Photograph of Reform UK candidate making Nazi-style salute exposes persistent vetting failures - Reform Watch

A photograph that has surfaced online shows Reform UK Senedd candidate Corey Edwards making a gesture widely recognised as the Nazi salute. The image landed as Reform announced its full slate of Welsh candidates days before the Senedd election, undermining the party’s own claim to have conducted a "brutal and intrusive" vetting process. The existence of the image exposes a glaring gap between Reform’s rhetoric on candidate standards and the reality of whom the party is willing to promote. Corey Edwards has been unveiled as Reform’s lead candidate for Pen-y-Bont Bro Morgannwg and is a recent defector from Westminster circles. Records show he worked as a special adviser to David TC Davies between November 2022 and October 2023 and held other short term advisory roles in government. The photograph and Edwards’ rapid elevation to a frontline role raise urgent questions about the information shared within Conservative networks and how much scrutiny passed between parties. The photograph shows Edwards holding one finger to his lip while raising his other arm in the air in a posture associated with 1930s Nazi Germany. Nation.Cymru reported the image but says the circumstances of when and where the photograph was taken remain unknown. Reform UK did not respond to requests for comment about whether the party knew of the image during its vetting process. This confirms a clear pattern in the calibre of candidates they are selecting to represent communities, a Plaid Cymru spokesperson said. This episode sits on top of a string of controversies that have followed Reform since its rebrand and splintering from the Conservative Party. Plaid Cymru noted that one of Reform’s Members of the Senedd had previously been banned for racism, and candidates in Scotland faced allegations of racism and fraud, illustrating that objectionable behaviour has not been confined to isolated incidents. Together the instances indicate weak gatekeeping at national level rather than a series of rare lapses. Reform trumpeted a last minute candidate list and insisted it carried out intrusive checks before finalising its line up. But multiple sources within the party told Nation.Cymru that the final selections involved parachuting individuals into seats and sidelining local activists. That contradictory behaviour suggests vetting has become a bureaucratic box ticking exercise rather than a robust safeguarding process that screens for extremist sympathies or reputational risks. Local figures have accused Reform of bringing in candidates from outside constituencies rather than supporting people who had been working on the ground for months. Merthyr Tydfil Councillor Andrew Barry quit in disgust after what he described as parachuting and a wave of Conservative defectors. Internal tensions of this kind leave the party unable to implement consistent candidate checks and make it easier for problematic figures to slip through. The presence of a photograph like this in a campaign has direct consequences for communities targeted by far right and racist ideologies. Voters in Welsh towns and cities deserve candidates who will represent diverse communities with responsibility, not figures whose records include gestures associated with extremist movements. Politically, the image hands opponents moral ammunition and risks sinking Reform’s attempt to present itself as a credible alternative to Labour and Plaid Cymru. Reform leader Dan Thomas described the party’s list as a fresh start yet declined to explain how candidates were cleared to stand despite long-standing concerns within Conservative circles about this exact photograph. Plaid Cymru called the image utterly disgraceful and demanded answers about Reform’s vetting processes. If Reform refuses clear and transparent steps to police its ranks, the party will continue to export reputational damage to local government and the Senedd itself. The photograph of Corey Edwards is not only an embarrassment. It is a warning that Reform’s momentum rests on weak procedures, opportunistic defections and a tolerance for figures who harm public trust. For voters in Wales and elsewhere this election is no longer only about policy differences; it asks whether a party that cannot keep extremist imagery out of its candidate list should be entrusted with public office. Reform must answer plainly or honourable people should insist on removing candidates who undermine the democratic process.