A mayoral candidate for Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, who remarked that Cabinet Minister David Lammy should "go home to the Caribbean," has faced questions for suggesting that multiple other elected officials from diverse heritages may not have a foremost allegiance to the United Kingdom.
The party, fronted by Nigel Farage, has to date declined to criticize the candidate, former senior naval officer Chris Parry, over his original statement about Mr. Lammy. Parry is the chosen representative for the now-postponed Hampshire and the Solent mayoral election.
Online Posts Ignite Controversy
The majority of the remarks in question were made on the social media platform X. They featured Parry quote-retweeting posts about the MPs, some of which came from far-right or openly anti-Islam accounts.
In one instance from May, commenting on footage of Scottish Labour leader speaking at an event celebrating Pakistan's independence, Parry stated: "So many people in @UKLabour don't owe their primary loyalty to Britain."
"It's acceptable, if she commits betrayal by failing the British people and demonstrating key allegiance to another country," he wrote in June about Labour MP Naz Shah.
Other figures mentioned in his posts included former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf, now Your Party MP Zarah Sultana, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, MP Dawn Butler, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and Scottish Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart. In each case, Parry questioned where their "primary" or "foremost" loyalty lay.
Reaction from Reform
At a recent press conference, Reform's number two commented on one of the posts, seeming to indicate such sentiments could be seen as an acceptable part of political debate. He remarked: "Ultimately, David Lammy is a cabinet minister. Whether we think he’s doing a good or bad job is just part of politics."
Opposition Condemnation
Labour chairperson Anna Turley said that Nigel Farage "needed to throw[n] Chris Parry out of Reform UK and deselect him as a candidate nearly two weeks ago."
She continued: "His inaction shows he’s willing to turn a blind eye to racism in his party’s senior ranks. It does not meet the standards the public expect of political leaders."
Turley further stated that Farage's failure to act over the past twelve days "shows what a weak leadership he is," and accused him of "pulling his party further into the gutter."
Reform UK was asked for comment on the situation.
