Reform candidate who suggested Lammy should "go home" to the Caribbean apologises for "clumsily worded" remark

Chris Parry , Reform's candidate for the Hampshire and the Solent mayoralty, suggested that is where the Deputy Prime Minister's "loyalty lies" in a tweet which came to light at the end of last year.

Nigel Farage said this week that the retired Naval officer from Portsmouth should apologise for the "over the top" comments about Mr Lammy.

Mr Parry said in a statement that his "ironic comment" related to Mr Lammy's "vehement advocacy for reparations" from the UK. In February 2025 , he posted on social media site X: "Lammy must go home to the Caribbean where (his) loyalty lies."

He later defended his original post in a reply on the site, saying: "Well, home is where the heart is. That's the point."

Mr Lammy, who is also the Justice Secretary, was born in London to Guyanese parents.

In a statement, Mr Parry said: "Recalling Mr Lammy's longstanding self-identification as a Caribbean person, I tweeted ironically and probably too casually, that he should therefore 'go home to the Caribbean where loyalty lies'.

"It reflected that I believed that it was inappropriate and unpatriotic for the British-born foreign secretary of the United Kingdom to be promoting the interests of countries other than the one in which he held one of the great offices of State.

"The tweet's timing and wording also related to the fact that he had recently been to Guyana and the Caribbean on official business.

"Although I might not agree with his political beliefs, I recognise Mr Lammy's long career in public service, currently as Deputy Prime Minister.

"It is unfortunate that much more was read into a clumsily worded, nine-month-old tweet than was intended, and I apologise for any distress or offence that it caused."

The Labour Party said the mayoral candidate should still be removed from the party.

" Nigel Farage should stop being so weak and throw Chris Parry out of Reform UK today," the party posted on its X account.

Labour MP Calvin Bailey criticised Mr Parry for his "non-apology".

"He's quietly given a non-apology 'for any distress or offence' caused by just one of his many vile tweets," he posted on X.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Reform UK leader Mr Farage was asked whether Mr Parry was a good representative of the party in light of his views.

He said: "He also criticised quite strongly many white politicians, called them unpatriotic and suggested they went to live in other countries.

"Look, some of his comments are a bit rich. I get that. He is intensely patriotic. He's risen to the rank of rear admiral, he's given enormous service to this country.

"But I do think his comments on Lammy were over the top, and he should apologise for them."