Labour urges Farage to sack Reform candidate over racist 'go home' remarks about David Lammy

Chris Parry, the party’s candidate in the Hampshire and the Solent mayoral election, posted on X last year that deputy prime minister - who was born in London to Guyanese parents - should “go home to the Caribbean”, where his “loyalty lies”.

Labour has now urged the Reform leader to axe the retired Navy rear admiral, saying it was “staggering” that Mr Farage has not yet taken any action.

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Reform UK MP Danny Kruger said on Monday 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”.

Labour, however, said there is no “context” that can excuse “telling a black British man from London to ‘go home to the Caribbean'”.

Mr Lammy referred to the post in his own tweet last week, urging Clacton MP Mr Farage to "stamp out" hate in his party.

The minister said he had been sent a news story about the Reform UK candidate’s post.

He wrote: "I will never be cowed by racism.

“But I will call it what it is. @Nigel_Farage, you need to clean up your party and stamp out this 1950s-style hate.”

On Monday, Mr Kruger said he was not aware of the details of what Mr Parry had posted but that he and the party “completely condemn any expression of racism”.

“Nigel Farage has taken very clear action against a … small number of, let’s say, members and activists and councillors who have disgraced the party in that way.”

Pressed further on whether he would still support him as a mayoral candidate, he said: "I’m afraid to say, without knowing the context of them and without having understood what has been said, I can’t comment in detail on that.

“That is one for Nigel and the party leadership to decide, but I do recognise Chris Parry is a very distinguished public servant and it’s good to have his support for Reform.

“And I’m sorry to say that he’s not the candidate at the moment because the mayoralty election has been postponed, so there is no election but, but that’s something we’ll have to get back to you on.”

Mr Kruger also suggested he was technically not the candidate at the moment, because the election in which he is due to stand is among those postponed until 2028.

Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley MP said: "It’s staggering that 10 days after these racist comments were first reported, Nigel Farage is still refusing to take action.

“No matter what Reform’s senior leadership say, telling a black British man from London to ‘go home to the Caribbean’ is racist, and no ‘context’ can excuse it.

"Nigel Farage should stop turning a blind eye to racism in his party and sack his candidate immediately.

"Reform want to drag our politics to a dark place and this inaction shows why they are not fit for high office."