Cllr Conrad Brown, a Reform UK councillor for Hanworth Village in Hounslow, has responded to an ITV undercover investigation that filmed him saying he would “love to have some slaves,” claiming the remark was a flippant reference to a Ricky Gervais comedy sketch. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) for the first time since the investigation aired on Sunday, October 18, Brown insisted that the footage shows he does not condone slavery.
The investigation, which also featured two other Hounslow Reform councillors, was conducted during the Makerfield by-election campaign, where Brown was helping. In the secretly filmed footage, Brown is heard saying: “I did once say that it’d be quite fun to have some slaves which doesn’t go down that well, I mean it would be. I think slavery is wrong but if I was allowed slaves I’d totally have some slaves.”
Councillor’s defence: 'emulating a Ricky Gervais sketch'
Brown told the LDRS that the undercover reporter acted as an “agent provocateur,” spending hours with the group and making comments aimed at entrapping them. He said: “After several hours of illicit filming the only footage they have of me is a flippant comment, emulating a comedy sketch made by Ricky Gervais. For the avoidance of doubt, I do not condone slavery which I make clear in the recording and which any honest viewer of the footage would conclude.”
Brown also admitted in the footage that he had made comments in private chat rooms that would raise questions in vetting, but he did not elaborate on those remarks in his response.
Parkins and Kerr: other councillors under fire
The investigation also filmed Cllr Adam Parkins, who represents Feltham North, suggesting that Reform candidates should not announce their true intentions before an election. He was recorded saying: “The stuff that people feel uncomfortable with, don’t even announce it, just do it, just make the changes in the background. We just need to get elected, that’s all that f****** matters. There are enough people within our group that understand what needs to be done. We won’t necessarily say what we’re doing and maybe part of the point is not [to do so].”
ITV alleges that Parkins asked the undercover reporter if there is a “Pakistani problem” in his area. Parkins denied making a generalised comment, telling the LDRS it was a question in response to the reporter. He was also filmed saying that if he were Prime Minister, he would support “Sunday morning rose garden executions” for grooming gang perpetrators.
Parkins told the LDRS: “My comments referred strictly to those who participated in the child rape gangs. It is entirely false and misleading to report that it was in relation to any general 'Pakistani problem'. It is Reform UK's policy that those involved in the rape gangs should face the 'toughest possible sentence under British law'. That is my view. The alleged 'Pakistani problem' phrase was a question asked in response to the reporter. Advocating the death penalty for men who systematically groomed and raped young girls over many years in towns and cities across our country is a perfectly legitimate opinion.”
Cllr David Kerr, also representing Feltham North, was filmed saying he could not “discuss a tenable solution without being called a f****** Nazi.” He also claimed Reform would be more hard-line once in power, arguing the party aims not to alienate voters before an election. He said: “We’re not f****** stupid enough to p*** off the entire like woke south, or centrist south of the country. You need to seem palatable to everyone, to get them, to get the majority. There’s certain things that need to be done to turn this country around, that the general public here, I think, would accept. But the south would never accept it and we still need their votes.” Kerr has not responded to LDRS requests for comment.
Political reactions: Labour and Green leaders condemn
In response to the ITV report, Labour Leader of Hounslow Council Cllr Shantanu Rajawat said: “The mask has slipped. On Sunday night, we saw the real face of Reform UK. There is no place for bigotry, racism or misogyny in our politics and there will never be in Hounslow.”
Guy Lambert, Brentford West Councillor and Leader of the Hounslow Greens, told the LDRS he is “not at all surprised.” He added: “Reform tells us that they have powerful vetting, they are not racist and they are patriotic. All of that is nonsense. They are clearly racist, clearly lack any respect for honest democracy, only focused on winning power to carry out their hideously true policy of hatred… It makes no difference to me whether [the members featured in the ITV investigation] are expelled by the Reform party. They might discipline or exclude them but it is all a sham, and Reform will continue to seek power based on lies.”
The three councillors have faced pressure from political rivals since the investigation aired, but none have been suspended or expelled by Reform UK as of this report. The ITV investigation has raised questions about the party’s vetting processes and its public stance on extremism, with local leaders calling for accountability.
