'Frankly A Bit Weird': Senior Tory Blasted For Claiming Lib Dems Want '4-Day Week And Veganism'

A senior Tory has been criticised for claiming the Lib Dems “want four-day weeks and veganism” when they run local councils.

Andrew Griffith’s comments, which he made on the BBC, were dismissed as “frankly a bit weird”.

The shadow business secretary had been defending Kemi Badenoch after she gave the green light to Tory councillors doing deals with Reform UK after the local elections on May 1.

She was criticised by Andy Street, the former Tory mayor of the West Midlands, who said his party “should have nothing to do with” Reform.

But Griffith said: “There’s always been, after elections, for local councillors themselves to decide how they run the local council. If that is needed, then historically people have done deals on a local level with all sorts of groups.

“I think the Lib Dems are quite extremist – whenever they get into councils they want four-day weeks and veganism – but no one should take that off the table because those are decisions for local councillors.”

Presenter Laura Kuenssberg told him: “We’ll see what our viewers think of you saying Lib Dems are all vegans.”

Griffith replied: “Not all of them, but too many.”

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.”