In the recurring drama of political parties struggling to reconcile their public ideals with their internal realities, Reform UK finds itself once again under scrutiny — this time through undercover footage revealing a local chairman advising a reporter to erase far-right social media posts before applying as a candidate, and a former candidate who claims he was rejected twice yet still invited to stand. The episode, broadcast by ITV after a year-long investigation, raises enduring questions about whether vetting procedures are a genuine filter or a performative one. It echoes a promise Nigel
Reform UK's vetting procedures questioned again after undercover ITV investigation
Delete the account and start again
Mark
So what exactly did the undercover reporter do that made this vetting failure so stark?
Mimi
He spent time leafleting with Reform activists, then met with a local chairman who essentially told him to delete his social media posts praising Tommy Robinson before applying as a councillor candidate. The chairman framed it as practical advice for getting through the process.
Luke
But we should note—Frost says he thought the reporter was genuine and gave him the benefit of the doubt. That's his account. We don't have independent confirmation of his intent.
Mark
And the other case—the candidate who failed twice but then passed?
Mimi
Alex Lomas claims he was rejected twice, including for Robinson posts, then got an email three days later saying he'd passed. He told Reform nothing had changed. They called him days after that asking him to stand. He ran in Oldham in May.
Luke
Reform denies he failed vetting the first time. We haven't been able to reach Lomas to verify his version. So we have a direct contradiction between what he says happened and what the party says happened.
Mark
What about Farage's role in all this?
Mimi
The footage shows him allowing Dr Chris Parry to apologize for saying David Lammy should go back to the Caribbean, rather than forcing him out. Internally, Reform's communications director said Parry was "clearly a racist" and "needs to go," but Farage apparently disagreed with that assessment.
Luke
Farage says it was "showing a bit of sorrow." Parry has since left the party and says his posts were about reparations and police failures, not race. We don't have Farage on tape explaining his reasoning, so we're working from what others said he was doing.
Mark
Has Farage addressed this pattern before?
Mimi
Two years ago he promised to vet candidates more rigorously after the party dropped several for offensive comments. But here we are again.
Luke
The question is whether the problem is the vetting system itself or the enforcement of it. Farage told the BBC they vet to a higher standard than other parties. We can't independently verify that claim.
Mark
What does Reform say now?
Mimi
That a handful of people slip through, that this happens everywhere, and that ITV used deceptive methods to get their footage.
Luke
All of which may be true. But it doesn't address the specific cases where the process appears to have malfunctioned or where leadership made discretionary calls that contradicted stated policy.
The Pulse
- Undercover footage shows a Reform branch chairman coaching a reporter to delete Tommy Robinson posts before applying — the very act of coaching exposing the vetting process as something to be navigated rather than passed.
- A former candidate claims he failed Reform's vetting twice for sharing far-right content, yet received a passing email days after his second rejection without changing a single word of his application.
- Internal recordings capture Reform's own communications director calling a sitting mayoral candidate 'clearly a racist' who 'needs to go' — while the party publicly allowed him to apologize and remain in place for months.
- Reform has responded by defending its procedures, accusing ITV of deception, and insisting that occasional bad actors slip through all organizations — a framing that sidesteps the systemic nature of what the footage documents.
- Labour's Bridget Phillipson has moved to widen the political damage, arguing the failures reach the top of the party and demanding Farage account for why a candidate his own staff privately condemned was shielded rather than expelled.
- The incident lands Reform in a familiar position: a public commitment to higher standards, a pattern of contradictory evidence, and a credibility gap that each new revelation makes harder to close.
In the recurring drama of political parties struggling to reconcile their public ideals with their internal realities, Reform UK finds itself once again under scrutiny — this time through undercover footage revealing a local chairman advising a reporter to erase far-right social media posts before applying as a candidate, and a former candidate who claims he was rejected twice yet still invited to stand. The episode, broadcast by ITV after a year-long investigation, raises enduring questions about whether vetting procedures are a genuine filter or a performative one. It echoes a promise Nigel Farage made two years ago to screen candidates more rigorously — a promise that, by the evidence gathered, has not yet closed the distance between stated values and documented practice.
Reform UK is facing renewed questions about the integrity of its candidate screening after ITV News aired undercover footage showing Ian Frost, chairman of the party's Chester branch, advising an undercover reporter to delete social media posts praising far-right activist Tommy Robinson before applying as a councillor. The footage, gathered over the course of a year, captures Frost framing the meeting as the start of the vetting process while simultaneously suggesting how to circumvent it. He later encouraged the reporter to pursue not just a council seat but eventually a path to Parliament. Frost has since said he believed the reporter was genuine and that he left Reform for unrelated reasons.
The investigation also surfaced the case of Alex Lomas, a former Reform candidate who says he was rejected by the party's vetting process twice — once for sharing Robinson-related content — only to receive an email three days after his second rejection informing him he had passed. Lomas says he flagged the contradiction to the party himself, having made no changes to his application. He was subsequently asked to stand and ran in local elections in Oldham in May, though he was not elected. Reform denies he ever failed vetting in the first place.
Perhaps the most striking element of the footage involves internal conversations about Dr Chris Parry, Reform's mayoral candidate in Hampshire and the Solent, who had said Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy should return to the Caribbean. In recordings, Ed Sumner, Reform's director of communications, describes Parry as 'clearly a racist' who 'needs to go,' while separately suggesting Farage was 'protecting' him by allowing an apology rather than demanding resignation. Parry apologized in January and remained a candidate until he was suspended in March following further controversial remarks. He has since left the party and maintains his comments concerned reparations and government failures rather than racial animus.
Reform's official response acknowledged that individuals who do not share the party's values occasionally pass vetting, framing this as a challenge common to all organizations. The party accused ITV of deception and reaffirmed that there is 'no room for racism' within its ranks. Farage, speaking before the latest footage aired, insisted Reform vets to a higher standard than other parties, while conceding that future conduct cannot be screened in advance. Labour's Bridget Phillipson argued the failures run to the top of the party and called on Farage to explain why a candidate his own staff privately condemned was protected rather than removed. The episode is the latest in a pattern that stretches back two years, when Farage first pledged more rigorous vetting — a pledge that the accumulated evidence suggests has yet to be fully honored.
Reform UK is confronting fresh questions about how rigorously it screens candidates after ITV News broadcast undercover footage gathered over a year showing a local party chairman advising a reporter to scrub social media posts praising far-right activist Tommy Robinson before encouraging him to apply as a councillor. The film, aired on Wednesday night, captures the moment Ian Frost, chairman of Reform's Chester branch, describes the meeting as the opening phase of the vetting process, then suggests the reporter delete any posts connected to Robinson. "Anything where you've got, things, Tommy Robinson or anything like that, okay, I would delete the account and I'd start again," Frost tells him. Frost later says the reporter could pursue a council seat and eventually move toward Parliament. Frost has since told ITV he believed the reporter was a genuine candidate and left Reform for unrelated reasons.
The investigation also documents the case of Alex Lomas, a former Reform candidate who claims he was rejected by the party's vetting process twice—once for sharing Robinson material—only to receive an email three days after his second rejection saying he had passed. Lomas says he contacted Reform to flag the contradiction, noting he had made no changes to his application. Days later, the party called asking him to stand. He ran in local elections in Oldham in May but was not elected. Reform denies Lomas ever failed vetting initially. The BBC has been unable to reach Lomas for comment.
The footage also captures internal conversations about Dr Chris Parry, a controversial mayoral candidate who said Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy should return to the Caribbean. In one recording, Ed Sumner, Reform's director of communications, suggests Nigel Farage is "protecting" Parry by allowing him to apologize rather than resign. In a separate conversation weeks earlier, Sumner describes Parry as "clearly a racist" and says he "needs to go." Parry apologized to Lammy in January and remained Reform's mayoral candidate in Hampshire and the Solent until he was suspended in March pending investigation following comments about a Jewish voluntary patrol service. Parry told the BBC no investigation ever took place and he has since left the party. He said his original posts concerned reparations and police and government failures, and he maintains his right to criticize public figures.
Reform's response has been to assert that the party has "improved and prioritised its vetting procedures" and that "from time to time, a handful of individuals who do not share our values will initially make it through vetting." The party added this occurs across all organizations. Reform also accused ITV of employing "extreme methods of deception" and using false information to secure an undercover position at party headquarters. The party stated there is "no room for racism in Reform UK" and said it respects due process while investigations are ongoing.
Farage told BBC Look East on Thursday, before the latest footage aired, that Reform vets "to a much higher standard than other parties" but acknowledged "you can't vet for future comments." He has previously stated that Robinson would not be permitted to join Reform. This marks the latest chapter in a recurring pattern: two years ago, Farage pledged to vet candidates more "rigorously" after the party dropped several candidates for making offensive or racist remarks. That commitment has not resolved the underlying tension between the party's stated standards and what its internal processes appear to allow.
Labour Party chairwoman Bridget Phillipson seized on the revelations, saying they reach "right to the top of Reform UK" and calling on Farage to explain why he allegedly tolerated a "blatant racist" rather than expel him. She said Farage has repeatedly failed to demonstrate leadership in addressing the party's internal discipline. The footage and the party's response suggest that whatever procedural changes Reform has implemented, the credibility gap between its public commitments and its documented practices remains wide.
Notable Quotes
Anything where you've got, things, Tommy Robinson or anything like that, okay, I would delete the account and I'd start again— Ian Frost, Reform local chairman in Chester, to undercover reporter
On my second application, I got declined on the Friday, I got an email from them on the Tuesday saying you've passed vetting. I said, well, I think you better check with your paperwork, mate, because I've just failed on Friday.— Alex Lomas, former Reform candidate, in recorded statement to ITV
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