is not in government. It is not even the shadow cabinet, because that name belongs to the second largest party in the Commons, the Conservatives.

The party leader said his relatives urged him to quit over the summer amid safety concerns.

He told the BBC: “For the first time, really, in my political career, I haven’t got my family’s support. They would rather I packed it up and walked away. So yes it’s been difficult.”

Despite all of this chaos, the deputy party leader posted some jubilant photos on Saturday showing him jumping for joy on stage…

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Nigel Farage has suggested that Reform UK councillors and candidates filmed making racist comments may have been “provoked”.

The party’s leader said “the establishment wants us out of the picture” after the election hopefuls were exposed by an undercover ITV investigation.

One Reform councillor was secretly recorded describing Asian families as “parasites” and saying the government should “stick them on planes and fuck them off to Pakistan”.

Another candidate claimed King Charles was “a fucking Muslim” and should have his head cut off.

Reform said it had launched an investigation and that some of those caught on camera had already been suspended by the party.

Asked about the row on Thursday, Farage said: “You can’t vet for future comments. You can look at someone’s CV, you can look at someone’s social media.

“I can’t tell you want they say, I can’t predict what they’re going to say after a drink, when they have been provoked by somebody, or egged on to say something.

“You can’t vet for future comments. I promise you there are 20,000 councillors across this country, many of them would have all sorts of opinions but you will never see the focus on those parties, only ever on us, and we know that, the establishment wants us out of the picture.”

Labour chair Bridget Phillipson said: “Instead of apologising for the toxic culture of racism and misogyny engulfing Reform, Nigel Farage is making excuses for these abhorrent views.

“The Reform leader has repeatedly dismissed concerns about the sickening behaviour of Reform candidates and politicians. He cannot plead ignorance, dismiss it, or dress it up. It’s just plain racism and misogyny.

“The longer Farage tolerates this extreme behaviour, the clearer it becomes that Reform are totally unfit for public office.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Nigel Farage has played down the loss of Reform UK’s last leader in Wales as a “bump in the road”.

The Clacton MP was unveiling the party’s new regional leader after Dan Thomas stood down last Tuesday.

He was arrested on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviours. He has been bailed and says he has done nothing wrong.

The former Tory councillor is still a member of the Welsh parliament, and has been Reform’s Welsh leader since February.

The role was previously filled by Nathan Gill, who led the party in Wales for two months in 2021. He was jailed for 10 and a half years in 2025 for taking Russian bribes.

Reform’s main leader Farage announced today that his ally Helen Jenner, previously the deputy leader in Wales, would be taking over.

Alluding to Thomas’s exit, Farage said: “I am sorry for his personal difficulties that he is going through. No one’s life is ever seamless and I am quite sure he will come out of these before too long.

“But it was pretty much untenable for him to continue as leader while he had these domestic disputes, so we very quickly and rapidly have moved to electing a new leader.”

Farage said elections for a new Reform deputy leader in Wales would follow to fill Jenner’s old role.

He added: “We will carry on as if nothing has happened, waiting for Dan who is going to stay a member of this place, to come back more actively with us.

“We could have done without this bump in the road. But it has happened, we are making the best of it.”

Thomas announced last weekend that he had been released without charge.

“I stress that I have done nothing wrong, but I do not want the coming headlines to be a distraction from the fantastic work our Senedd team is doing in holding this government to account,” he said.

Gwent police confirmed a 45-year-old man from Aberbargoed area was arrested on September 13 “on suspicion of assault and engaging in controlling/coercive behaviour. He has been bailed pending further inquiries”.

The announcement comes amid heightened scrutiny on Reform and its finances.

The party received £72 million in 48 hours from crypto-billionaires earlier this month, though Reform insists the donors want nothing in exchange.

Farage is also subject to a parliamentary sleaze probe after he failed to declare a £5 million donation from Thailand-based Christopher Harborne once he became an MP in 2024.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

Nigel Farage has said he “wasn’t even listening” at a meeting he attended with an undercover journalist claiming to be an American donating money to Reform UK.

The party leader has insisted no laws have been broken after a Channel 4 News report showed senior Reform figures discussing how to disguise donations from foreign sources.

Accepting donations from a foreign company, including donations in kind such as polling, could constitute a criminal offence, and the party has been reported to the police.

Two of Farage’s closest aides, Dan Jukes and James Orr, have been suspended by the party pending an internal investigation into the row.

Secretly-recorded footage showed Farage and Jukes having lunch during the recent Clacton by-election with the journalist claiming to be the wealthy American, and another man pretending to be his UK-based son.

The “American” is heard discussing how he paid for polling via his son, and Farage is heard thanking them both.

The Reform leader said the polling was “amazing” and provided “bang for buck”, adding: “It worked. Boom.”

When the discussion turned to a larger donation to Reform, one of the undercover journalists explained that the money would be paid by the US-based father to his son in the UK, who would then pass it on to the party.

Such an arrangement would be illegal under electoral law.

Farage is heard saying “it’s all above board” before later adding: “Thank you. Both of you, thank you.”

But speaking to the BBC on the final day of Reform’s conference in Birmingham, Farage insisted he had not been paying attention to what was being discussed at the lunch.

He said: “I am not a compliance officer. I was in the middle of canvassing in the Clacton by-election. I turn up. I frankly wasn’t even listening.

“ I just asked, “Is it all above board?” I was just there to come and say hello.”

Farage added: “I was told there was a global family office based in London, so the money could have come from Singapore. The money could come from all over the world, you know. Income could have came from all over the world into a family office based in London.

“I know electoral law. I know donation law better than anybody. Frankly [Jukes and Orr] have never been involved in fundraising before and they shouldn’t have been involved directly in fundraising. They should have done basic checks and nobody, nobody should be brought to me, unless they’ve been vetted.”

The row over the Channel 4 report has overshadowed Reform’s annual conference, which had been billed as setting out the party’s plans for its first 100 days in office.

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.