A heated dispute has erupted as the Tory Party chairman made a comparison between Nigel Farage’s Reform and the Nazis. Kevin Hollinrake shared an image of a Swastika badge in response to a post by the Reform chief. While he swiftly removed the post, he later reinforced his stance by sharing a link to a page detailing the badge’s history.
Hollinrake, who assumed the party role in July, posted a picture of a badge given to the initial 100,000 members of Adolf Hitler’s party in 1933. This action was triggered by a post from Farage that simply said “coming soon” accompanied by a gold Reform logo.
Despite deleting the image, Hollinrake proceeded to share a link to the Wikipedia page discussing the badge, along with an “eyes” emoji. This controversial move sparked outrage within Reform circles.
In response, Farage remarked, “This is why they are on course to win 14 seats at the next election,” referencing leaked polling data from Tory HQ that suggests a significant victory in a potential general election.
Alan Mendoza, a recent Tory defector and Reform advisor, criticized Hollinrake’s actions, calling it a “disgraceful slur” and condemning the comparison as lazy and weak. Tory MP Suella Braverman also denounced the comparison, labeling it as “wrong, irresponsible, and highly counter-productive,” emphasizing that Hollinrake’s views do not represent hers.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch downplayed the incident, stating that Hollinrake’s actions were a joke and accusing Reform of spending excessive time online attacking other politicians. A Tory spokesman criticized Reform for prioritizing social media over addressing issues like the imprisonment of their Welsh leader for having ties to Russia and their proposed changes to welfare policies.
A source from Reform expressed dismay, stating, “If you vote Reform, the Conservative Party chairman considers you a Nazi, sinking the Tory party further into the gutter.” Hollinrake shared a link to information about the Golden Party Badge, an award authorized by Hitler for early party members.
Zia Yusuf, Reform’s policy chief, indicated that Hollinrake’s actions have jeopardized the reelection prospects of Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick, as the incident will be heavily publicized to constituents, portraying the Tories as equating Reform supporters with Nazis.