Civil service union Prospect has slammed comments from Reform UK politician Arron Banks on the civil service as “dangerously violent”.
Banks, who was Reform’s candidate for the West of England mayoral election in May, compared Reform's approach to the civil service with the Bolshevik murders of intellectuals in 1917 in an interview with the FT, saying: “The Communists took a third of the intelligentsia out and shot them in a car park, and I always thought what a waste. But now I think actually, they had a point.”
He added: “I’m not suggesting we shoot civil servants in a car park, but metaphorically you’ve got to remove the obstacles that are going to try to stop you.”
Banks, who was one of the key figures behind the Leave.EU campaign during the Brexit referendum and was one of UKIP’s biggest donors, also called for the party to "radically cut away at" the civil service if it wins power and said he wanted to “get rid of virtually" all regulators.
Responding to the comments, Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, which represents tens of thousands of civil servants, said: "Civil servants do incredible work on behalf of the public whichever government is in power, work which is often unappreciated by those who do not understand it.
"It isn't surprising that someone like Arron Banks who has no understanding of the complexity of government wants to see large civil service job cuts, but it is shocking that anyone in politics would use such dangerously violent language to attack dedicated public servants.
"We need less of this poison in our political debate, and if Reform are in any way serious about forming a government they should distance themselves from these disgraceful comments immediately."
Also responding to Banks’ comments, FDA general secretary Dave Penman posted on X: “Another day, another clear signal that Reform would rip up nearly two centuries of the principle of an impartial civil service if they get the chance. Cosplaying imaginary blocking of policy is just the tactic to justify an American-style politically appointed civil service.”
Banks' comments follow remarks from Reform deputy chair Richard Tice earlier this month.
Tice said Reform would create a department of immigration incorporating Border Force within the Home Office, staffed by people who “believe in the cause of secure borders” and who will "get stuck in" to deliver the party's plans to leave European Convention on Human Rights.
“Civil servants need to be told, if we’ve won the general election on a mandate to leave the ECHR, it’s very simple, either you accept the mandate of the people and get stuck in or go and get a job somewhere else,” he said.
Also reacting to the comments, PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: "It's no surprise that a multi-millionaire wants to get rid of regulators that protect consumers from predatory capitalists. It once again shows people whose side Reform is on: the city spivs, the corporations and the swindlers."
Reform told the FT Banks “was speaking in a personal capacity and is not a spokesman for Reform UK”.