Reform UK slammed by veteran over ‘disgusting’ D-Day declare
The controversial comments came from Zia Yusuf, shortly after the party chair was handed the Home Affairs brief by Nigel Farage as part of his new Reform ‘shadow cabinet’
Zia Yusuf compared people coming to the UK on boats to the invasion of Normandy on D-Day(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Nigel Farage ‘s Reform party has been slammed by a veteran after comparing people coming to the UK on boats to the invasion of Normandy on D-Day.
The controversial comments came from Zia Yusuf, shortly after being handed the Home Affairs brief by Mr Farage as part of his new “shadow cabinet”.
Reform UK unveiled it’s top team on Tuesday, full of failed Tories with draconian views on immigration, climate policies and equalities. Speaking at the event, Mr Yusuf claimed “more people have turned up on our beaches uninvited in the last seven years than stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.”
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Responding, war hero Yavar Abbas, aged 105, from London said it was “disgusting” to compare the Normandy landings in such a way. He said: “They are using the Normandy heroes to make a completely and utterly disgusting point I have better things to do than listen to these people. I have a memorial to the United British Indian Army to organise.”
The veteran previously made a huge impact on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day when he moved the King and Queen to tears with his tribute to Charles
Elsewhere in the announcements, Robert Jenrick was named shadow chancellor, despite serving in Government for Liz Truss ’s mini-budget, and also costing the taxpayer £40 million by wrongfully approving a housing project.
In 2020, the then Housing Secretary overruled the local council and planning inspectors to approve the 1,500-home scheme put forward by billionaire Richard Desmond, shortly after the pair exchanged numbers at a Tory dinner. Mr Jenrick was “insistent” the decision was rushed through in January before a new local levy came in.
The former Tory, who on Wednesday will commit Reform to keeping the Office of Budgetary Responsibility and maintaining the independence of the Bank of England, pledged to “cut waste” and bring down the benefits bill.
Suella Braverman was appointed as education and equalities spokesman – in spite of previously breaching the ministerial code – and vowed to scrap the equalities department on “day one” of a Reform Government.
Net zero sceptic Richard Tice was appointed spokesman for Business, Trade and Energy, just days after suggesting Reform could cut the minimum wage. In his speech, Mr Tice said Britain would abandon net-zero targets and create a new “super department” in Government.
The conference also saw thin-skinned Farage repeatedly refuse to answer questions during a lengthy press conference and then took aim at a female journalist grilling him on education.
He was asked by a Financial Times journalist whether Reform UK would create an ICE style migrant deportation unit, and about all five of the people on the platform having attended private schools. Refusing to answer, Mr Farage said there was no point addressing the question, ranting she should “just write some silly story”.
The appointments led to a furious response from Labour and trade unions, who warned it was more Tories who would fail Britain.
Labour chair Anna Turley said: “Farage’s top team of failed Tories spent over 3,000 days inflicting untold damage on our country in government, trashing our economy, hammering families’ mortgages, and leaving our borders open.
“They failed Britain before – they’d do the same again under Reform. Today’s appointments clearly reveal that neither keeping our nation safe nor tackling NHS waiting lists are priorities for Farage or Reform UK.”
Emily Thornberry, Chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, questioned why there had been no appointment for defence. Writing on X, she said: “Has Nigel Farage really just announced his shadow cabinet – but not put anyone in charge of foreign policy or defence?! He may think all that can be outsourced to the White House (or the Kremlin!), but that is not good enough for Britain.”
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak hit out at the vow to scrap the Equality Act, claiming it would give bad employers a “blank cheque to mistreat their staff.” He said: “It’s official – Reform UK think discrimination should be legal.
“Scrapping the Equality Act would be a sledgehammer to hard-won rights working people fought for over generations. If you’re discriminated against because you’re a woman, black, disabled, pregnant or gay – that’s fine with them.
“From ripping up equality protections, to backing fire-and-rehire, to opposing a ban on zero-hours contracts, Reform UK have made it clear whose side they’re on – and it’s not working people.”
