A key associate of Nigel Farage has declined to denounce a Reform candidate who suggested that David Lammy should return to the Caribbean. The pressure is increasing on Mr. Farage to take action following revelations that Chris Parry, a mayoral hopeful for Hampshire and the Solent, implied that the London-born Deputy PM’s allegiance was not with the UK. During a press briefing, Reform MP Danny Kruger claimed ignorance of the context surrounding Mr. Parry’s comment.
In February, Mr. Parry shared an article on Twitter about reparations for slavery, stating that Lammy should go back to the Caribbean where his loyalty lies. In response, Lammy urged Farage to purge the party of outdated hateful attitudes from the 1950s.
When questioned if the comment was racially motivated, Mr. Kruger, who switched from the Conservative Party to Reform in September, deferred judgement, emphasizing that it was up to Nigel and party leadership to address. However, he acknowledged Parry’s public service record and welcomed his endorsement of Reform.
Keir Starmer highlighted the statement during PMQs, accusing Farage of fostering discord and disarray. Labour chair Anna Turley criticized Farage for failing to take action against the racist remarks, insisting that telling a black British individual to go back to the Caribbean is unequivocally racist.
Mr. Kruger rebuffed the accusations, affirming that any form of racism is condemned by Reform. He expressed confidence that the party stands against racism. The Mirror has reached out to Reform UK for additional comments.
The controversy surrounding Mr. Parry’s statement emerged shortly after Ian Cooper, Reform’s council leader in Staffordshire, resigned amid allegations of racist comments on social media.
Mr. Starmer condemned the incidents in Hampshire and Staffordshire, attributing them to Farage’s tendency to sow chaos and division. Mr. Cooper’s membership in Reform was revoked due to past social media remarks, prompting his resignation as council leader.
Mr. Lammy reiterated his commitment to standing up against racism and called on Farage to eliminate outdated hateful ideologies from the party.