Three councillors elected for Reform UK in Solihull have resigned from their elected positions following an undercover ITV investigation that recorded racist, discriminatory and sexually offensive remarks made during local election campaigning.
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council confirmed on Friday 16 October 2026 that Alan Feeney, Jamie Campbell and Chris Whelan had all resigned as councillors for Castle Bromwich. Their departures leave all three seats in the ward vacant and will trigger by-elections.
Council confirms three vacancies
In an official statement, council leader Karen Grinsell said the remarks captured in ITV's footage had caused concern and that the authority's monitoring officer had received formal complaints. She said those complaints would have been investigated had the councillors remained in office.
Grinsell confirmed that an extraordinary meeting of the full council would take place on Monday to appoint a new deputy mayor and fill committee and external board vacancies. Feeney had held the deputy mayor position. The council said a by-election would be arranged at the earliest possible opportunity to fill the three Castle Bromwich seats.
A fourth council seat also becomes vacant
Feeney has also resigned from Birmingham City Council, where he represented Shard End. ITV News reported that his departure would require a separate by-election in Birmingham, bringing the number of council vacancies arising from these resignations to four.
The three men were elected as Reform UK councillors in May 2026. Their party affiliations changed at different stages of the controversy: Feeney and Whelan had left Reform UK before resigning from the council, while Campbell's position within the party was reported separately as events unfolded. The confirmed new development is their resignation from elected office, not simply a change in party membership.
What the ITV investigation showed
The resignations followed footage obtained by ITV Exposure while reporters accompanied Reform UK campaigners. ITV reported that Feeney made derogatory comments about Asian residents and Muslims; Campbell suggested using pork to obstruct plans for a mosque; and Whelan made racist and sexually offensive remarks.
ITV published its findings and sought responses from those involved. Feeney subsequently issued an apology, saying his comments were wrong and unacceptable, and accepting responsibility for them. Campbell also apologised for any offence caused while denying that he was racist. Reform UK initially described Campbell's remarks as a joke in poor taste and said no further action would be taken at that stage.
The footage has prompted questions about candidate vetting and the conduct expected of elected representatives. Reform UK said in response to the wider investigation that it had improved its vetting arrangements and that investigations had begun where members or councillors had behaved inappropriately.
What happens next?
Solihull Council's extraordinary meeting is scheduled to address the deputy mayoral and committee vacancies. Dates for the Castle Bromwich by-elections have not yet been announced in the council's 16 October statement. The separate Shard End vacancy will be handled by Birmingham City Council.
The councillors' resignations are confirmed facts. The investigation's findings about remarks made in recordings should be attributed to ITV's reporting, and the former councillors' explanations and apologies should be distinguished from the footage itself. No criminal conviction is alleged in connection with the remarks described here.