Gransnet forums

News & politics

Reforms response to Rachel Reeves’ heckler.

(203 Posts)
Nandalot Thu 21-May-26 14:14:13

I thought Rachel Reeves kept her cool and made an appropriate response to the heckler at the petrol station. However, I am rather surprised at the responses from jey members of the reform party.
Nigel Farage: Reacting on X, Mr Farage said: "I’d like to buy this man a pint. Does anyone know how I can find him?"
Roger Jenrick: He sounds British to me, Rachel! Good for him.
Zia Yusuf : "Could this legendary gentleman please get in touch.
From the Express.
"A future Reform government would like to give him a peerage for this outstanding public service.

Purplepixie Sat 23-May-26 00:13:11

Disgusting! I hope Reform never get to number 10!

Basgetti Sat 23-May-26 00:14:23

(Would that be the Nigel Farage who is so fearful of the public that he forgot to mention £5million he received for “security”? But he’s egging on a man heckling RR going about her private business?)

nanna8 Sat 23-May-26 00:26:35

Sadly it seems most politicians have to put up with things like that in the UK. From all different parties. Some of them even get things thrown at them.

Wyllow3 Sat 23-May-26 00:41:22

Its not th e same from all parties, nanna lets be clear whats happening right now in a very troubling time when MAGA politics from the USA are spreading our way.

All the parties are not dragging clothes in a mocking and threatening way in demonstrations from one group of British women.
Ot talking about @rse licking and expecting to get into parliament.

Wyllow3 Sat 23-May-26 00:42:47

Women as objects - no! How long do we women have to tolerate it?

nanna8 Sat 23-May-26 00:48:09

I don’t like Farage but he has had various liquids thrown at him during his time in office. So not confined to the Labour Party. Pretty disgusting . I think our mob here are so under the radar no one bothers anyway and long may it stay that way. On the whole, most quite like our PM even if they don’t like his policies. Ask many and they wouldn’t have a clue who the finance minister actually is. Just different, more laid back.

twaddle Sat 23-May-26 01:02:37

Wyllow3

Women as objects - no! How long do we women have to tolerate it?

If you have time and the inclination, you can go through his deleted tweets here:

web.archive.org/web/*/https://twitter.com/Makerfield_RFK*

Some of them are disgusting.

love0c Sat 23-May-26 07:28:22

Kandinsky Yes I do! Pure gold moment!

MT62 Sat 23-May-26 09:52:16

MT62

I find any politician, regardless of their politics being heckled at, thrown objects at, think NF ‘dollops of wet concrete, milkshake thrown. Then some ‘has been’ comedian commenting that it should have been battery acid.
KS glitter thrown on him.
I watch behind slightly opened fingers 🤦‍♀️

Cringey I meant to add

Maremia Sat 23-May-26 11:15:08

Being heckled at a legitimate political meeting, where the politician or speaker is prepared to discuss issues, is quite different from being hassled and verbally abused during a private moment.
That Reform leaders condone this abuse, speaks volumes about what sort of people they are.

Oreo Sat 23-May-26 11:27:37

It wasn’t a private moment it was in the street.
Politicians are heckled all the time when in public, both male and female politicians, it goes with the job.
Had it been a disgusting personal attack on RR that would have been quite different.
Having said that I don’t like the comments by Reform members.They should just have said that it goes with the territory imo.

Maremia Sat 23-May-26 12:06:18

It wasn't a political meeting.
She wasn't at her day job.
She was acting as a private person, at the time of the assault.
Why are GNs making excuses for the aggressor?

twaddle Sat 23-May-26 12:11:17

Oreo

It wasn’t a private moment it was in the street.
Politicians are heckled all the time when in public, both male and female politicians, it goes with the job.
Had it been a disgusting personal attack on RR that would have been quite different.
Having said that I don’t like the comments by Reform members.They should just have said that it goes with the territory imo.

I agree with your last comment(s), which is what this thread is about.

The heckling wasn't that serious, although it was caught on video - and we all know that video clips can be uploaded and round the world in minutes.

What is serious is the response by at least three people from Reform, who seem determined to encourage and endorse bad behaviour.

Graphite Sat 23-May-26 12:27:07

She was working. She was in Leeds (her constituency is Leeds West) talking about the extension of the fuel duty freeze.

A better retort to van man would be have been:

I’m announcing a policy extension which means your business expenses won’t be going up, necessary because Farage's hero Trump started an illegal war on Iran sending the price of fuel rocketing.

sundowngirl Sat 23-May-26 12:40:39

Maremia

It wasn't a political meeting.
She wasn't at her day job.
She was acting as a private person, at the time of the assault.
Why are GNs making excuses for the aggressor?

We are not making excuses. Rachel wasn't acting as a private person, it was her day job. She had a TV camera there to record her announcing the fuel duty freeze extension.
All politicians get heckled especially chancellors of the exchequer who are intent on destroying small businesses

twaddle Sat 23-May-26 12:42:26

sundowngirl

Maremia

It wasn't a political meeting.
She wasn't at her day job.
She was acting as a private person, at the time of the assault.
Why are GNs making excuses for the aggressor?

We are not making excuses. Rachel wasn't acting as a private person, it was her day job. She had a TV camera there to record her announcing the fuel duty freeze extension.
All politicians get heckled especially chancellors of the exchequer who are intent on destroying small businesses

Yes, they get heckled, but do they then get opposition politicians supporting and egging on the heckler? That's what this thread is about!!!!

twaddle Sat 23-May-26 12:46:06

Graphite

She was working. She was in Leeds (her constituency is Leeds West) talking about the extension of the fuel duty freeze.

A better retort to van man would be have been:

^I’m announcing a policy extension which means your business expenses won’t be going up, necessary because Farage's hero Trump started an illegal war on Iran sending the price of fuel rocketing.^

She could also have mentioned that she is increasing the mileage rates for cars and vans to 55p per mile for the first 10,000 miles of the tax year.

That van driver could end up a few hundred pounds a year better off, but he still heckles Reeves. He's not only rude, but maybe not that bright - but still three prominent Reform politicians support him! What a * world!

MartavTaurus Sat 23-May-26 13:19:00

It won't help the van driver who hackled if he's self employed though, will it?
So it won't help everyone.
Also I can't see anyone being "better off" because the actual cost of driving the vehicle has gone up drastically.

Primrose53 Sat 23-May-26 13:28:39

What a lot of fuss about nothing! Politicians are heckled all the time, just as Reform’s Lee Anderson was recently by a teacher at a petrol station.

He took it calmly and wished her a good day despite her being very nasty to him and calling him a racist.
youtu.be/FWNEb31ykYo?si=sa7ummDsGQ_lHimi

MartavTaurus Sat 23-May-26 13:33:41

MartavTaurus

It won't help the van driver who hackled if he's self employed though, will it?
So it won't help everyone.
Also I can't see anyone being "better off" because the actual cost of driving the vehicle has gone up drastically.

Hackled 😆 heckled!
Though RR 's hackles well and truly went up.

Graphite Sat 23-May-26 13:36:58

I saw a quip which said, Man hanging out the window of a work van shouting is more British then most things which is true …

… but this was more than that. The man was shouting at Reeves on his way into the shop, on his way out of the shop, as he drove past her and as he drove away from the petrol station. It was a deliberate and sustained verbal attack.

You are right, twaddle. It was the Reform response to this that was poor, but then that is what we have come to expect from them. All instructions come from Farage. They are not allowed to breathe unless he says so. He dictates his tweets to a minion and his MPs and the unelected Yusuf are all directed to say something similar.

Approving of this kind of behaviour is and why they have chosen a similar vulgar loudmouth, Robert Kenyon to represent them in Makerfield.

What these posh, privileged, multi-millionaire, public schoolboys are very good at is using the working class to make noise for them. The louder, more ill-mannered and misogynistic the better. When will they realise they are being used and all Farage is interested in is his personal enrichment through his main handler Christoper Harborne and others paying cash for favours.

Pippa22 Sat 23-May-26 13:48:30

What the white van man said was nothing rude and she could have got far worse.
Rachel from accounts seemed rattled, maybe because a pleb dared to speak to her. I think van man came over as a very ordinary working man and Rachel as a bit prim and pompous.

foxie48 Sat 23-May-26 13:49:13

I want my elected politicians to want to raise standards of behaviour not encourage bad behaviour. I'm well aware that heckling politicians is common and MP's get used to dealing with it but encouragement by Farage, who wants to be our next PM, is just pandering to foul mouthed louts.

knspol Sat 23-May-26 14:01:44

It was a nothing event, I thought RR looked rattled and would have been better off just ignoring the whole thing.

Maremia Sat 23-May-26 14:05:36

I accept my error about the situation.
Now, on to the main issue.
Who is applauding the responses
given by Reform leaders?