Another Reform Senedd candidate quits party amid concerns over selection process

Emily Price 

Another Reform UK Senedd election hopeful has announced he will quit the party over concerns about its candidate selection process.

Councillor Owain Clatworthy was selected to stand at the bottom of Reform’s list for the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency.

In a post to social media on Tuesday (March 31), he accused the party – led in Wales by Dan Thomas – of “poor internal decision making” and “a lack of discipline”.

He wrote: “Dear Residents, I am writing to confirm my decision to resign from Reform UK and to continue serving the people of Pyle, Kenfig Hill and Cen Cribwr as an Independent Councillor.

“I entered politics to serve my community with integrity, common sense and a clear set of values. That commitment remains unchanged.

“However, recent events, including poor internal decision making, a lack of discipline and serious concerns around candidate selection, have made it clear to me that Reform UK is no longer operating in a way that reflects the standards 1 believe the public deserve.

“In particular, the handling of candidates here in Wales has raised significant concerns.

“The withdrawal of key candidates and the selection of individuals with little or no connection to the communities they seek to represent is not acceptable.

“Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and Britain deserve proper and credible representation.

“As a Christian, my faith guides my principles: honesty, accountability and doing what is right even when it is difficult. I cannot continue to support a party that has moved away from those standards.

“This is not a decision taken lightly, nor is it driven by personal grievance. It is about maintaining integrity and putting residents first.

“My priority remains the same: to serve the people of Pyle, Kenfig Hill and Cefn Cribwr to the best of my ability. I will continue to work hard for our community as an Independent Councillor.”

Egos

Last year, Clatworthy made history in Bridgend when he became the county’s youngest ever councillor at 20-years-old.

He clinched the win for Reform with a narrow margin of only 30 votes on the night, edging out Labour’s candidate.

It later emerged that weeks after his election, Clatworthy had tried to join the council’s ruling Labour group, saying he couldn’t stand Nigel Farage and that Reform was full of people with big egos.

He is the fourth Reform UK Senedd election candidate to quit the party within the first week of announcing its full slate of hopefuls.

Merthyr Tydfil Councillor Andrew Barry was the first to go – citing anger over “parachuting” individuals into seats from outside his local area.

Gŵyr Abertawe candidate Patrick Benham-Crosswell also jumped ship after accusing Reform of “betraying” its own members.

Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg hopeful Corey Edwards also stepped down after Nation.Cymru published a photograph of him performing a Nazi salute.

‘Flawed’

A Reform UK whistleblower described the vetting procedures used by Reform to choose candidates as “expensive, flawed and unprofessional”.

They accused the party of a “lack of transparency” and criticised the “calibre of some of the people now being placed in winnable positions.”

The insider told us: “What I witnessed was not a merit-based system designed to find the best local representatives – but a centrally controlled process that favours insiders, parachuted candidates and personal connections over local knowledge and competence.

“Several high-placed candidates have been moved into top spots despite having no real connection to the areas they are supposed to represent.”