Councillor who said all white men should have a black slave quits

Martin Shipton

A councillor who was recorded saying that all white men should have a black slave has resigned – more than 20 months after referring himself to the Ombudsman for an investigation that remains unresolved.

The appalling comment can be heard in a 16-second clip that was sent to Rhian Young, the monitoring officer at Pembrokeshire County Council.

Ms Young is understood to have recognised the voice on the recording as that of then Tory councillor Andrew Edwards, who was elected in the Haverfordwest Prendergast ward in 2022.

The clip, which is self-contained and without a wider context, sounds as if it may have been recorded in a car, and there is the voice of at least one young child in the background.

‘Skin colour’

The male adult voice, which several people who have heard it say is undoubtedly that of Cllr Edwards, says: “Nothing wrong with the skin colour at all.

“I think all white men should have a black man as a slave or black woman as a slave, you know. There’s nothing wrong with skin colour, it’s just that they’re lower class than us white people, you know.”

A senior council source told us at the time: “These racist comments are absolutely outrageous and simply cannot be tolerated.

“I have heard the recording and there is no doubt that they were made by Andrew Edwards.

“He can’t even put forward the pathetic excuse that they were meant as a joke.

“This is clearly a resigning matter. He cannot come back from this.

“The Conservative Party will not want to be associated with anything of this kind and he will have to be suspended.

“If he hadn’t referred himself to the Ombudsman, I’m sure he would have been referred anyway.”

In response to our questions, Cllr Edwards did not deny that the voice on the recording was his.

‘Serious allegations’

Instead he issued a written statement which said: “I am aware of such serious allegations being made against me.

“This is why I have self referred to the Public Services Ombudsman for an independent evaluation.

“It is now in the hands of legal experts and the Ombudsman.

“It would be unfair on the process for me to comment now.”

Cllr Di Clements, leader of the Conservative group on Pembrokeshire County Council, said at the time: “These are extremely serious allegations. It has been mutually agreed that Cllr Edwards will leave the group while the matter is under investigation.”

Later he joined the council’s Independent group.

As a councillor he was expected to abide by the Code of Conduct for members of local authorities in Wales, Clause 7 of which states: “Members must carry out their duties and responsibilities with due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity for all people, regardless of their gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, age or religion, and show respect and consideration for others.”

When a formal investigation takes place, the Ombudsman could decide to refer the matter to the council’s standards committee or to the Adjudication Panel for Wales.

In the most serious cases, the Adjudication Panel can decide to disqualify a councillor from holding office for up to five years.

However, in a terse statement on the council’s website, Mr Edwards’ resignation has now been announced.

‘Family matters’

Mr Edwards, who works as a barber in Haverfordwest, has himself issued a statement that says: “Family matters have made my position as a county councillor untenable.

“I have therefore decided to resign from the council, as I feel unable to carry out my duties to the standard I would wish at this time.

“I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the staff and fellow councillors who have supported me during my tenure.

“I wish the very best to my successor, who I am confident will serve the community with dedication.

“This has not been an easy decision, but I believe it is in the best interests of those I represent.”

A council source who didn’t wish to be named told Nation.Cymru: “Statements were made to the investigator from the Ombudsman’s office shortly after the inquiry began back in 2023. Nothing has been heard since.

“Whatever he said and for whatever reason he said it, it’s appalling to allow this to hang over someone’s head for so long. What has the Ombudsman been doing for all this time?

“This has had a big impact on Andrew’s mental health and I think he got to the point where he couldn’t take any more and decided to resign.”

A spokesperson for the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales said: “I can confirm that an investigation is currently ongoing, but it has not yet been concluded. As a result, we cannot provide any additional information.”