Nigel Farage's Reform UK makes official complaint against Channel 4 over 'electoral interference' after claiming the broadcaster used an actor as a 'plant' during undercover sting

Reform faces yet more criticism over disgusting comments made by volunteerParty has finally withdrawn support for three candidates over vile comments

Reform UK has made an official complaint against Channel 4 over 'electoral interference' after claiming the broadcaster used an actor as a 'plant' during an undercover sting.

Adam Richardson, the Reform secretary, said in a letter to the Electoral Commission that it was 'entirely evident' that a Reform activist filmed making a string of sickening racist remarks was 'a plant within the Channel 4 News piece'.

'It is wholly unbelievable that by complete coincidence Channel 4 were performing an undercover investigation and by chance were paired up to go canvassing with a man who was pretending to be someone else, using a false voice and saying almost exclusively racist and bigoted remarks,' he wrote.

'The Channel 4 broadcast has clearly been made to harm Reform UK during an election period, and this cannot be described as anything short of election interference.'

Reform has faced intense scrutiny since Andrew Parker was filmed in Clacton suggesting migrants should be shot by soldiers as they arrive on UK beaches and calling Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a 'f***king P***'.

Nigel Farage, party leader, has claimed the 'whole episode does not add up' with Reform distancing itself from Parker, a part-time actor. Parker told MailOnline that while he is an actor, he volunteered to leaflet for the party because he believes in its message.

Channel 4 has denied that Andrew Parker, who was filmed using a racial slur to describe Rishi Sunak, was paid by or known to the broadcaster before the expose on Farage's General Election campaign in the constituency of Clacton.

Nigel Farage's Reform UK party has tried to distance itself from volunteer Andrew Parker

Reform volunteer Andrew Park was seen on camera calling Rishi Sunak a 'f***ing P***' and made several other vile comments about migrants. He argued, 'we were having laughs'

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Parker, who works as an actor, was filmed calling the Prime Minister 'a f***ing p***' as he canvassed in Clacton-on-Sea. He said he volunteered for Reform as he 'believes' in its message

Channel 4 News has said it did not pay Mr Parker who was 'not known' to the broadcaster and was 'filmed covertly via the undercover operation'.

Reform said it was also planning to demand an investigation by broadcasting regulator Ofcom.

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Richardson said he had also made a formal complaint to Essex Police on behalf of Farage, according to The Telegraph.

Parker told the PA news agency he was 'glad' that Channel 4 was being reported to the Electoral Commission.

He declined to say whether he had been paid to appear in the footage, instead telling the PA news agency that 'it'll all come out in the papers, what'll come out is the truth'.

Parker declined to comment further.

He has previously told PA his volunteering for Reform was separate from his acting job, adding that he had been 'goaded' into making the comments caught on camera.

A spokesperson for Channel 4 News said: 'We strongly stand by our rigorous and duly impartial journalism which speaks for itself.

'We met Mr Parker for the first time at Reform UK party headquarters, where he was a Reform party canvasser.

'We did not pay the Reform UK canvasser or anyone else in this report. Mr Parker was not known to Channel 4 News and was filmed covertly via the undercover operation.'

Separately, Reform has withdrawn support from three of its candidates over offensive comments they have made, the party has confirmed.

Nigel Farage's party is no longer backing Edward Oakenfull, Robert Lomas, and Leslie Lilley - who were all previously standing for Reform.

Farage disowned the candidates during a much-anticipated appearance on the BBC Question Time special at the Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham yesterday, when their remarks were put to him.

Farage told the programme: 'I want nothing to do with them.'

Oakenfull, who is standing in Derbyshire Dales, posted on X that 'importing loads of sub-Saharan Africans plus Muslims that inter-breed' had created a 'gene pool decline'.

In another post last year he said that 'importing sub-Saharan Africans' would 'dilute the IQ of our country', which he told the BBC was 'taken out of context'.

Meanwhile, Mr Lomas allegedly said black people should 'get off [their] lazy arses' and stop acting 'like savages'.

Ms Lilley, who is running for the party in Southend East and Rochford, is accused of describing people arriving on small boats as 'scum'.

In a post in June 2020 he commented on the arrival of a small boat in Dover, saying: 'I hope I'm near one of these scumbags one day. I won't run away, I'll slaughter them then have their family taken out.'

Within weeks he posted again, railing against 'more scum' entering the UK.

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'I hope your family get robbed, beaten or attacked', he added, according to The Times.

Mr Lilley also suggested that razor wire should be carried by Border Force guards to tear the boats making the dangerous journey across the Channel.

In another post, he commented 'gas' alongside laughing emojis under a video of Muslims praying, the newspaper said.

The 70-year-old also claimed that the Covid-19 pandemic was a plan to 'depopulate the world' and was 'mass murder by government'.

Farage is now also embroiled in a dispute with the BBC, claiming the audience for Friday's Question Time special was 'rigged' and refusing to appear on the flagship Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show unless the corporation apologises.

 He said the audience was rigged and 'these were not ordinary members of the public', adding: 'They hand-picked a prominent pro-Palestine activist & even a BBC TV director to attack me.'

Having taken part in a protest does not rule someone out from applying to be in the audience.

It is understood that there were no BBC staff members in the audience.

A BBC spokesperson said: 'We refute these claims. Last night's Question Time audience was made up of broadly similar levels of representation from Reform UK and the Green Party, with the other parties represented too.

'There were also a number of people, with a range of political views, who were still making up their mind.'

Mr Oakenfull, who is standing in Derbyshire Dales, posted on X last year that 'importing loads of sub-Saharan Africans plus Muslims that inter-breed' had created a 'gene pool decline'

Robert Lomas, in Barnsley North, reportedly said that 'black people of Britain' were 'grifting the race card' and should 'get up off your lazy arses' and stop acting 'like savages'

Leslie Lilley, who is running for the Reform party in Southend East and Rochford, said he would 'slaughter' migrants arriving on small boats and have their families 'taken out'

Reform UK co-deputy leader Ben Habib distanced himself from Andrew Parker's comments about the Prime Minister.

He said Andrew Parker, who was filmed using a racial slur to describe Rishi Sunak, is a 'disgusting human being'.

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EXCLUSIVE

Reform UK activist embroiled in racism row is a part-time actor who started canvassing for the party

Habib said he would 'absolutely abhor any racism' in the party and suggested that Mr Parker portrayed himself as a 'gammon' character in the Channel 4 footage which was recorded by an undercover journalist.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's PM programme, he said: '(Mr Parker) is a disgusting human being if he stands by what he said, absolutely foul language, unacceptable behaviour, unacceptable sentiments.

'And we have made a complaint to the Electoral Commission and we will get to the bottom of that.

'It is a coincidence I think which does beg a lot of questions that he is an actor, that he used a voice when he was canvassing that wasn't his natural voice, and he was bombastic.

'Exactly the kind of character that someone - if you've heard the expression - might wish to attribute to what they call a gammon.'

Parker was also filmed saying that Reform would turn all mosques into Weatherspoons pubs and suggested asylum seekers who try to come to Kent from France on small boats should be shot on the beach by young British Army recruits as 'target practice'.

Parker, a divorced father of one, from Bishop Stortford, Herts, who is a part time actor, refused when asked three times if he had been paid to infiltrate Reform UK to make their volunteers appear racist.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Mr Parker said he'd been set up by Channel - but added: 'I'm not going to say anything, I think the best thing I can do is not say anything at all.

'I'm getting phone calls non-stop and it's making me ill to be honest and it's not fair on me. It's really causing me a lot of stress and I really can't stand much more.

'I was set-up, it's as simple as that, the guy was laughing and joking with it all the time.

'He pretended to be part of the Reform campaign team. It was just a joke and it's become ridiculous.

'We were having laughs and jokes – like blokes do have laughs and jokes - that was it really. I feel a bit of a fool, but I'm not used to this media stuff.'