Reform's pork man finally forced to fall on his sword

If Chris Parry, Reform’s candidate for mayor of Hampshire and the Solent in May’s local elections, was on some kind of bet to see what the most outrageous thing he could say is and still retain the support of the party’s leadership, he’s finally found it.

On Christmas Eve last year, Rats in a Sack reported on how the former Royal Navy officer had marked the festive period by telling non-Christians that they should eat bacon for a month. He wrote on X that “People from other religions should eat bacon for a month to prove their Christian sincerity and credentials”, later caving in to criticism by saying that he would accept sausages too.

That piece of community outreach followed him saying that deputy prime minister David Lammy, who was born and brought up in London, should “go home” to the Caribbean where his “loyalties lie”. Defending his comments, he said: “Well, home is where the heart is. That’s the point.” He has also described Enoch Powell as “unfulfilled”, Birmingham as “a failed colony”, four female colleagues as “harpies” and suggested Parliament would be filled with Muslim MPs by 2035.

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Now, after four ambulances belonging to Hatzola, the Jewish volunteer service, were set alight in the car park of a North London synagogue, Parry has finally been suspended as Nigel Farage’s candidate after describing a Jewish neighbourhood watch group as “cosplayers” and likening them to “Islamists on horseback”.

Parry made the comments on Monday about Shomrim, a group of volunteers who safeguard communities including Orthodox Jewish families, as he reposted a message on X by Catherine Blaiklock, a co-founder of the Brexit Party, hours after news of the attack emerged. “Can Christian’s [sic] in Britain set up their own police and patrol certain neighbourhoods?,” said Blaiklock, who posted a picture of a number of Shomrim vehicles.

The Reform man shared the post, adding: “Remember that these cosplayers have no more jurisdiction or legal authority than ordinary citizens.” When he was challenged over the original post’s characterisation of Shomrim as a police force, Parry replied: “They are a community organisation, not a legal entity. It’s the same with Islamists on horseback. But if it offends you, I’ll remove it.”

The comments, though, have finally forced Reform to act after months of defending Parry’s outspoken comments. “He has been suspended pending an investigation and is no longer our mayoral candidate,” a spokesperson said today. Even Reform, it seems, have their limits – even if they are considerably longer than everyone else’s.