Pressure mounts on Farage to sack Reform candidate who defended 'go home' Lammy remarks
Chris Parry has doubled down on his comments that Mr Lammy should "go home to the Caribbean", where his "loyalty lies"
Nigel Farage is facing growing pressure to sack a Reform UK mayoral candidate who doubled down on claims he made suggesting David Lammy should "go home" to the Caribbean.
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Chris Parry, 72, sparked outrage after he posted on X last year that the Deputy Prime Minister - who was born in London to Guyanese parents - should "go home to the Caribbean," where his "loyalty lies."
Labour described the conduct from the retired Royal Navy Officer, who is standing in the Hampshire and the Solent mayoral election, as "racist and grossly offensive."
But Mr Parry has since defended his original comment, posting on X: "Well, home is where the heart is. That’s the point."
Read more: Conservatives hit with another defection as former 'Red Wall' MP joins Reform UK
In a separate post, he also suggested that Enoch Powell, the Tory politician whose infamous "Rivers of Blood" speech stoked racial tensions in the 1960s, was "unfulfilled."
Anna Turley, chairwoman of the Labour Party, suggested Mr Parry should be ejected from Reform.
Ms Turley said: "How big does the mountain of racist and grossly offensive comments Chris Parry has made have to get before Nigel Farage throws him out of Reform? It’s disgraceful.
"Farage's refusal to take action against racism in his party shows what a dark place he’s dragging politics to.
"He should finally drop Chris Parry as a candidate, kick him out of his party, and apologise for failing to take action sooner."
Reform UK MP Danny Kruger said earlier this week that it was up to the party’s leadership to decide whether to continue supporting Mr Parry.
He added that he could not comment without knowing the "context" but called Mr Parry a “distinguished public servant” and said it was "good to have his support for Reform."
Mr Parry's social media also once said of Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood: "Doesn’t her religion require her to show loyalty to her fellow Muslims before any country? Genuine question."
An investigation by the Guardian found he also wrote of ex-SNP leader Mr Yousaf: "His first loyalty is not to any country in the UK."
Senior Reform UK figures have declined to comment on Mr Parry’s posts when asked about them in recent weeks.
The party has been contacted for comment.