On the Record: Alan Feeney

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Alan Feeney

Role: Former councillor for Castle Bromwich on Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Shard End on Birmingham City Council; elected for Reform UK before becoming Independent and resigning both council seats on 16 October 2026

“no more than one percent of British population can be non-white”

What was said

During Reform UK campaigning in Birmingham in April and May 2026, an ITV Exposure undercover reporter recorded Feeney saying an area had been “infested” with Asian families and calling them “absolute parasites”. He said Muslims were present in the judiciary, schools and healthcare and were “not working on our side”.

Feeney also said that “no more than one percent of British population can be non-white”, that white people needed to move into homes coming up for sale, and described a “nuclear option” to “drag them [from] their homes, stick them on planes and f*** them off to Pakistan”.

Additional reporting published later on 14 October 2026 reproduced a further extract from the ITV footage in which Feeney said: “You just have to make it a country they don’t want to be in … I mean you’re getting to a point where you ban Muslims from standing from public office.” The published wording says “from”; CLA has preserved it as reported rather than silently correcting it.

Context and response

ITV said the recordings were made while Feeney was campaigning to retain his Solihull council seat. He, Jamie Campbell and Chris Whelan were elected for Reform UK in May 2026, after which Feeney was appointed deputy mayor of Solihull.

ITV put its findings to Feeney but reported no response. On 12 October 2026, Feeney said he had “mutually agreed” to resign from Reform UK for “personal reasons” and would continue as an Independent councillor. Reform deputy leader Richard Tice later alleged that one unidentified person filmed by ITV was a Conservative “plant” who knew they were being recorded; ITV said Tice’s description appeared to refer to Feeney.

Reform UK told ITV that investigations had begun where members, activists and councillors had behaved inappropriately, that some people had been suspended and that due process must be followed. The party did not identify which individuals were under investigation.

On 15 October 2026, Nigel Farage said it was not possible to vet what people might say “especially if they’re provoked in conversation”, said Reform dealt appropriately with people “saying and doing bad things”, and claimed the investigation reflected the establishment wanting Reform “out of the picture”.

Later on 15 October, ITV News Central reported that Solihull Council leader Karen Grinsell would speak to the council’s monitoring officer about removing Feeney from his deputy-mayor position. Birmingham City Council separately confirmed that it had received a complaint about his behaviour and would investigate it under the relevant complaints procedure. The council noted that its Councillor Code of Conduct applies only when a councillor is acting in an official capacity.

On 16 October 2026, ITV News Central reported that Feeney had resigned from both Solihull and Birmingham City Councils and from every council post he held. He apologised “sincerely and unreservedly”, described his recorded comments as “wrong, offensive and completely unacceptable”, accepted full responsibility, said they did not reflect his true beliefs, and promised intensive personal analysis. His departures trigger by-elections in Castle Bromwich and Birmingham’s Shard End ward.

Later on 16 October, Solihull Council leader Karen Grinsell said the council’s monitoring officer had received a number of formal complaints concerning the three former Castle Bromwich councillors. She said the complaints would have been investigated fully had the individuals remained as councillors, but all three had resigned.

The Ministry of Justice said Feeney had been suspended from his Prison Service duties pending an investigation. The suspension is an interim employment measure, not a finding of misconduct.

Evidence trail

Evidence status

Directly recorded and attributed by ITV Exposure. ITV published the principal quotations and described the dates and campaign circumstances; later reports reproduced the additional public-office extract from the same footage. The full unedited recordings were not publicly available in the sources reviewed by CLA.

Party and legal status

On 15 October 2026, Reform UK said everyone filmed by ITV was under investigation and had either resigned or been suspended. Feeney had already resigned from Reform UK; the party did not report a completed disciplinary outcome for him. This is an internal party process, not an administrative finding, criminal charge or conviction.

Birmingham City Council confirmed that it had received a complaint and would investigate it under the relevant complaints procedure. Separately, Solihull Council confirmed that its monitoring officer had received formal complaints concerning the three former Castle Bromwich councillors, but said they would have been investigated fully only had the councillors remained in office; all three resigned. These are complaints and procedural statements, not findings. Feeney’s resignations and the resulting by-elections are political and administrative outcomes, not council standards findings, criminal charges or convictions. CLA found no reported final council standards finding in the sources reviewed.

The Ministry of Justice suspended Feeney from Prison Service duties pending an employment investigation. A suspension and pending investigation are not findings of misconduct.

CLA found no reported criminal charge, conviction or court judgment concerning these recorded statements as of this review.

Last reviewed: 16 October 2026

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