Top Conservative Party member James Cleverly has distanced himself from remarks made by party chairman Kevin Hollinrake, who drew a comparison between Reform UK and Adolf Hitler’s Nazis. Despite Kemi Badenoch dismissing it as a joke, Cleverly criticized Hollinrake’s post as inappropriate and insensitive, leading to public outcry. Hollinrake, who has been leading the party since July, shared an image of a Swastika badge in response to a post by the Reform UK leader. Although he deleted the post quickly, he later shared a link to a page discussing the badge.
In an interview with Times Radio, Cleverly expressed disapproval of Hollinrake’s actions, stating that they did not effectively convey the intended message. Cleverly highlighted the context of Reform’s former leader in Wales being convicted of accepting bribes from the Russian state to promote Russian propaganda. He criticized Reform UK for being embroiled in scandals and called out Nigel Farage for failing to address Russian influence within the party.
Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch defended Hollinrake’s post as a joke, citing Reform’s online behavior towards other politicians. The incident stemmed from Hollinrake posting an image of a badge associated with Hitler’s party in response to a post by Farage teasing an upcoming announcement.
The controversial post led to backlash within Reform UK, with party advisor Alan Mendoza condemning Hollinrake’s comparison as a disgraceful and baseless attack. Tory MP Suella Braverman also denounced the comparison as wrong and irresponsible, emphasizing that Hollinrake’s views did not represent her own.
A spokesperson for the Conservative Party criticized Reform UK for prioritizing social media over addressing serious issues, such as the imprisonment of their former leader in Wales for accepting Russian bribes. The spokesperson called for Reform to clarify their connections to Russia and their stance on welfare policies.
In response, a source from Reform UK criticized the Conservative Party chairman for equating their supporters with Nazis, suggesting that the Tory Party’s reputation was deteriorating. Hollinrake continued to share information about the Golden Party Badge, an award authorized by Hitler for select members.
Zia Yusuf, Reform’s policy chief, asserted that Hollinrake’s actions had jeopardized the re-election prospects of Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick, as the incident would be heavily publicized to constituents. The ongoing controversy highlighted tensions between the Conservative Party and Reform UK.