Journalism union condemns Reform for reporting ITV to police over racism exposé

The National Union of Journalists has condemned Reform UK for reporting ITV to the police over the broadcaster’s exposé of racism and sexism within the party. 

The general secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Laura Davison, described the party’s announcement that it has reported ITV to the police and will take legal action against the channel as “the latest in a series of attacks against journalists by Reform UK”.

An ITV documentary published last week showed multiple Reform councillors making racist and sexist remarks.

Some examples uncovered in the investigation included Alan Feeney, a then Reform councillor in Solihull, saying that the area had been “infested” with Asian families, who he referred to as “absolute parasites”.

Feeney also said of Asian people: “Drag them out of their homes, stick them on planes and f*** them off to Pakistan.”

Chris Whelan, another former Reform councillor in Solihull, said of a female Reform candidate: “If she was my daughter, it would still be bath night on a Thursday. I’ll wash you properly this time.”

In a six minute long video shared on his X account yesterday, Reform’s Zia Yusuf set out a series of allegations against ITV’s undercover reporting.

Yusuf said “I will lay out how we believe ITV journalists have committed multiple criminal offences, some carrying up to ten years in prison.”

Reform’s home affairs spokesperson also claimed that ITV had “psychologically damaged innocent and decent Reform staff and members who were not featured in any documentary”.

Speaking about the practice of undercover reporting, Yusuf said: “Journalists are supposed to report the news, these ones set out to create it.”

Yusuf alleged that the undercover reporter had committed a crime by “digitally manipulating” her passport in order to pass pre-employment checks and obtain a job in Reform’s press team “under false pretenses”.

The Reform figure said: “Making or possessing a false identity document with the intention of using it to establish who you are is a criminal offence under section four of the Identity Documents Act 2010.”

“It carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison,” he added.

Yusuf also claimed that the investigation “was designed to demoralise, to inject paranoia into our volunteers, our activists, and our employees, and to make ordinary people afraid to take part in politics”.

It is not clear which police force, or forces, Reform has made the report to.

In a statement provided to LFF, Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, said: “The NUJ strongly condemns attempts to subdue scrutiny and investigative reporting. This is the latest in a series of attacks against journalists by Reform UK – from council leaders in Derbyshire refusing to engage with a Local Democracy Reporter, to Reform Wales intimidating journalists working in the Senedd, and the leader of Reform UK sharing a journalist’s NUJ Press Card on social media.”

Davison added: “Journalists have a right to report without fear on matters in the public interest – including the behaviour and beliefs of people standing for elected office.”

On the matter of undercover reporting, Davison said: “The NUJ’s Code of Conduct states that journalists must obtain material by honest, straightforward and open means, but makes clear the exception for investigations that are both overwhelmingly in the public interest and involve evidence that cannot be obtained by straightforward means.”

“We urge Reform UK and all political parties to respect freedom of expression and freedom of the press. We also call on the government to urgently introduce universal anti-SLAPP legislation containing early dismissal mechanisms that would enable courts to throw out meritless claims designed to prevent publication of stories and investigations in the public interest.” 

Reacting to the revelation that Reform claims to have reported ITV to the police, Jim Pickard, deputy political editor at Financial Times wrote on Bluesky: “Fascinating that Reform’s priority seems to be going to war with ITV over its documentary rather than cracking down on the root problem.”

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward