A contentious conflict has erupted following a comparison made by the Conservative Party chairman between Nigel Farage’s Reform and the Nazis.
Kevin Hollinrake drew criticism for sharing 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 sharing a link to a webpage about the badge.
Mr. Hollinrake, who assumed the party role in July, posted an image of a badge presented to the initial 100,000 members of Adolf Hitler’s party in 1933. This action was triggered by a post from Mr. Farage hinting at something forthcoming, accompanied by a gold Reform logo.
Despite deleting the image, Mr. Hollinrake proceeded to share a link to the Wikipedia page regarding the badge, along with an “eyes” emoji. This provocative move stirred outrage within Reform circles.
In response, Mr. Farage remarked, “This is why they are on course to win 14 seats at the next election,” referring to leaked polling data from Tory headquarters indicating a significant potential victory in a current general election scenario.
Reform advisor Alan Mendoza, who recently switched from the Tories, condemned Hollinrake’s comparison as a “disgraceful slur” and criticized it as lazy and feeble.
Tory MP Suella Braverman denounced the comparison as “wrong, irresponsible, and highly counter-productive,” emphasizing that Hollinrake’s views do not align with hers.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch characterized Hollinrake’s actions as a joke and highlighted Reform’s tendency to engage in online attacks against other politicians. A Tory spokesperson criticized Reform for focusing on social media instead of addressing issues such as their leader in Wales being imprisoned for ten years for links to Russia and their proposal to eliminate the two-child benefit cap, which would increase taxpayer burdens.
A source from Reform expressed dismay, stating, “If you support Reform, the Conservative Party chairman considers you a Nazi, further tarnishing the Tory party’s reputation.”
Hollinrake later shared a link to information about the Golden Party Badge, an award authorized by Hitler for the initial group of members, with a limited number of recipients.
Reform policy chief Zia Yusuf stated, “Kevin Hollinrake’s actions have severely damaged the electoral prospects of Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick,” suggesting that this incident would be extensively publicized to highlight the Tories’ perception of Reform supporters.