Reform’s Kruger under fire for warning of ‘LGBT-supporting’ left-wing parties

Reform UK has come under fire after MP Danny Kruger railed against “LGBT-supporting” political parties.

Leader Nigel Farage has been urged to condemn the “disgraceful and completely unacceptable” remarks.

Mr Kruger, who defected from the Conservative Party to Reform last month, said in a video that Mr Farage’s party is “up against Lib Dems, Labour, Greens, we’ve got the nationalists of Wales and Scotland, there’s (Jeremy) Corbyn”.

He added: “There’s this whole kaleidoscope of left-wing parties now. And, you know, that shows how bad things are in our country.

“What I worry about is they’re going to get together after the next election and have some sort of appalling Hamas-supporting, LGBT-supporting nationalist party against the United Kingdom, trying to get us back into the EU.

“All the things that the British people have rejected time and again.”

‘Kaleidoscope of catastrophe’

Mr Kruger doubled down on his criticism of the “kaleidoscope of catastrophe” when challenged over the comments on Tuesday.

“You do have a kaleidoscope of people who proclaim their belief in gay rights on one hand and then their support for Hamas on the other,” the East Wiltshire MP told a press conference in London.

He added he was “pointing out the incredible incoherence of the coalition” opposing Reform.

It comes as Reform was embroiled in a racism row after MP Sarah Pochin said adverts being “full” of black and brown people “drives me mad”.

Labour minister Sir Chris Bryant said on X: “So now Danny Kruger condemns the idea of a ‘LGBT-supporting’ government. The Reform dinosaurs are out in force. Farage should own up. His party is fuelled by antediluvian nonsense and in turn fuels division.”

‘Unacceptable’

A Liberal Democrat source said: “Danny Kruger’s comments are disgraceful and completely unacceptable.

“Nigel Farage’s MPs clearly have views that are completely out of step with modern Britain and its values.

“Nigel Farage must confirm if he agrees with these comments.

“This is yet another reminder that Reform want to make Trump’s America into Farage’s Britain.”

Mr Kruger used the Tuesday press conference to set out changes a Reform government would make to the machinery of government, including slashing the Civil Service headcount and shuttering government buildings.

The party would change the Civil Service code to ban non-party political activism that has led to a “woke agenda that has infected so much of Whitehall”, he said.

Ministerial Code

Reform would also amend the Ministerial Code to remove the requirement to take into account international law when making decisions, Mr Kruger said.

The former Tory did not indicate how many Civil Service jobs would be cut under the plans, but added: “What I can confidently say, though, is that we are going to get this overall headcount of the centre of the Civil Service base in Whitehall back down below the levels it was at before Brexit.”

Mr Kruger claimed that by not renewing the leases of five government buildings, including the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) at 102 Petty France and the Department for Education’s premises on Great Smith Street, a Reform government would save £100 million a year.

He said that by cutting the number of officials, “we will be able to make do without those buildings”, as he vowed to “make Whitehall Whitehall again, to restore the Civil Service to the street called Whitehall”.

The Government has however already confirmed it plans to close the MoJ offices on Petty France, as well as 39 Victoria Street which is home to the Department of Health.

The drive to get rid of expensive London offices is part of an initiative to save £94 million each year and push Civil Service jobs into regions outside of London, Labour ministers have said.

Scrutiny

Meanwhile, Zia Yusuf, the head of policy for Reform UK, complained about the “level of scrutiny” that Reform-led local authorities were under.

“It’s quite right for Reform councils to be scrutinised,” he said.

“What’s interesting is that there appears to be a level of scrutiny on local government all of a sudden that certainly I’ve never seen.”

Five members of Reform’s “flagship” council in Kent have been expelled for “dishonest and deceptive behaviour” following a leaked expletive-laden video meeting.

And while Reform promised to cut spending when it ousted the Conservatives at the council in May, reports have suggested it could be on course to raise council tax.

Mr Yusuf said: “Voters are smart enough to know that the statutory demands placed on local councils by central government, over which I’m afraid local councillors of any stripe have no ability to change the parameters of, these are all things that do need reform.

“We can’t do those things until we’re in Westminster.”

‘Deeply embarrassing’

Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley said: “It’s deeply embarrassing for Nigel Farage that his new policy chief’s first policy has already fallen apart.

“You can’t save money by closing government buildings that are already closing. Danny Kruger didn’t do the work and he’s been found out.

“It’s the same at local level. Reform made big claims about the money they could save in councils, found they were wrong, and are now proposing raising council tax and cutting services.

“Local government was supposed to be the blueprint for what Reform would do nationally, and it’s true: their savings plans collapse at the first contact with reality.”

Tory former prime minister Sir John Major meanwhile accused Reform UK of “amateur populism”.

In a speech at a Conservative Party lunch, he said: “Reform is now embracing overspending, nationalisation, and promises that will never – can never – be met.

“If you doubt me, look at their performance in the local authorities they now govern: they are completely out of their depth.

“Other policies are ill thought out.

“Reform wishes to nationalise half the water industry, yet does not seem to realise the reason for privatisation was because the state had no funds for investment. Nor do they now.”