Reform hires racist ex-candidate for Senedd role

Emily Price 

Reform UK has been slammed for appointing “Nazi sympathisers and racists” to senior taxpayer-funded roles after the party hired another disgraced former Senedd election candidate as a special adviser.

They Senedd’s internal system shows that Derek Roberts has been appointed as a special adviser in the office of newly elected Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg Senedd Member, Dr Gaz Thomas.

Nation.Cymru previously uncovered a series of now-deleted social media posts published to Mr Roberts’ Facebook account that expressed deeply racist views.

He was selected to stand for Reform at the Senedd election in Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan but announced he would step down due to “personal reasons” within days of being announced as a candidate.

Mr Roberts was later removed as Chair of the local branch.

According to several Reform UK sources, the former Welsh Guard had pulled out of the race after fellow party members voiced concerns about his racist views.

In posts published to Facebook over the last two years, Mr Roberts said he absolutely detested the Islamic way of life and branded Muslims “Absolutely disgusting” warning that they wanted to “boycott everything”.

In another post published during the run up to the 2024 general election, he published an image of Indian-born Labour MP Kanishka Narayan with the caption: “And you really think I will be voting for this twat? 2 reasons why not, 1 he is Labour, 2 he is ……..”

In a post about Pakistanis living in Bradford, Roberts wrote: “Fuck me! Why are these people in our country?”

Sharing an article about a pro-Palestinian march in London he called for a “section of SF machine guns and a few thousand rounds” and an order to “open fire”.

In another post to Facebook published last year, Roberts shared an image of a Mosque with a red cross over it.

In March 2024, he shared a BBC article headlined ‘Woman found fatally stabbed in street’ alongside a caption claiming such attacks were “normal in a Muslim country”.

Sharing an image of Muslim former First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf, Mr Roberts wrote: “At least this vile man is being kicked out of Scottish government.

“Remember one thing you are NOT elected by Scottish people the same as the PM and the Welsh FM.

“Remember white white white dickhead.”

In September 2024, after thousands were killed and injured in a coordinated attack involving exploding pagers, Roberts shared an image of a pager displaying the message: “Your 72 virgins are ready”.

Captioning the photo, he wrote: “Hats off for whoever was in charge of the attacks in Lebanon. Brilliant!”

Sharing an image of a battleships game with the words, “hit migrant dinghy, 36 Syrians”, Roberts wrote: “Let see what happens”.

Reform UK secured two seats in Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg at the recent Senedd election.

As the party’s second-ranked candidate, Mr Roberts would have secured a seat had he remained in the race.

Instead, the place went to his new employer Dr Thomas who was recently appointed Reform’s shadow minister for disabilities, mental health and veterans.

We contacted Dr Thomas and asked the following questions:

*Why is it you feel Derek Roberts is the best person to advise you?

*Do you have any concerns about the racist comments he has made?

*Was this role handed to Derek Roberts as a consolation for stepping down as a Reform candidate after fellow candidates raised concerns about his views?

*Are you at all worried that Derek’s employment with you could damage your reputation or Reform’s reputation?

*Is it the case that Reform has struggled to recruit suitable staff for Senedd positions, forcing the party to turn to disgraced former candidates?

Dr Thomas did not respond.

A Conservative source said: “Reform keep trying to portray their dodgy candidate selection was the fault of just a few bad apples in their ranks.

“Now we know that just weeks after resigning, these so-called bad apples are being appointed to some of the most senior taxpayer-funded advisory roles in the Senedd.

“Instead of distancing themselves from Nazi sympathisers and racists, Reform are promoting them within their own ranks!

“It can only be the case therefore that these views are have become completely normalised within Reform Wales, and they are simply not a serious party up to the crucial opposition role they hold in this Senedd.”

Labour source said: “A lack of judgement is becoming a pattern for Reform UK. One appointment involving a former candidate who stood down after deeply troubling conduct came to light would be concerning enough. Two raises serious questions about the standards they are applying.

“Reform UK have repeatedly talked up their vetting process, but these decisions suggest very different standards behind closed doors. This is not about attacking staff.

“It is about whether a party that is now the official opposition understands the responsibility that comes with that role. Scrutiny is not bullying – it is accountability.”

It comes after Nation.Cymru revealed that disgraced former candidate Corey Edwards has been appointed a special adviser in the office of Reform’s leader, Dan Thomas.

The former Tory special advisor to the Secretary of State for Wales was announced as Reform’s lead candidate in Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan in March.

However, he withdrew from race days later after Nation.Cymru published a photograph showing him performing a Nazi salute.

Video footage also emerged of him filming himself while drink driving.

During ITV’s Sharp End on Tuesday night (May 26), Reform’s representative on the programme, Member of the Senedd Joe Martin, defended Edwards describing him as a “wonderful man”.

Reform’s chief whip Llyr Powell claimed there was a “bullying culture” in Cardiff Bay adding that Reform’s staff were being “targeted”.

Former Welsh Conservative Senedd Member Tom Giffard said the appointment raised “significant questions” about Reform’s judgement.

Labour Councillor Anthony Hunt argued it was not “smearing or bullying” to ask Reform legitimate questions about its decisions.

He said: “These are perfectly legitimate questions that would be asked of a senior figure in any party – and it does come down to their judgement.”