Reform Senedd candidate quits after mentioning article about running mate

Martin Shipton

A Senedd candidate has quit Reform UK after questioning the party about a Nation.Cymru story that raised concerns about one of his running mates.

Until last September Cllr Robert Ian Williams was an Independent member of Wrexham council.

He then defected to Reform, later becoming a Senedd candidate.

In a statement announcing his resignation from Reform, he said: “I joined Reform because I felt they were doing something over the appalling human trafficking boat issue, which has caused national concern. If Labour and the Conservatives had solved this there would be no Reform. I was impressed at the way they vetted me before I joined. They screened out the far right. They seemed to talk common sense.

“As a serving councillor I was asked to stand for the Senedd. I went through the selection process. It was extensive and thorough. It was quite an enjoyable experience. I was impressed by the new Welsh leader.

“Once selected, there was the issue of candidate placement. I was initially placed as four [in the Fflint Wrecsam constituency], but a candidate resigned and I went to three. Here we see the flaw in the new Welsh electoral system where party replaces voting for individual candidates.

“Then they got my name wrong and I was called Robert George Williams on the provisional candidate list as published on an ITV website

“I was then deemed to have offended another candidate when I raised in private the issues Nation Cymru highlighted. When you work as a group of six candidates, everyone should be up front and transparent. You should not find out from a third party. However Reform said they had checked, and that the person was clear.”

Nation.Cymru reported how Cristiana Emsley, imposed by party leader Nigel Farage as the lead candidate in Fflint Wrecsam, had been accused of being involved in a flawed probe into a senior police officer that was subsequently thrown out .

In 2022 Ms Emsley featured in widespread publicity arising out of a disciplinary investigation into Superintendent Beverly Gill of Cleveland Police.

The Daily Mail story on the matter stated: “The ex-police chief who led a disastrous sex abuse probe into Ted Heath had a ‘personal and undisclosed’ relationship with his former ethics boss, a disciplinary hearing has heard.

“Mike Veale’s relationship with Cristiana Emsley was cited as the key reason for a ‘biased’ and ‘unfair’ investigation into a senior officer working at Cleveland Police, dubbed ‘the worst force in the UK.’

“Mr Veale, the Chief Constable, and Ms Emsley, the civilian head of standards and ethics at the force, were accused of launching a ‘flawed’ probe into Superintendent Beverley Gill – who was accused of covering up sex scandals at the force, but had the case against her thrown out at a disciplinary hearing in Stockton-on-Tees.

Suspended

Ms Emsley was suspended for more than two years and was later involved in an employment tribunal case against Cleveland Police that was settled in a way that has not been publicly disclosed.

The source who indirectly drew Nation.Cymru’s attention to the case said of her selection as a Reform candidate: “Considering the serious allegations made against [Ms Emsley] in the past, while holding a very senior public service role in the police force and the outcomes … What kind of party leadership picks her as the first choice candidate to stand in a public role of trust for a second time?

“It is on the public record that Reform UK had a rigged process for candidate selection: they had handpicked their chosen ones a long time ago, the process was nothing more than a party fundraising affair, nothing more, and many good local candidates throughout have now come out to question the party’s integrity.

“Cristiana Emsley and her boss jointly made accusations against another senior police officer within Cleveland Police force, resulting in an inquiry lasting over three years.

“Cristiana Emsley should not be allowed to stand for any position involving public trust, in any political party or government. This undermines our democracy and the good work that many of us do to ensure transparency and restore public trust in governance, as well as professional and moral integrity and the public good of the nation. I think this shows that Reform UK has zero interest in Wales and its people.”

We asked Reform UK to comment.

A Reform source said: “By way of background, Cristiana denies having had such a relationship. She was a whistleblower within that organisation, and a tribunal resulted in her receiving a six-figure settlement.”

We responded: “We have been unable to find any record of such a decision made by an Employment Tribunal. Do you have evidence of it? Is Reform satisfied with the robustness of the vetting it undertook into Ms Emsley?”

We did not receive an answer.

‘Difficult’

Cllr Williams said that after displeasing the Reform hierarchy by raising questions about the case: “It was suggested I move back to fourth place on the candidates’ list]. I was told if I became difficult, I would not be allowed to stand for the council next year as a Reform candidate. Fortunately I had a witness.

“By this time I was fed up with all this, and there were issues in some party policies such as academisation of schools. which as a teacher I had concerns about I didn’t like the blank cheque that Reform UK had handed Donald Trump over his Middle East war. The carpet bombing of innocent civilians and infrastructure is a war crime. Reform is still basically a fiefdom, led by Nigel Farage, and he speaks on foreign policy issues.

“So I decided to leave Reform and return to my previous role as an Independent councillor on Wrexham council, best serving my local electorate. In the end I found myself constrained as a free thinker in a tightly controlled party. I am not a person who adapts kindly to micro-management. I had to bow to conscience.”

Cllr Williams added: “When I transferred as a councillor to Reform I paid £250. I must have spent £500 in the selection process, including travel and hotels. One lives and learns.”