Top Conservative member James Cleverly has distanced himself from a remark by the party chairman comparing Reform UK to the Nazis, despite Kemi Badenoch dismissing it as a joke.
Cleverly criticized Kevin Hollinrake’s comparison, calling it a poorly thought-out post that sparked outrage. Hollinrake, the party’s chairman since July, shared an image of a Swastika badge in response to a post by the Reform leader. Although he swiftly removed the post, he later reinforced his stance by linking to a page about the badge.
Speaking on Times Radio, Cleverly expressed his disagreement with Hollinrake’s actions, stating that the post did not effectively convey the intended message. He contextualized the incident by referring to Reform’s former leader in Wales being imprisoned for accepting bribes from Russia to promote Russian propaganda.
Cleverly further criticized Nigel Farage for his stance on investigating Russian influence within Reform, deeming it unacceptable for a party leader. The recent imprisonment of Reform UK’s former Welsh leader, Nathan Gill, for accepting Russian bribes further fueled the ongoing controversy.
In response to the backlash, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch downplayed Hollinrake’s actions as a joke, citing Reform’s history of online attacks on other politicians. Hollinrake’s post, featuring a badge associated with Hitler’s party, was in reaction to Farage’s announcement with a gold Reform logo.
Despite removing the image, Hollinrake proceeded to share a link to the Wikipedia page about the badge, leading to increased tensions within Reform circles. Farage retaliated by suggesting that Reform was gaining popularity due to such controversies.
Reform advisor Alan Mendoza, a recent defector from the Tories, condemned Hollinrake’s comparison, labeling it as a disgraceful and baseless slur. Tory MP Suella Braverman also criticized the comparison, emphasizing that Hollinrake’s views did not align with hers.
A Tory spokesperson highlighted Reform’s focus on social media rather than addressing serious issues such as the imprisonment of their Welsh leader for ties to Russia and proposed changes to welfare policies.
A source from Reform condemned the Tory chairman’s Nazi comparison, suggesting that the Conservative Party was sinking to new lows in its attacks on Reform supporters.
Hollinrake shared a link to information about the Golden Party Badge, an award bestowed by Hitler to early party members. Reform’s Zia Yusuf expressed concerns that Hollinrake’s actions could jeopardize the electoral prospects of certain Tory MPs.
The ongoing controversy surrounding the Nazi comparison is expected to feature prominently in campaign materials against certain Conservative candidates, potentially impacting the upcoming elections.