Reform councillor suspended from prison job after ‘despicable’ comments

Alan Feeney, a Reform UK councillor who was filmed calling Asian homeowners “parasites” has been suspended from his job with the prison service.

Councillor Alan Feeney is the deputy mayor of Solihull and works as a custodial manager at HMP Birmingham.

Feeney has now been suspended from his day job at HMP Birmingham following ITV’s revelations about a series of racist and Islamophobic comments he made.

As reported by the BBC, The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) called the comments, filmed in an ITV News investigation, “despicable”, adding that they were “entirely at odds” with the standards expected of prison staff.

The MoJ said it would now investigate the remarks and take action in line with its policy.

It said it would progress the investigation as quickly as possible, adding that “Any form of racism or misogyny are treated extremely seriously and rooted out.”

According to HM Prison and Probation Service’s website, custodial managers are “the most senior uniformed officers in a prison”.

In comments captured by undercover ITV reporters, Feeney said he believed that “no more than one percent of the British population can be non-white”.

He added: “When a house comes up for sale, white people need to be in there,” he told ITV’s undercover reporter. “You almost need to out-Muslim the Muslims. 

“You’d need a proper nuclear option, like literally drag them at their homes, stick them on planes and f*** them off to Pakistan. Which you’ll never do in a month of Sundays.”

Feeney resigned from Reform yesterday following the revelations, but is still a sitting councillor on Solihull Borough Council and Birmingham City Council.

Birmingham City Council has confirmed that it had received a complaint about Feeney’s behaviour, which it said would be investigated.

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward