NIGEL Farage should “expel” a Reform mayoral candidate over “racist” social media posts targeting three Scottish politicians, the SNP have said.
We told how Chris Parry, a retired naval rear admiral who is contesting the Hampshire and the Solent mayoral election, took aim at Humza Yousaf, Kaukab Stewart, and Anas Sarwar on Twitter/X.
He had previously said that Justice Secretary David Lammy should “go home to the Caribbean”.
So far, Reform has refused to condemn his comments regarding the Deputy Prime Minister or the further comments that have emerged from his social media profiles.
Parry had suggested at least eight politicians from minority ethnic backgrounds do not have primary loyalty to the UK, including Yousaf, Stewart, and Sarwar.
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The Scottish Labour leader told the Sunday Mail that the comments were “odious and vile” and “despicable”.
Referring to a new story about the UK Government supposedly considering talks about reparations for slavery, which ministers rejected, Parry is said to have written in February: “Lammy must go home to the Caribbean where his loyalty lies.”
Further comments, all made since May this year on X, have now emerged.
In May, in reference to footage of Scottish Labour leader Sarwar speaking at an event in 2022 celebrating the 75th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence, he wrote: “So many people in @UKLabour don’t owe their primary loyalty to Britain.”
The next month, he said of former first minister Yousaf: “His first loyalty is not to any country in the UK.”
Parry also took aim at Stewart, the Scottish Government’s equalities minister, who was the first woman of colour to be elected to Holyrood and became the first to be appointed a minister.
“Clearly her primary loyalty is not to Britain or Scotland,” he said.
He also targeted Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Labour MPs Naz Shah and Dawn Butler, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and Your Party’s Zarah Sultana
In response to Parry’s comments, an SNP spokesperson said: “A senior Reform politician seeking election has a history of making blatantly racist comments about other politicians and yet Nigel Farage has stayed silent.
“Farage must take action and expel him – anything less will show that the Reform leadership condones this dangerous sickening rhetoric.”
Sarwar told the Sunday Mail: “These are despicable comments, but frankly, it is the sort of gutter politics we have seen time and again from Reform.
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“They don’t care about Scotland, they don’t understand Scotland, and their views don’t reflect the views of the people of Scotland.
“I have dedicated my life to public service, from working as a dentist in our NHS to representing my home city of Glasgow.
“Chris Parry is an odious and vile man, just like his party’s leader Nigel Farage.”
While Reform have not responded to the outrage regarding the comments, on Friday, Parry wrote on X: “Just to be clear, I have always been and always will be an equal opportunities critic of any MP whose primary loyalty is not to Britain and its interests.”
Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice was asked about the comments regarding Lammy at a press conference on Tuesday.
He said: “At the end of the day, David Lammy is a cabinet minister. Whether we think he’s doing a good or bad job is just part of politics. That’s day-to-day life.
"He will, I’m sure, continue to claim he’s doing a great job. We challenge him.”
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