A Reform UK activist secretly filmed racially abusing Rishi Sunak today admitted he was an actor – refused to reveal if he was paid to make the remarks.
Andrew Parker was recorded calling the Prime Minister ‘a f***ing p***’ as he canvassed in Clacton-on-Sea in Essex by Channel 4.
Parker was also filmed saying that Reform would turn all mosques into Weatherspoons pubs and suggested asylum seekers who try to come to Kent from France on small boats should be shot on the beach by young British Army recruits as ‘target practice’.
But today Mr Parker, who is a part time actor, refused when asked three times if he had been paid to infiltrate Reform UK to make their volunteers appear racist.
Speaking exclusively to , Mr Parker said he’d been set up by Channel – but added: ‘I’m not going to say anything, I think the best thing I can do is not say anything at all.
‘I’m getting phone calls non-stop and it’s making me ill to be honest and it’s not fair on me. It’s really causing me a lot of stress and I really can’t stand much more.
‘I was set-up, it’s as simple as that, the guy was laughing and joking with it all the time.
‘He pretended to be part of the Reform campaign team. It was just a joke and it’s become ridiculous,
‘We were having laughs and jokes – like blokes do have laughs and jokes – that was it really. I feel a bit of a fool, but I’m not used to this media stuff.’
Mr Parker also denied being a racist – although he conceded his comments were ‘pathetic’ – and that he is ‘an outdated old git’.
Asked whether he would like to apologise, he said: ‘Of course I’m sorry. They were off-the-cuff things that everyone says.
‘He said he had ‘a lot of Pakistani friends’ and ‘Muslim friends’, and that he was ‘sick to death’ of being asked about the footage.
He added: ‘I regret the choice of words but listen I’m old school. I’m a Brit. I call a Scotsman a Scot. It’s pathetic really. It’s not racist. But then I’m an outdated old git’.
He added: Llisten I’m old school, yeah, I’m a Brit, I call a Scotsman a Scot. I’m just old school, it’s just pathetic really.
‘It just got out of control, a typical media storm.’