A Reform UK candidate who was forced to step down after he was pictured appearing to do Nazi salute has been appointed as a special adviser to the party’s Welsh leader.
A photo of Corey Edwards appearing to show him performing a Nazi salute emerged online hours after he announced his candidacy as a Reform UK candidate in May’s Welsh parliament elections.
The photograph, which was reportedly taken at least six years ago, sparked criticism from opposition parties who questioned the calibre of the party’s candidates, with Plaid Cymru dubbing the picture “utterly disgraceful”.
Mr Edwards apologised for the image, telling The Independent the photo “looks bad and could be misinterpreted”.
“There is a clear distinction between ordinary use of the appalling gesture, compared with me imitating a Welsh footballer’s use of it, or indeed Basil Fawlty’s walk,” he said.
But months after he stood down as Reform’s candidate in the election, it has now emerged he has been appointed as a special adviser to the party’s leader in the Senedd, Dan Thomas.
Welsh Labour said the appointment showed Reform “haven’t learned their lesson and their values do not align with the people of Wales”.
“Reform UK didn’t have the decency to deem Corey Edwards unfit to be a candidate. He stepped back himself after the truth came out. Now they think he is fit to advise their leader in Wales,” a spokesperson said.
Plaid Cymru said the appointment would “raise eyebrows” and added: “Once again, Reform have shown their true colours. It’s no wonder the people of Wales decidedly chose hope with Plaid Cymru over Reform’s division.”
The Independent has contacted Reform UK and Mr Edwards for a comment.
Reform Senedd member Llŷr Powell defended the appointment, accusing other parties of trying to “smear” Mr Edwards, adding: “ I think people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
“And I would rather people, than focusing on staff behind the scenes, focus on their criticisms towards me. I’m big enough, with my shoulders open, so is Dan Thomas,” he told ITV.
“I think leave staff alone. I don’t like this bullying culture that is here in Cardiff Bay. I’m not prepared to stand for it. If the media and other critics want to carry on, fine.”
Mr Edwards, who worked for former Welsh secretary David TC Davies between November 2022 and October 2023, was one of 96 candidates put forward by Reform for the Welsh parliament election.
Nigel Farage initially came to Mr Edwards’s defence the day after the photos were published by the Nation.Cymru website, suggesting his party’s candidate may have been imitating Basil Fawlty, the lead character from the 1970s comedy TV series Fawlty Towers.
Announcing Mr Edwards’s decision to step down, a Reform UK Wales spokesperson said at the time he was doing so due to issues with his mental health.
A spokesperson said: “We wish him well for the future and hope his privacy can be respected at this difficult time.”
