Miners’ Association brands populist leader ‘enemy of NHS’ and compares his party to ‘open sewer of racism’ – despite Reform’s landslide victory in council elections
The Durham Miners’ Association yesterday launched an extraordinary attack on Nigel Farage, branding the Reform UK leader an “enemy” who will “never, ever, ever” be invited to their historic gala – despite his party’s stunning landslide victory in the county.
In a scathing statement that has sparked fury among Reform councillors, the DMA doubled down on its ban, labelling Farage “an enemy of the National Health Service” and warning he would deliver “the biggest blow yet to the public service model of health care.”
The miners’ group even compared Reform UK to “a fan club for the bully Donald Trump and the mass murderer Vladimir Putin” while dismissing the party’s councillors as “divisive, hate-filled people.”
‘SLAP IN THE FACE TO WORKERS’
Durham County Council’s deputy leader Darren Grimes, whose grandfather was a miner, hit back with fury at what he called a “petty and spiteful” snub.
“As the grandson of a Durham miner, I find it frankly insulting to be excluded from the Gala,” Grimes blasted.
“Reform UK’s landslide majority was delivered by the very communities this event claims to celebrate. To shut us out is a slap in the face to the working-class people of Durham who put their faith in us.”
The ex-GB News presenter added: “The Durham Miners’ Gala should be a celebration of Durham’s grit and graft – not a stage for political relics like Mardghum to cling to a labour movement that abandoned its people long ago.
BOYCOTT THREAT
DMA General Secretary Alan Mardghum made his position crystal clear, telling LBC: “Nigel Farage will never, ever, ever be invited” to the 139th annual gala in July.
The former miner went even further, threatening to personally boycott the historic event if Reform politicians were ever invited.
“I wouldn’t share a platform with any of them. There’s no way, no way they’ll ever get an invite from Durham Miners’ Association,” Mardghum declared.
He described the gala as “a war, an act of defiance and resistance to the pain of successive Government policies impacting the mining community” – while insisting it was simultaneously an event “of joy, love and compassion” where “everybody will be welcome with open arms.
Except, apparently, the democratically elected representatives of Durham’s people.
THATCHER’S GHOST
The DMA’s lengthy statement repeatedly attacked Farage for his past support of Margaret Thatcher, quoting him as saying: “I supported Margaret Thatcher. She was right… It may have caused a little pain for some, but it had to happen.”
The association listed seven reasons why Farage’s track record “does not make pleasant reading for workers,” including:
- Opposition to taxing “very rich corporations
- Backing “tax cuts for the wealthiest in society
- Support for replacing the NHS with healthcare insurance
- Not protecting workers on zero-hour contracts during his time as an MEP
‘OPEN SEWER OF RACISM’
In perhaps its most inflammatory attack, the DMA claimed that Grimes’s Facebook supporters’ group was “an open sewer of racism.
The association’s statement accused Reform’s councillors of benefiting from “the collapse of the Tory Party, and from the Labour Party’s failure to defend basic labour principles on welfare benefits, jobs and social justice.
LABOUR’S COLLAPSE
Reform UK’s stunning victory in May saw them win 65 of Durham County Council’s 98 seats – a result Farage described as having “had the Labour Party for lunch.
The party achieved what no political force has managed in post-war Britain: beating both Labour and the Conservatives in local elections.
Speaking at a victory rally in Newton Aycliffe after the results, Farage told supporters: “You’re witnessing the end of a party that’s been around since 1832.
STARMER SNUBBED TOO
Intriguingly, the DMA admitted it hadn’t invited Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to this year’s gala either, with Mardghum saying the PM’s team had previously cited “diary issues.
Past Labour leaders including Harold Wilson, Michael Foot, Neil Kinnock, Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn all attended the gala, though Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were notably shunned.
‘REAL DEAL’ REFORM
Grimes issued a furious video response to the DMA’s latest attack, telling GB News: “Right, so the Durham Miners’ Association won’t let Reform UK councillors come to their little jamboree. Boo bloody hoo.”
This is the same organisation that’s just watched their beloved Labour Party lose 94 per cent of council seats. That’s not an electoral defeat, that’s a restraining order from the entire county.”
He added: “The red flag may still fly at the gala… It’s been rightly vaporised at the ballot box.”
DIVERSITY ROW
The controversy comes as Reform UK prepares to overhaul diversity, equity and inclusion training at Durham County Council, with Farage previously telling council staff working on climate change or DEI initiatives to “seek alternative careers very, very quickly.
Grimes this week claimed he was facing suspension for refusing to attend what he called “political re-education camps,” saying: “These sessions don’t tackle real discrimination – they divide us by race and tell working-class white communities they’re privileged while they struggle to heat their homes.
HISTORIC EVENT
The Durham Miners’ Gala, known as “The Big Meeting,” is one of Europe’s largest trade union gatherings, attracting hundreds of thousands of people each July.
Dating back to 1871, it traditionally sees colliery bands march through Durham city behind lodge banners before gathering for speeches at the Old Racecourse.
As the DMA clings to its traditions while Reform UK reshapes Durham’s political landscape, the stage is set for a bitter showdown over who truly represents the working-class communities of the North East.
Image credit: Nigel Farage – © Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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