Reform activist says Channel migrants ‘should be put in concentration camps’

Reform UK has faced fresh pressure after an undercover ITV investigation recorded an activist and aspiring parliamentary candidate suggesting that migrants crossing the English Channel should be placed in “concentration camps” and claiming that Muslims could not be British.

The explosive remarks have intensified scrutiny of Nigel Farage’s party, which has made immigration control a central part of its political message. They also come amid a series of allegations involving Reform councillors, candidates and members, with critics questioning whether the party’s vetting procedures are sufficient to prevent individuals expressing racist or discriminatory views from representing it.

In footage due to be broadcast on Sunday, the would-be Reform MP described himself as “pretty hardline about Islam” before making comments about Muslim identity and British nationality.

“If a Muslim’s prepared to de-convert, I’m happy,” he said.

“But if they want to remain faithful to Islam, then this would be, I would have disagreements, especially with, um, I mean, as far as I understand, (Reform home affairs spokesman) Zia Yusuf is a Muslim… To me… you cannot be a Muslim and British… It’s like oil and water.”

The activist subsequently turned to the issue of small-boat crossings, proposing an extreme response to people arriving in Britain across the Channel.

“In the first week of election, build concentration camps, and everyone who comes across on the Channel, you’re in there,” he said.

The comments were recorded as part of an undercover investigation that has already prompted allegations of racism and misogyny within Reform UK. They have raised questions about the difference between the party’s official immigration policies and the personal views expressed by people seeking to represent it.

The remarks are particularly significant because they go beyond arguments for tougher border controls. Proposals to detain migrants in facilities described as concentration camps, alongside claims that Muslims cannot be British, raise profound concerns about human rights, religious discrimination and the treatment of people based on their identity.

The footage does not, by itself, establish that these views represent official Reform UK policy. However, it places renewed pressure on the party to explain how it selects candidates, investigates complaints and responds when individuals associated with it make controversial statements.

Undercover footage sparks fresh questions over Reform

The latest revelations form part of a wider ITV investigation into Reform UK activists and representatives.

Nigel Farage said ‘you can’t vet people for what they say in the future’. (Image: Getty)

Earlier excerpts reportedly included individuals using racist language about black children and Asian families. In one recording, black children were described as “animals”, while another Reform member reportedly said his area had become “infested” with Asian families.

The investigation also included footage of a Reform councillor describing the party’s board as “hardline” and suggesting that some of its members held views that could result in expulsion if expressed publicly.

Taken together, the allegations have created a political challenge for Farage, who has sought to present Reform as a credible alternative to the established parties.

The party’s growing electoral ambitions mean that its recruitment and vetting procedures are likely to face greater scrutiny. Candidates and councillors do not simply express personal opinions: they may also be regarded by voters as representatives of the organisation that selected them.

For critics, the central issue is whether the latest recordings indicate isolated cases of individuals whose views conflict with party principles or expose deeper weaknesses in the process used to identify unsuitable candidates.

Reform has acknowledged that some members or activists may have behaved inappropriately and said investigations have been opened where necessary. It has also insisted that racism has no place within the party.

The organisation has not, however, publicly endorsed the activist’s reported proposal to establish concentration camps for Channel migrants. The comments should therefore be attributed to the individual recorded, rather than presented as an announced Reform policy.

That distinction matters in a political environment where immigration is already a source of intense public disagreement. Voters may support stronger border controls without endorsing discriminatory treatment of Muslims or the use of language historically associated with mass persecution and detention.

The controversy is likely to make it harder for Reform to keep the discussion focused exclusively on its proposals for immigration enforcement, as attention shifts towards the character and conduct of people associated with the party.

Farage defends vetting process

Farage has responded to the broader allegations by arguing that political parties cannot anticipate everything a member might say after passing a vetting process.

Speaking earlier in the week, he acknowledged that Reform had vetting procedures but insisted that no organisation could predict every future comment made by its representatives.

“You can’t vet people for what they say in the future,” he said.

Nigel Farage has said his party can’t vet people for what they say in the future (Image: Getty)

He also argued that similar problems could emerge in other political organisations if their members were subjected to undercover investigations.

“I put it to you, if you went and spoke to hundreds of Conservative councillors and tried to provoke them you would find all sorts of things and all sorts of comments said,” Farage added.

His defence highlights a genuine difficulty for political parties: no screening process can guarantee that every candidate will behave appropriately at all times. People may conceal their views during recruitment, change their behaviour later or make statements that contradict the organisation’s declared values.

However, the existence of that difficulty does not remove the responsibility to investigate credible allegations or take appropriate action when misconduct is established.

Parties can set standards for candidates, provide clear rules on discrimination, review complaints and remove individuals who breach their codes of conduct. They can also explain whether vetting failures have led to changes in recruitment procedures.

For Reform, the challenge is to demonstrate that its response goes beyond defending the limitations of screening and includes a credible process for dealing with the conduct of people who have already been accepted into the organisation.

The party’s statement to ITV said its vetting procedures had been improved and prioritised, while acknowledging that a small number of people who did not share its values might initially pass through the process.

“However good the vetting, one cannot vet a future comment,” the statement said.

Reform added that there was “no room for racism in Reform UK” and said it would respect the due process of investigations, declining to comment on individual cases while those investigations remained ongoing.

Labour chair condemns Farage’s response

The revelations have drawn sharp criticism from Labour, with party chairwoman Bridget Phillipson arguing that the controversy reflects a wider problem within Reform UK rather than a series of unrelated incidents.

She said: “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.”

Phillipson continued: “Nigel Farage is incapable of taking responsibility and getting his house in order because he himself shares culpability.”

Her comments put the focus on the responsibility of party leadership. While individual activists are accountable for their own statements, critics argue that the organisation must also demonstrate that it has effective systems for identifying and dealing with discriminatory conduct.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has also called on Reform to take “immediate and firm action” against members caught making racist remarks in the ITV investigation. He said there was no place for racism, antisemitism or discrimination in British politics and urged political parties to respond firmly when such behaviour was exposed. <Cite refs={[“turn643082search3”]}/>

The political pressure comes at a sensitive time for Reform, which has sought to expand its support by presenting itself as a party willing to challenge the established political order, particularly on immigration.

The latest footage threatens to overshadow that message by forcing the party to answer questions about the individuals it selects and the attitudes they express.

The activist identified in ITV’s report as Jason Powell was recorded making the remarks about Muslims and migrants. His comments were presented as part of a year-long investigation into Reform’s political operation, which involved an undercover reporter gaining access to party activities and recording conversations. <Cite refs={[“turn643082search0″,”turn643082search1”]}/>

The investigation has also exposed tensions inside the organisation over how to handle allegations against candidates and elected representatives. ITV reported that party officials had discussed whether certain individuals should be removed, while some controversial figures remained in place.

Nigel Farage has defended his party saying you cannot vet people for what they say in the future (Image: Getty)

Those findings have increased scrutiny of the difference between Reform’s public statements opposing racism and the way it responds to allegations involving its own members.

The legal and human rights questions behind the remarks

The proposal to put people arriving by small boat into “concentration camps” raises questions that extend beyond the language used in the recording.

The term has a deeply troubling historical association with mass detention and persecution. Applying it to migrants as a proposed political solution invites questions about the conditions people would face, the legal basis for detention and whether individuals would be able to challenge decisions affecting their liberty.

Immigration detention in the UK is governed by legal rules and subject to safeguards. It is not the same as imposing indefinite detention on people solely because they arrived through the Channel, without regard to their individual circumstances or legal rights.

Asylum claims must be considered within the applicable legal framework, while the Government can take lawful steps to investigate immigration status, enforce removal decisions where appropriate and tackle people-smuggling networks.

Any proposal for mass detention would therefore require detailed scrutiny of its legality, practical operation and human rights implications. The activist’s recorded remarks do not constitute a developed policy proposal, and there is no evidence in the supplied report that Reform has adopted such a policy.

His claim that Muslims cannot be British raises a separate concern about religious discrimination. British identity and citizenship are not inherently incompatible with Islam, and Muslims have long been part of the UK’s civic, cultural and political life.

The remarks also appeared to contradict the presence of Zia Yusuf, Reform’s home affairs spokesman, whom the activist himself acknowledged was Muslim.

The episode illustrates how broad political arguments about immigration can become entangled with claims about national identity and religious belonging. Criticism of immigration levels or government policy is not equivalent to claiming that an entire religious group is incapable of being British.

For a party seeking to represent a diverse electorate, the distinction is politically significant.

Reform faces a test of leadership

Reform’s response has been to insist that it does not tolerate racism while maintaining that investigations must follow due process.

That approach gives the party an opportunity to establish the facts and determine whether disciplinary action is warranted. But it also leaves the leadership facing questions about how quickly it acts, what standards it applies and whether those standards are consistent across the organisation.

The broader ITV investigation has already produced consequences. The broadcaster reported that three councillors had resigned their posts, two others had left the party and further individuals were under investigation following earlier revelations. <Cite refs={[“turn643082search0″,”turn643082search5”]}/>

Those developments suggest the controversy is not limited to one activist or one recording. They also mean the party must respond to a series of separate allegations, each of which requires its own assessment.

Farage has argued that vetting cannot predict every future comment. That is true in the narrow sense that no recruitment process can guarantee perfect conduct. But the public debate now concerns not only what candidates may say in the future, but also how parties react when evidence of troubling conduct emerges.

For Reform, credible action could involve transparent disciplinary processes, clearer candidate standards and a willingness to remove individuals where serious misconduct is established. The party will also need to show that it can distinguish legitimate debate over immigration from discriminatory claims about race or religion.

The challenge is particularly acute because Reform has built much of its political identity around confronting what it describes as failures by the political establishment. Voters who support its immigration policies may still expect the party to exercise sound judgement over its own representatives.

The controversy may therefore resonate beyond those who already oppose Reform. It raises broader questions about standards in public life, the responsibilities of political leaders and the extent to which candidates should be held accountable for remarks made in private but recorded during an investigation.

The full ITV documentary, Undercover: A Year in Reform, is scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday, October 18, at 10.20pm on ITV1 and ITVX, according to the broadcaster. Further details may emerge when the programme is shown. <Cite refs={[“turn643082search0″,”turn643082search1”]}/>

For now, the recorded remarks have placed Reform under renewed pressure to explain how it intends to prevent racism and religious discrimination from undermining its political ambitions.

The party’s leadership insists there is no room for racism in its ranks. The question facing Farage is whether its actions will convince the public that the principle is being enforced.

As the investigation continues to reverberate through Westminster, the controversy has become about more than one activist’s extreme comments. It is now a test of Reform’s candidate selection, its internal accountability and its ability to demonstrate that its stated values are reflected in the conduct of those who represent it.