Reform UK suspends activist Jason Powell after ITV undercover report

Reform UK has suspended activist Jason Powell from party membership while it investigates remarks attributed to him in an ITV News undercover report. Powell had applied to become a Reform parliamentary candidate, according to the BBC. [2]

ITV reported that Powell told an undercover reporter “you cannot be a Muslim and British”, likening the two to “oil and water”. It also reported that he called for people arriving in Britain by small boat to be put in “concentration camps”, then returned to their countries of origin or held if they would not say where they came from. [1]

The party is also investigating two councillors in Hounslow, west London, the BBC reported. ITV quoted David Kerr advocating the mass shooting of grooming gang perpetrators and Adam Parkins describing executions he would carry out if he became prime minister. Parkins later told ITV that his position was that grooming gangs should receive the toughest sentences under British law. Kerr did not respond to ITV’s request for comment. [1] [2]

Reform says there is “no room for racism” in the party. It told ITV it had improved its vetting procedures but acknowledged that unsuitable people could still get through. A party spokesperson told the BBC it was pursuing legal action against ITV and the documentary’s production company. Powell’s suspension is pending an internal investigation, not a final disciplinary finding. [1] [2]