‘King is anti-British,’ claimed Farage’s choice to lead Reform youth wing
Jack Eccles has posted on X several times this year to complain about the monarch.
Nigel Farage’s choice for the president of a new Reform UK youth group has repeatedly claimed the King is “anti-British”.
Jack Eccles announced earlier this week that he had been selected by the Reform leader to head up its new Students for Reform group.
Students for Reform has been set up to “combat woke Leftist ideologies” on campus and capitalise on the national popularity of the party, which is growing in stature among young men.
A former Conservative supporter, Mr Eccles switched allegiances to Reform when Mr Farage returned to politics last year and has since founded Lancaster University’s Reform society.
Mr Eccles has posted on X several times this year to complain about the King, who he suggested did not have “any relevance”.
In a now-deleted post on June 14, the 21-year-old replied to a post by Sir Keir Starmer which congratulated everybody recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours.
Mr Eccles said: “The King is anti-British and prioritises non-British cultures.”
Two more posts criticising the monarch were still live on Mr Eccles’s X profile on Tuesday lunchtime.
In a post made earlier on June 14, Mr Eccles claimed the King “champions anti-British values” ahead of Trooping the Colour.
Sir Keir had written: “Sending my best wishes to His Majesty the King today at Trooping the Colour.”
Mr Eccles replied: “The king champions anti-British values and does not put this country first like the queen did.”
In April, Mr Eccles noted that Mr Farage had paid tribute to Pope Francis – who died that month – before Sir Keir.
Responding to an X user who stated that the King made a statement before the Prime Minister, Mr Eccles said: “Protocols, your (sic) acting like the King has any relevance.”
The post continued: “The fact is when party opposition leaders post and the PM hasn’t even still posted yet [it] isn’t a good look.”
In May 2023, the King put refugees and the NHS at the heart of a diverse Coronation that brought the nation together in a three-day celebration designed to reflect modern Britain.
A choir made up of amateur singers representing the nation’s “faces and voices”, including LGBTQ+ groups and deaf signers performed at a star-studded concert at Windsor Castle.
The launch of Students for Reform comes after a poll found last month the party was more popular than Labour among Generation Z men.
A survey found 31 per cent of men aged 16 to 25 would support Mr Farage’s party at a general election – while just 24 per cent would back Labour, which has traditionally enjoyed a lead with younger voters.
The findings suggested Sir Keir’s decision to extend the franchise to some 1.5 million 16 and 17-year-olds at the next general election could backfire.
Mr Eccles said on Monday: “It’s an absolute privilege to have been selected as the president of Students for Reform by Nigel Farage.
“Working with Matthew Goodwin and the Reform party to help bring a better future for students and combat woke Leftist ideologies, we will redefine student politics.”
Mr Goodwin, a political scientist and commentator, has been appointed as the honorary president of the new group.
Rosie Wrighting, the Labour MP for Kettering, said: “Reform pose as a patriotic party while the head of their student wing attacks the King. It tells you everything you need to know about the ugly views festering in Reform. Nigel Farage must take immediate action and make clear that these views are unacceptable and have no place in his party.
“Reform is stuffed with plastic patriots who are not prepared to stand up for British values. They peddle division, decline and only offer anger, but no answers.
“While Farage and his cronies talk down Britain, Labour is focused on the patriotic renewal of our great country.”
Reform UK was contacted for comment.
