Reform Reports ITV and Undercover Journalists to Police Over Alleged Passport Fraud and Election Interference

Reform UK is getting the police involved. The party has reported ITV, its board and undercover journalists to the police over alleged passport fraud and election interference during a year-long documentary exposing members making racist, lewd and offensive remarks.

'Some of the crimes carry up to 10 years in prison,' said Zia Yusuf, Reform's home affairs spokesperson. 'They forged a passport. They directly interfered in elections and almost certainly altered the results. Being paid to "canvass" for Reform in crucial wards we lost by a few dozen votes.'

Yusuf announced the move in a video statement posted on X on 21 October.

ITV Goes Undercover

ITV released a documentary titled 'Undercover: A Year in Reform', featuring journalists who went undercover as Reform UK staff members and campaign volunteers.

The footage, gathered across parts of 2025 and 2026, showed councillors and candidates making racist remarks, lewd comments about women and a violent tirade about King Charles III, based on the false claim that he is Muslim.

The documentary aired on 18 October after ITV's investigation followed Reform figures across England and Wales during local-election campaigns and by-elections in 2025 and 2026. Reform said it was investigating the people shown, with some suspended or leaving the party.

ITV stands by its journalism. A spokesperson said the programme was produced in compliance with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code and relevant laws, and that its broadcast was in the public interest.

The spokesperson added that all journalists were instructed to operate within that framework under producers' supervision, and that ITV would cooperate if police contacted it.

Yusuf claimed one undercover reporter digitally altered her passport to obtain a job as a Reform press officer. He alleged this breached the Identity Documents Act 2010 and the Fraud Act 2006. These remain allegations; no finding of wrongdoing has been established.

Was There Election Interference?

Yusuf also alleged election interference because two other reporters worked undercover as campaign volunteers in Portsmouth. He said they were involved in campaigning in wards where Reform lost by 24 votes in Drayton and Farlington and 85 votes in Baffins.

The party claimed the reporters were assigned postal-vote work and leaflet delivery. However, reporting by The Guardian said Yusuf offered no evidence that they had failed to deliver leaflets or suppressed Reform votes. Yusuf also alleged that paying the reporters to canvass for Reform was unlawful.

Psychological Manipulation

Yusuf said some Reform staff felt 'psychologically manipulated' by the undercover journalists and were questioning whether they were still being recorded or could trust colleagues.

He accused ITV of 'appalling deception' and warned: 'We will also use our considerable resources to pursue you through the courts doggedly, relentlessly and intensely.'

Liberal Democrat MP Max Wilkinson called Reform's move to report the journalists to police a 'disgrace'. 'Politicians must accept the scrutiny of independent journalists. It is a disgrace that Reform is instead trying to have them jailed,' he said.

Fellow Liberal Democrat MP Danny Chambers also criticised the party, saying: 'No more freedom of the press. No scrutiny. With a party mired in dodgy finances and foreign crypto donations, investigative journalism has never been so important.'