Ding ding ding! The gloves are coming off as tensions rise between the Conservatives and Reform UK. Tory party chairman Kevin Hollinrake has come under fire from Nigel Farage’s group after he linked the Reform UK logo to, er, a Nazi party badge. So much for being civil, chaps!
The controversial intervention came after Farage posted an image of a black and gold Reform badge, accompanied by the caption ‘coming soon’, in a bid to promote the ‘collector’s edition’ party football shirt on Twitter. In response, Hollinrake tweeted back a picture of a ‘Golden Party Badge’, awarded to the first 100,000 members to join Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party. Perhaps having second thoughts, the post was hastily deleted before the Tory chairman posted again – this time, with a link to a Wikipedia page about the Nazi badge, first introduced in 1933. Crikey!
As one might expect, Reform is not best pleased about the comparison. Alan Mendoza, the party’s new global affairs adviser, fumed: ‘Is Kevin Hollinrake out of his mind? Making a comparison between Reform and Nigel Farage to the Nazis is not only a disgraceful slur but also lazy and weak.’ Meanwhile a Reform source told the Times: ‘If you vote Reform, the chairman of the Conservative party thinks you’re a Nazi.’ Farage himself added on Twitter: ‘This is why they are on course to win 14 seats at the next election.’ Shots fired…
And Reform figures aren’t the only ones unimpressed by Hollinrake’s jibe. His onetime colleague and former Tory home secretary Suella Braverman raged: ‘I expected this from Labour not the Conservatives. Let’s raise the level of debate: criticise their policies, even challenge the people or their actions. But comparing Reform and their supporters to the Nazis is wrong irresponsible and highly counter-productive. Kevin does not speak for me.’ Ouch.
For his part, a spokesperson for Hollinrake remarked: ‘Reform need to get off social media and explain why they’re so cosy with Russia and want more welfare.’ Mr S imagines Farage’s party would like to see a little less of the Tory chair on social media too…
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