However, he was welcomed by Mr Farage, who hailed the politician’s decision to cross the floor, suggesting it was “death by a thousand defections” for the Conservative Party.
Reform’s decision to welcome Mr Burley comes just months after a Reform candidate claimed the country would have been “far better” off if it had “taken Hitler up on his offer of neutrality” instead of fighting the Nazis.
In 2014, while he was still a Tory MP, an internal Conservative Party investigation found Mr Burley “caused deep offence” with the Nazi-themed stag do. He even bought a Nazi uniform for the groom to wear on the last night of the four-day trip to French ski resort Val Thorens in December 2011.
This story is from the December 11, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the December 11, 2024 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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