A suspended Reform UK mayoral candidate has denied describing a Jewish neighbourhood watch group as “cosplayers”.
Chris Parry insisted there had been a “malign reading” of his remarks about a social media post regarding Shomrim, a voluntary patrol service, on Monday.
The retired rear admiral also appeared to hit out at Reform UK, criticising his suspension and claiming the party “haven’t even spoken to me”.
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Mr Parry had reportedly retweeted a post on X that said: “Can Christian’s in Britain set up their own police and patrol certain neighbourhoods?” with a picture of a number of Shomrim vehicles.
He added the words: “Remember that these cosplayers have no more jurisdiction or legal authority than ordinary citizens.”
When he was challenged over that characterisation, he replied: “My point still stands. 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.”
Following a backlash, the politician claimed to be “a lifelong, committed, energetic ally of Jewish people.”
He added: “The issue was caused by a malign reading of my attempt to respond to a tweet criticising Jewish people.”
When he was asked about his use of the word “cosplayers”, he appeared to suggest this had referred to the description of “‘Christian’ unofficial forces” in the original post.
Reform UK has suspended Mr Parry, who had been standing as its Hampshire mayoral candidate, “pending investigation”.
The Press Association understands that the party tried calling him a number of times and sent an email informing him of his suspension.
The remarks on Monday are not the first by him to have drawn controversy.
In a previous post regarding speculation that the UK Government could be considering talks about reparations for slavery, he wrote: “Lammy must go home to the Caribbean where his loyalty lies.”
He apologised in January “for any distress or offence” caused by that comment, which was condemned as racist by Labour and described by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as “over the top”.
Following his suspension, Labour said Mr Parry should have been kicked out of Reform months ago and accused Mr Farage of weak leadership.
“Parry has made numerous appalling and racist comments that showed he was unfit for office – the fact it took Farage this long speaks volumes,” it said.
“Reform are insulting the public with their litany of toxic candidates. Labour stands against Reform’s division and is the only party with a plan to cut the cost of living and restore pride in Britain.”
The Liberal Democrats said Mr Parry’s latest remarks were “deeply insensitive, insulting and not befitting of someone who wants to hold public office” and questioned how he had passed vetting.
The party’s home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson said: “This is a good start, but Farage has some way to go.
“There are serious questions to answer as to how this candidate got approved in the first place.
“Farage must now ensure he takes firmer action every time a Reform politician or candidate makes racially offensive comments – which is more frequently than most right-minded people would want.”
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