Reform UK has accused Channel 4 of using an actor as a plant in its undercover investigation of Nigel Farage’s election campaign, a claim that the broadcaster has denied. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party reported Channel 4 to the elections watchdog, alleging that the broadcaster employed an actor named Andrew Parker to infiltrate their campaign. Channel 4, however, refuted these claims, stating that Parker was not paid by them and was filmed covertly during the investigation. The dispute between Reform UK and Channel 4 revolves around an undercover report on activists involved in Farage’s campaign to win a seat in Clacton during the General Election.
The footage captured Parker using a racial slur to describe Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and making derogatory remarks about illegal immigrants. Reform UK’s party secretary, Adam Richardson, believes that Parker’s presence in the Channel 4 news piece was orchestrated to harm their party during the election period, labeling it as election interference. The party plans to request an investigation by broadcasting regulator Ofcom.
Parker, on the other hand, expressed satisfaction that Channel 4 is being reported to the Electoral Commission but did not disclose whether he was paid for his appearance in the footage. He maintained that the truth would come out in due course. Channel 4 News defended its journalism as impartial and denied any prior knowledge of Parker, stating that he was filmed covertly during the undercover operation.
In a separate incident, Farage accused the BBC of rigging the audience for a Question Time special and refused to appear on the program “Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg” unless the corporation apologizes. The BBC denied the allegations, stating that the audience was balanced with representation from various parties.
Reform UK has withdrawn support for certain candidates in Southend East, Rochford, Derbyshire Dales, and Barnsley North due to controversial comments made by them. Farage acknowledged the disapproval of these comments and mentioned that the candidates would still appear on the ballot paper as Reform candidates. Please rephrase this sentence.
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