Reform incidents ‘abhorrent’, says Zia Yusuf after Welsh candidate quit over Nazi salute image

A senior Reform UK figure has described a series of controversies involving party candidates as “abhorrent”, as the party faces mounting scrutiny weeks before the Senedd election and elections in Scotland and England.

Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Reform’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said the incidents were unacceptable but insisted action had been taken.

“Obviously, all of that’s abhorrent and the party’s taken action on that,” he said.

He added that Reform had vetted more than 8,000 candidates in recent years, arguing that even with a high success rate “a handful will slip through”.

His comments come after a series of rows involving Reform candidates across the UK, including offensive remarks about former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf and other controversial social media posts.

In Wales, the controversy has centred on former Senedd candidate Corey Edwards, who stepped down on Friday after Nation.Cymru revealed an image appearing to show him performing a Nazi salute.

The photograph, which had reportedly been known about in Conservative circles for several years, showed Edwards with one hand raised in a gesture associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime.

Following publication, Edwards said political opponents were “digging up dirt” from his past.

“I’ve made mistakes in the past, and I’ve done things then that I wouldn’t do today,” he said in a video statement.

He added that the incident did not reflect who he is now and related to a difficult period in his life.

Reform UK Wales confirmed he had stepped down from the contest in the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency, citing concerns about his mental health.

Edwards had previously worked in senior political roles, including as a special adviser to the Secretary of State for Wales and in the Cabinet Office.

Fawlty Towers

Reform leader Nigel Farage later defended Edwards, suggesting the gesture had been an attempt to imitate a scene from the TV comedy Fawlty Towers.

The episode has intensified questions around Reform’s vetting process, particularly after the party said it had carried out a “brutal and intrusive” selection procedure for its Senedd candidates.

Opposition parties in Wales were quick to criticise the party’s handling of the situation.

A Plaid Cymru spokesperson accused Farage of “defending the indefensible”, while a Welsh Labour source said the controversy undermined Reform’s claims about its vetting standards.

Reform only unveiled its full slate of Senedd candidates days before the row emerged, with critics suggesting the timing limited scrutiny.