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The Reform UK prospective parliamentary candidate for Milton Keynes Central has denied being racist after backlash to a post he shared concerning asylum seekers.

Ray Brady shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) of what appeared to be asylum seekers in a hotel, published by an account called ‘Thought Police Sgt’ on December 19.

In the footage, a man can be heard berating men who say they come from Sudan and Eritrea, including one who says he is claiming asylum. The accompanying post makes claims around drugs and child abuse.

Labour said the video was “misleading” and that it was “dangerous” to share such content.

Mr Brady, who is also a councillor for West Bletchley Council, said he was not aware of the post on his X account when approached by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

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Cllr Brady replied: “It is not all asylum seekers. But there are recorded facts across the board that  – some of them, not all of them – are going around outside schools and chasing the indigenous girls, all underage in school uniform.

“I don’t think that is racist, I think that is pointing out something that is informational.”

The retired 55-year-old, from London, denied claims the post was racist after being asked why he shared the video.

“I am not racist” he said, “I have a mixed-race granddaughter. I am Irish origin. I have family that are Vietnamese, Cambodian, Sri Lankan.”

He added: “I grew up in Ladbroke Grove. I have got more black mates than white, and I have seen racism first hand.”

The Labour leader of Milton Keynes City Council Peter Marland told the LDRS that the video, which is still live, was “appalling”.

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He said: “Sharing misinformation and content like this is dangerous, to then follow it up with such comments when challenged is disgusting.

“It absolutely is not racist to say that the government have lost control of our borders and after 13 years their immigration and asylum polices are in chaos and people are frustrated.

“Such frustration can lead to tension. The answer to that is not racism, intolerance and division but proper policies to improve the issue.”

Cllr Brady was asked about the footage during a wide-ranging interview about his campaign to be MP for Milton Keynes Central.

The new constituency will be contested for the first time at the next general election after a review by the Boundary Commission for England.

Cllr Brady is campaigning for more housing for people with disabilities to be built in Milton Keynes, as well as more social and affordable housing.

He also backs a policy of ‘net zero immigration’, which Reform UK explains as the number of people legally allowed to enter the UK to live and work each year being equal to the number emigrating.

Cllr Brady will go up against Labour’s Emily Darlington and the Conservative Party’s Johnny Luk in Milton Keynes Central at the next general election.

Reform UK – previously known as the Brexit Party – is a right-wing political party founded by former UKIP leader Nigel Farage in 2018.