Kemi Badenoch has criticised the ongoing dispute between Green Party leader Zack Polanski and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, urging both to reduce their social media activity. At a press conference on Tuesday, the Conservative leader told reporters that Polanski and Farage are spending too much time on Twitter and Instagram and not enough engaging with real people.
Background to the feud
The conflict began when Polanski shared an image on social media showing a man wearing a T-shirt with the name Nigel alongside a guillotine. Reform UK reported the post to the police, alleging it incited violence. Farage posted online: "If I were to post anything as inciteful, then I would expect to be arrested, and so should Polanski."
Polanski shared the content with his 713,000 followers via a collaborative post, where another user posts an image and tags someone else. The Green Party stated that Polanski "unequivocally does not support this type of dangerous message."
Badenoch's response
Speaking at a press conference focused on ending the early release of prisoners jailed for rape, Badenoch said: "Zack Polanski and Nigel Farage are spending too much time on Twitter and Instagram and not spending enough time talking to real people with real problems and dealing with a fundamental issue that could see the release of 6,500 dangerous criminals on our streets by the end of the summer. That is not something we should take lightly. That is what I wish they were talking about, instead of whatever petty squabble this is."
Police and Green Party statements
The Metropolitan Police said on X: "We received a third-party report relating to an image shared on social media. We take reports of this nature extremely seriously, and officers are conducting inquiries into the matter."
A Green Party spokesperson explained: "Zack condemns the image on the T-shirt. He was tagged in a post with 20 images and clicked accept without realising there was more to it than he had seen. The T-shirt is clearly in poor taste, especially at a time of heightened fears for the security of public figures, having experienced multiple threats himself. He and the Green Party call on everyone involved in public discourse to show kindness and not encourage more division."
