Top Conservative member James Cleverly has distanced himself from remarks made by party chairman Kevin Hollinrake, who compared Reform UK to Adolf Hitler’s Nazis. Despite Kemi Badenoch dismissing it as a joke, Cleverly criticized Hollinrake’s post as inappropriate and causing public outcry.
In response to a post by the Reform chief, Hollinrake shared an image of a Swastika badge but later removed it. However, he subsequently shared a link to a page about the badge. Cleverly expressed his disapproval, stating that the post did not convey the intended message effectively.
Speaking on Times Radio, Cleverly highlighted the context of Reform’s former leader in Wales being imprisoned for accepting bribes from Russia for spreading Russian propaganda. He criticized Nigel Farage for failing to address Russian influence within Reform, labeling it unacceptable.
Reform UK’s ex-leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, received a ten-and-a-half-year jail sentence for confessing to accepting Russian bribes. Badenoch defended Hollinrake’s actions as a joke, citing Reform’s online behavior towards other politicians. Farage retaliated, suggesting Reform’s potential success in the upcoming election.
Reform advisor Alan Mendoza condemned Hollinrake’s comparison, calling it a disgraceful and baseless slur. Tory MP Suella Braverman also criticized the comparison, labeling it as wrong and irresponsible, emphasizing that Hollinrake’s views do not represent her.
A Tory spokesperson criticized Reform for focusing on social media instead of addressing the controversies surrounding their leader in Wales and their welfare policies. In response, a Reform source accused the Conservative Party of equating Reform supporters with Nazis.
Hollinrake posted a link related to the Golden Party Badge, an award authorized by Hitler for early party members. Reform’s policy chief expressed concerns that Hollinrake’s actions could jeopardize the electoral prospects of Badenoch and Robert Jenrick.
The incident is expected to be heavily publicized in campaign materials to portray the Tories as associating Reform voters with Nazism.