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Conservative leader intervenes after party chair’s controversial tweet about Nigel Farage’s party
Kate DevlinWhitehall Editor Monday 24 November 2025 15:37 GMTComments
CloseStarmer calls out Farage for not condemning controversial comments from Reform MPs
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Kemi Badenoch has defended Tory chair Kevin Hollinrake after a civil war erupted within her own party over his jibe comparing the logo of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK to a Nazi badge.
The furious row was sparked after Mr Hollinrake posted a link to a Wikipedia entry about a badge handed out to members of Adolf Hitler’s party in response to a social media post from Nigel Farage showing a Reform emblem.
Former Tory home secretary Suella Braverman hit out, saying, “comparing Reform and their supporters to Nazis is wrong, irresponsible and highly counter-productive” and added: “Kevin does not speak for me.”
open image in galleryReform’s new logo and the Nazi badge (@reformparty_uk/X)Ms Badenoch risked throwing fuel on the fire by highlighting the case last week of Nathan Gill, Reform’s former leader in Wales, who was sentenced to 10 years in jail for accepting pro-Russia bribes.
The row erupted when Mr Farage tweeted his party’s new logo, with the caption “coming soon”.
In response, Mr Hollinrake appeared to liken it to the Golden Party Badge, which the Nazi Party gave to members as an award for long service.
Ms Braverman, whose husband recently quit Reform after an internal party row involving its former chair Zia Yusuf, said: “I expect this from Labour, not the Conservatives.
open image in gallerySuella Braverman says comparing Reform to the Nazis is ‘wrong, irresponsible and highly counter-productive’ (PA Archive)“Let’s raise the level of debate: criticise the policies, even challenge the people or their actions. But comparing Reform and their supporters to Nazis is wrong, irresponsible and highly counter-productive. Kevin does not speak for me.”
Speaking to journalists at the CBI conference in London, Ms Badenoch defended her chair’s actions.
She said: “Kevin Hollinrake made a joke. Reform spend a lot of time online abusing other politicians. I think they have much bigger problems. “
She mentioned the case of Mr Gill, adding that was “a much, much, much bigger issue than any tweet.”
A key ally of Mr Farage finally broke Reform UK’s silence on Mr Gill on Sunday.
open image in galleryTory chair Kevin Hollinrake is at the centre of the row (PA Wire)Zia Yusuf, the party’s former chair and a key member of Reform’s leadership, claimed that it was “unreasonable” to link Gill’s crime with the softer stance that his party and Mr Farage have taken on Vladimir Putin’s Russia and its criticism of the Ukraine war.
Mr Yusuf described Gill as “treasonous, horrific, awful” in an interview with Sir Trevor Phillips on his Sunday morning political show on Sky News.
Mr Gill, 52, was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison at the Old Bailey on Friday after previously pleading guilty to eight counts of bribery on dates between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019.
Ms Justice Cheema-Grubb handed him the sentence as she said that the harm he had caused was “profound” and that he had “fundamentally compromised” the integrity of a legislative body for “substantial” financial gain.
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Kemi BadenochNigel FarageKevin HollinrakeReformJoin our commenting forum
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