Leicestershire’s Reform UK and Conservative parties have entered into a public spat over alleged threats of violence, reports the Leicester Mercury:
Reform UK leader of Leicestershire County Council Dan Harrison used a speech at the full council meeting on Wednesday, December 3, to level accusations against the deputy leader of the authority’s Conservative group.
He claimed that Councillor Craig Smith had “threatened” him with “physical violence”, including alleged threats to “knock [Cllr Harrison’s] block off” if the leader “hurt someone” Cllr Smith “cared for”.
And so on and on. It's worth reading the full report if you want a good laugh.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats are naturally making hay over this embarrassing display. Michael Mullaney, leader of the Lib Dem group on the council, told the Mercury:
“There are really serious issues facing this authority. We have responsibility for incredibly important services, whether it’s social care to the most vulnerable members of society, whether it’s the pressure on special educational needs, whether it’s the poor state of roads and pavements. ...
“So it’s very disappointing that we have got to a situation where personal disputes and threats of violence are down as the main issue for discussion.”
Given that Reform and the Tories are trying to attract the same voters, it's not surprising that they have fallen out. If this pattern is repeated in other parts of the country, it would make an electoral pact between the two parties harder to sell to activists on both sides. Neither is exactly a model of party discipline,
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