Council boss defies Reform over trans flag
The new leader of Warwickshire county council, George Finch, ordered Monica Fogarty to take down the banner flying outside county hall, in line with the party's manifesto policy to only fly British flags.
But she refused, saying: 'I am afraid I will not be taking the action that you are requesting.'
Zia Yusuf, the head of Reform's department of government efficiency, said the refusal showed that 'a coup d'etat is under way in Britain'.
He accused Ms Fogarty of 'subversion of democracy' and acting like the 'monarch of Warwickshire'.
Mr Yusuf said: 'Unelected bureaucrats are defying instructions from duly elected officials. They've seized control of the country, sabotaging the will of the people.'
Reform won the most seats in Warwickshire during local elections in May, when it secured a foothold in local government for the first time.
The party's local election pledges included only flying the Union Flag and other British symbols such as the St George's Cross outside municipal venues.
In line with this, Mr Finch asked the chief executive to remove the Pride flag outside the county hall.
The banner flown was not the traditional rainbow flag, but the more recent 'Progress Pride' one which includes the colours of the trans rights movement.
In her response to the request to take the flag down, Ms Fogarty, who earns £210,000 and previously headed up the county's race equality partnership, wrote:
In May, Reform won 22 seats and now runs the county as a minority administration.
Mr Yusuf said: 'The CEO of Warwickshire council has said they will not follow the instructions of elected officials, and has effectively declared themselves the supreme ruler and monarch of Warwickshire.
'They're drawing huge salaries at your expense, and then refusing to carry out simple instructions given to them by the people you voted for. We've always known this was going on, but now, we have proof.
'The council leader instructed the chief executive of the council, the lead civil servants, to action the flag policy.
'The response he got was extraordinary: the unelected bureaucrat dictating terms to the duly elected representative of the people. While there are no tanks on the streets, this is a coup.'
He added: 'I have some news for the CEO of Warwickshire council. You are not the monarch of Warwickshire. You are a public servant. You're there to serve the people. The people voted for change, and your obstruction is nothing less than the subversion and sabotage of democracy…
'This has been going on for years, and it's one reason why your quality of life has got so much worse. These people are drunk on their own power, and for decades have been totally unaccountable.
'Until now: Reform elected officials are fighting back. Unlike the two old parties, Reform will fight for you.
'We will expose where this is happening, demand compliance with democratic leadership and use all available legal powers to hold such people to account.'
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