Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith has expressed concern that “quite extremist” Liberal Democrat policies include promoting veganism when they are in charge of councils.
The prospect of a Conservative-Reform link-up has been raised in the run-up to the local elections.
Mr Griffith was asked on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News if the Conservatives had any objections to councils being run by Conservative-Reform coalitions.
He told the programme: “If you want a Conservative-led council vote Conservative in these local elections, but I’m as worried, for example, about Liberal Democrat pacts.
“Liberal Democrats have all sorts of extreme foreign policies.
“They typically promote veganism when they take control of the council, they’ve supported four-day weeks which have damaged the interests of local residents.”
On whether Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch would bar a Reform-Conservative tie-up after the election so the party could rule a council, he said that “history is always that these decisions are taken by the elected local councillors in the light of those election results”.
Mr Griffith also seemed to suggest there are “too many” vegans in the Liberal Democrats.
He was asked on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg whether the Conservatives should consider having nothing to do with Reform UK at either the local council level or national level.
He added: “I think the Liberal Democrats are quite extremist. Whenever they get into council, they want four-day weeks and veganism.
“No-one should take that off the table, because those are decisions for local councillors to decide. It shouldn’t get there because people can vote Conservative.”
Ms Kuenssberg said: “Oh, well, we’ll see what our viewers think about you saying that Lib Dems are all vegan, or suggesting that that’s the case.”
Mr Griffith said there were “too many”.
The Liberal Democrats described Mr Griffiths comments as “bizarre” and “frankly a bit weird”.
A Liberal Democrat source said: “These comments are frankly a bit weird.
“Andrew Griffith was Treasury minister under Liz Truss when the Tories crashed the economy and sent mortgages spiralling.
“Voters haven’t forgiven the Conservative Party for all the damage they did, bizarre comments like this won’t do anything to change that.”
