A prospective Reform UK parliamentary candidate has been filmed telling an undercover journalist that asylum seekers should be held in “concentration camps” and that Muslims cannot be considered British, according to an ITV investigation scheduled to air this weekend.
The activist, who has not yet been publicly named, made the inflammatory remarks whilst being secretly recorded for the broadcaster’s investigation into the party. Speaking about Channel crossings, he stated: “In the first week of election, build concentration camps, and everyone who comes across on the Channel, you’re in there.”
The same individual, describing himself as “pretty hardline about Islam”, also claimed that Muslims could not reconcile their faith with British identity. He said that Muslims are welcome only if they “de-convert”, adding: “You cannot be a Muslim and British … it’s like oil and water.”
Pattern of racist remarks emerges
The footage forms part of a broader undercover investigation that has already exposed what Labour has described as “extreme racism” within Reform UK. Earlier excerpts released this week included councillors and candidates using racist language, with black children referred to as “animals” and one member claiming his neighbourhood had become “infested” with Asian families.
On Friday, Alan Feeney stepped down from his positions as a Reform councillor for Solihull and Birmingham after the investigation revealed him calling Asian homeowners “parasites” and stating that “no more than 1% of [the] British population can be non-white”.
In a Facebook post, Feeney acknowledged his comments were “wrong, offensive and completely unacceptable”, adding: “With responsibility comes accountability, and it is for that reason that I have resigned every post I hold on both Solihull borough council and Birmingham city council.”
Party defends vetting procedures
Reform UK has said it opened investigations where activists or members had “clearly behaved inappropriately”, insisting there is “no room for racism” in the party. In a statement to ITV, the party said it has “improved and prioritised its vetting procedures” but acknowledged that “from time to time a handful of individuals who do not share our values will initially make it through vetting”.
Party leader Nigel Farage, speaking earlier in the week, argued that whilst Reform carries out vetting, “you can’t vet people for what they say in the future”.
Labour party chair Bridget Phillipson said Farage’s response demonstrated he was “completely unfit to lead”. She added: “Bad apples don’t fall far from the tree. The sleaze, scandals and appalling revelations of racism and rank misogyny piling up by the day go right to the top of Reform UK.”
What this means for Poles in the UK
The revelations highlight the rhetoric surrounding immigration and minority communities in British politics ahead of the next general election. For Polish residents in the UK—many of whom arrived under freedom of movement rules and later applied for settled status—understanding the political landscape on immigration is increasingly important. Reform UK, which won five parliamentary seats in the 2024 general election, has made immigration a central policy focus.
Whilst the comments captured in the investigation target asylum seekers and Muslims specifically, the broader anti-immigration sentiment expressed by some within the party may concern EU nationals and other migrant communities. Polish citizens with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme have secure legal residency, but political discourse can influence public attitudes and future policy debates on immigration, integration and citizenship rights. Anyone experiencing discrimination or hate speech can report incidents to the police or organisations such as True Vision, the national hate crime reporting service.
