The Reform UK party is facing mounting pressure to condemn and dismiss one of its mayoral candidates after a series of comments emerged in which he questioned the loyalty to Britain of multiple politicians from minority ethnic backgrounds.
Series of Controversial Social Media Posts
Chris Parry, a retired naval rear admiral selected as Reform's candidate for the postponed Hampshire and the Solent mayoral election, is at the centre of the storm. The controversy initially erupted over a February social media post in which Parry stated that Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy should "go home to the Caribbean where his loyalty lies."
Further investigation has now revealed a pattern of similar remarks made by Parry on the platform X (formerly Twitter) since May this year. In these posts, he repeatedly suggests that at least eight other politicians do not hold a primary loyalty to the United Kingdom.
His targets include prominent figures such as Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader; Humza Yousaf, the former First Minister of Scotland; London Mayor Sadiq Khan; and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. In each case, Parry used their heritage, religious practices, or attendance at cultural events to cast doubt on their allegiance to Britain.
Reform's Leadership Declines to Condemn
Despite the growing controversy, Nigel Farage's party has so far refused to condemn Parry's statements. At a press conference, Reform's deputy leader addressed one of the posts about David Lammy, suggesting such criticism could be viewed as a normal part of political debate concerning a cabinet minister's performance.
This stance has drawn fierce criticism from the Labour Party. Anna Turley, the Labour chair, stated that Farage "needed to throw Chris Parry out of Reform UK and drop him as a candidate nearly two weeks ago." She accused the Reform leader of weakness and of "dragging his party further into the gutter" by failing to act.
Broader Pattern of Comments Questioning Allegiance
The bulk of Parry's comments involved him quote-retweeting posts from other X users, some of which originated from far-right or openly anti-Islam accounts. His own captions consistently returned to the theme of divided loyalty.
For example, in May, commenting on footage of Anas Sarwar at a Pakistan independence event, Parry wrote: "So many people in @UKLabour don't owe their primary loyalty to Britain." In June, regarding Labour MP Naz Shah taking her parliamentary oath on the Qur'an, he stated it would be "blasphemy" to betray the British people, implying her primary loyalty lay elsewhere.
Other figures commented on include Zarah Sultana, Dawn Butler, Kaukab Stewart, and Shabana Mahmood. In a post about the Home Secretary discussing her Muslim faith, Parry posed: "Doesn't her religion require her to show loyalty to her fellow Muslims before any country?"
The candidate also questioned Lammy's loyalty on a separate occasion, when he was foreign secretary, linking him to a news story about navy policy.
Labour has demanded swift action, arguing the emergence of these further comments underscores the seriousness of the issue. Reform UK was contacted for a formal comment regarding the latest revelations.
