Farage DEI comments dubbed disgusting by ex-leader

An outgoing council leader has attacked comments by Reform UK's Nigel Farage regarding diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI), after his party took control of the authority.

Reform UK won a landslide victory on Durham County Council, winning 65 seats to take overall control.

Among other pledges, Farage told the BBC on Friday: "If you're a DEI officer I suggest you look for another job."

Amanda Hopgood, Durham's Liberal Democrat leader said "I thought it was absolutely disgusting", but Sunderland Reform campaigner Chris Eynon described DEI roles as "complete nonsense not-jobs".

The Lib Dems increased their number of Durham councillors, but collapses in other parties combined with huge Reform gains to shift control.

Hopgood, who previously led the council in coalition, told BBC Politics North: "I thought it was a dreadful way to take victory and speak about the staff who are going to have to deliver your priorities, because - believe it or not - the county councillors set the strategy, the officers and the staff deliver the services on the ground.

"What he has done in one fell swoop is alienate almost all of the staff at county hall.

"If that's the way that leadership is set to look for the future then I am worried about the future, of not just our county but of this country."

Also appearing on BBC Politics North, Eynon reiterated his leader's comments.

He said: "She [Hopgood] is absolutely right, we do want to get rid of diversity, equality and inclusion jobs, these complete nonsense not-jobs.

"I think the voters want more bin men, they want more people cleaning the streets, more actual front-line council workers, not these DEI managers working from home and 100 grand a year.

"The voters have said that they don't want this anymore.

"We surely can't do a worse job than what's already been done previously.

"They [voters] like the fact that we want to cut city hall waste, put more money into front-line services and just stop all the colossal increase in council tax we're getting every year in the North East."

Hopgood hit back at the claims, saying the DEI jobs referenced by Eynon "don't exist".

"They dabbled in local issues but without actually looking at any of the detail, so I look forward to the auditors coming in that they claim to be sending.

"Believe it or not we do get audited to death as local authorities, you would expect that."

BBC Politics North airs Sundays at 10am. Catch up now on the BBC Iplayer.

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