Reform UK’s Harrogate & Knaresborough branch has criticised local MP Tom Gordon, saying he was among a group of Liberal Democrat MPs who heckled Nigel Farage during a recent speech on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Branch chair Jonathan Swales described the behaviour as “disrespectful and undemocratic,” adding that Reform UK supports Mr Farage’s call for Britain to leave the ECHR.
The party says it would replace the convention with a codified British Constitution and a British Bill of Human Rights, ensuring that “British freedoms are protected by British courts.”
Mr Swales called on Mr Gordon to apologise and “show serious leadership on serious issues.” Reform UK continues to campaign for national sovereignty and greater democratic control over UK laws and borders.
We contacted the Reform UK Deputy Leader for comment.
Deputy Leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice, said:
Nigel Farage presented a bill to leave the ECHR, something as Reform UK we firmly believe is needed to manage immigration.
The House of Commons is considered the home of democracy, however it was used by many Libdems MP’s as a platform to attempt to mute or distract debate.
This isn’t just about if you support Nigel, Reform UK or the bill, it is about affording a level of democracy to allow the bill to be presented and debated. The positioning of Libdem MP’s and the continued heckling was an attempt to frustrate that process.
And this was on the day that the PM glibly attempted to label our Leader as being “Putin friendly”, an obvious attempt to smear.
The House of Commons needs to be seen as a place of fair debate, and democracy, and that is what we will continue to work for.
We also asked Tom Gordon MP, libdems, to comment on if he believed his behaviour in the House of Commons was appropriate, specifically:
- Do you think it was appropriate to heckle and distract ?
- Do you view that as a valid tactic, as it stifles debate ?
- Do you view that as a democratic approach in the House of Commons ?
Although his office did respond, it provided nothing of relevance to what was asked.
