Latest news with #ReformPartyUK
Daily Mirror
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Nigel Farage blow as high-profile figure quits Reform UK after seven months
Rael Braverman, the partner of the former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, said on Wednesday he had left the right-wing party Reform UK 'effective immediately' Top Tory Suella Braverman's husband has quit Reform UK in a blow to Nigel Farage. Rael Braverman, the partner of the former Home Secretary, said on Wednesday he had left the right-wing party "effective immediately". Ben Habib, a former co-leader of the party who also quit last year, said he was "not surprised" by the decision of Mr Braverman. He posted on X: "Anyone with a coherent political philosophy which puts the country at its centre is bound to fall out with the bad joke that is Reform Party UK." Mr Braverman, who defected from the Conservative to join Mr Farage's party back in December, did not explain the decision to leave the party. But he recently mocked the decision of former Tory chairman Jake Berry to defect to Reform UK, posting on X: "Jake who?" And just yesterday the prominent Reform UK party official, Zia Yusuf, criticised the ex-Tory Home Secretary, Ms Braverman. It followed news of a massive data breach of Afghans desperate to flee to the UK which resulted in a secret relocation scheme and legal cover-up under the Conservatives. Mr Yusuf posted on X on Tuesday: "The British government learnt of the data leak in August 2023. 24k Afghans secretly granted asylum, costing British taxpayers up to £7 billion. "The government covered it up. Who was in government? Home Secretary: Suella Braverman. Immigration Minister: Robert Jenrick." In the Commons on Wednesday at PMQs Keir Starmer also said former ministers in the previous Tory government had "serious questions" to answer. The PM hit out at the Conservatives over the "major data breach" which saw a defence official release details of almost 19,000 people seeking to flee Afghanistan after the return of the Taliban. He said: "We warned in opposition about Conservative management of this policy and yesterday, the Defence Secretary set out the full extent of the failings that we inherited: a major data breach, a superinjunction, a secret route that has already cost hundreds of millions of pounds. "Ministers who served under the party opposite have serious questions to answer about how this was ever allowed to happen."
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Major law firm sacks Reform candidate after ‘I hate Islam' tweet
A Reform UK candidate has been sacked by one of the world's top law firms after he posted 'I hate Islam' on social media. Dan Cooper, a former 'senior HR business partner' at law firm CMS, was axed after he was revealed to have made a series of tweets on controversial topics including Islam, transgender rights and the war in Ukraine. Mr Cooper, who had worked at CMS for more than 12 years, was poised to stand as a candidate for Reform UK for a seat on Boston borough council in Lincolnshire in elections this May. CMS took 'swift action' after learning about 'offensive remarks' Mr Cooper made on social media, according to an email sent to staff by Charles Currier, CMS's chair. On the social media site X, Mr Cooper described himself as 'anti Islam', said transgenderism was a mental illness and claimed Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, was a 'coke addict'. The tweets were brought to CMS's attention by the X account 'Reform Party UK exposed', which has more than 40,000 followers. In one post on Twitter, Mr Cooper said: 'I hate Islam. It's a 7th century barbaric cult. I don't fear it, I loath [sic] it.' In another, he said the Muslim Council of Britain should be 'shut down'. In response to a tweet from Zarah Sultana, the Labour MP for Coventry South, Mr Cooper said: 'You are a race baiting, uneducated stain on this country.' Prior to being deleted, his profile also included a short biography that described Mr Cooper. It said: 'Family man. Professional. Children's author, film maker. Anti Islam. Only two genders. Pro UK farming. Reform candidate for Boston Coastal Lincolnshire.' CMS, which is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and is the world's fifth-largest law firm by headcount, says it is 'committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive culture'. The business also has a 'transgender policy' under which it work to promote inclusion, with a gender-neutral dress code and gender-neutral toilets. On LinkedIn, the HR professional had described himself as a 'wellbeing ambassador' at CMS. Mr Cooper's tweets included a series of posts on transgender rights. In one tweet, Mr Cooper said: 'If you are over 18 and think you are transgender then you have a mental illness. If you are eight and think you are transgender your parents have a mental illness.' The internal email sent to CMS staff by the law firm's chairman said: 'We took prompt and decisive action as soon as we learnt about the nature of the offensive remarks, including clarifying that the views do not represent those of the firm and that we are committed to creating an inclusive environment.' Mr Cooper's Twitter profile also made a series of posts suggesting that Britain should stop funding Ukraine in its battle to repel Vladimir Putin's invasion. In response to one post outlining Rachel Reeves's plans to give a £2.3bn loan to Ukraine, Mr Cooper said: 'Another money laundering exercise in plain site [sic].' CMS ceased operations in Russia in 2022 in response to the invasion of Ukraine in February that year. A CMS spokesman said: 'We took prompt and decisive action as soon as we learnt about the nature of the individual's offensive remarks on social media. The views expressed on their personal social media accounts are their own and do not represent those of the firm. At CMS we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all our colleagues and we will be supporting all the individuals affected by this.' Reform UK and Mr Cooper were approached for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Major law firm sacks Reform candidate after ‘I hate Islam' tweet
A Reform UK candidate has been sacked by one of the world's top law firms after he posted 'I hate Islam' on social media. Dan Cooper, a former 'senior HR business partner' at law firm CMS, was axed after he was revealed to have made a series of tweets on controversial topics including Islam, transgender rights and the war in Ukraine. Mr Cooper, who had worked at CMS for more than 12 years, was poised to stand as a candidate for Reform UK for a seat on Boston borough council in Lincolnshire in elections this May. CMS took 'swift action' after learning about 'offensive remarks' Mr Cooper made on social media, according to an email sent to staff by Charles Currier, CMS's chair. On the social media site X, Mr Cooper described himself as 'anti Islam', said transgenderism was a mental illness and claimed Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, was a 'coke addict'. The tweets were brought to CMS's attention by the X account 'Reform Party UK exposed', which has more than 40,000 followers. In one post on Twitter, Mr Cooper said: 'I hate Islam. It's a 7th century barbaric cult. I don't fear it, I loath [sic] it.' In another, he said the Muslim Council of Britain should be 'shut down'.
