Calls for Nigel Farage to condemn anti-LGBTQ+ remarks made by Reform MP Danny Kruger

Nigel Farage is under mounting pressure to condemn what many are calling “disgraceful” and “divisive” comments made by Reform UK MP Danny Kruger, who warned against the UK being led by an “LGBT-supporting” government in a video shared on the party’s official YouTube channel. 

Kruger, who defected from the Conservative Party to Reform UK in September, claimed that a coalition of left-wing parties - including Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens, and nationalists in Wales and Scotland - could form a government that is “Hamas-supporting” and “LGBT-supporting.” His remarks have sparked outrage across the political spectrum, with critics accusing him of stoking division and targeting marginalised communities. 

Labour MP Polly Billington slammed Kruger’s comments as “outdated and out of line,” adding: “Stirring up division is Reform’s stock in trade and now LGBT people are being targeted. His words have direct consequences in our communities and should be condemned by Nigel Farage.” 

The Liberal Democrats also weighed in, calling the remarks “completely unacceptable” and demanding Farage clarify whether he endorses such views. “Nigel Farage’s MPs clearly have views that are completely out of step with modern Britain and its values,” a party spokesperson said. 

Farage, who has yet to publicly rebuke Kruger, is facing renewed scrutiny over the direction of Reform UK, especially in light of another controversy involving MP Sarah Pochin. Just days earlier, Pochin sparked a racism row after complaining about adverts being “full of black and Asian people,” prompting calls for Farage to take disciplinary action. 

The dual scandals have led many to question whether Reform UK is fostering a culture of intolerance under Farage’s leadership. Critics argue that the party’s rhetoric is not only divisive but dangerous, particularly for LGBTQ+ individuals and communities of colour.

Chris Bryant, Labour’s Minister for Culture, posted 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.”

Kruger has long been criticised for his staunchly anti-LGBTQ+ stance, both in Parliament and public discourse. As a Conservative MP, and now under Reform UK, Kruger consistently voted against measures aimed at improving LGBTQ+ rights, earning a 0% alignment score from equality watchdogs.

At the 2023 National Conservatism Conference, he controversially claimed that only heterosexual, married couples - what he called “normative families” - provide the foundation for a “safe and functioning society,” prompting backlash from LGBTQ+ advocates and distancing from Downing Street.

He also defended Labour MP Rosie Duffield after she endorsed transphobic tweets, stating that when identity is based on feelings, “there is no such thing as society” - a remark widely condemned as reductive and harmful.