Back at Solihull Council, political leaders have moved quickly to distance the authority from the controversy.
At an extraordinary council meeting, councillors from across the political divide condemned the remarks.
Former mayor Shahin Ashraf, told the chamber: “We are not a problem to be solved. We are here, this is home and we are not going anywhere.”
Council leader Karen Grinsell added: “This isn’t the council we should be” and “this is not what Solihull residents expect”.
Following the May 2026 local elections, the Conservatives remained the largest party on Solihull Council with 24 of the authority’s 51 seats, but fell short of an overall majority.
Reform UK emerged as the second-largest group – however, the party’s position has since been weakened by a series of resignations and defections.
Reform won 17 seats in May but has since fallen to 12 councillors, while the three Castle Bromwich seats formerly held by Alan Feeney, Jamie Campbell and Chris Whelan are now vacant pending by-elections.
Reform UK said there was “no room for racism” in its party after the broadcast. A party spokesperson told the BBC it was pursuing legal action against ITV and the documentary’s production company which had used undercover reporting to obtain its material.
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