Reform figure who quit Senedd race over Nazi salute joins Risca East by-election campaign

A controversial Reform UK figure who withdrew from the Senedd election after an image emerged of him performing a Nazi salute has joined the party on the campaign trail in Risca East ahead of next week’s by-election.

Corey Edwards posed for photos with his thumbs up alongside a group of canvassers, including disgraced former Reform Wales leader Dan Thomas, in the Caerphilly ward on Thursday (November 12).

The pair were there to rally support for Reform’s Risca East by-election candidate Darren Crandon, who shared an image featuring Edwards smiling with the rest of his team to Facebook.

Crandon wrote: “Risca East by-election 1 week to go. Great effort by the team today.”

Edwards made national news in March when Nation.Cymru published an image of him with a finger on his top lip and his other hand raised in the air in a Nazi style salute.

The hand gesture was adopted in 1930s Nazi Germany and was used to signify obedience to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party.

Reform leader Nigel Farage defended Edwards over the image, claiming he had been impersonating Basil Fawlty, while Edwards himself said he had been imitating a footballer.

Edwards had been selected to top Reform’s list of candidates in the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency.

He criticised political opponents for “digging up dirt” from his past before later announcing he was withdrawing from the election, citing mental health issues.

Nation.Cymru unearthed further offensive social media posts and images of Edwards, raising questions about the robustness of Reform’s vetting procedures ahead of the Senedd election.

One social media post showed he had used a term which relates to the Nazi claim that Nazi Germany was the successor to the Holy Roman Empire.

In another post Edwards described Romanians as “dirty”.

Video footage also emerged of Edwards filming himself driving while drinking from a Bud Light bottle.

Nation.Cymru spoke with several former colleagues of Edwards who described him as having a “troubled past” involving “alcohol, sex and erratic behaviour”.

After Reform UK became the official opposition in the Senedd in May, Edwards was handed a role working as a special adviser to former Wales leader Dan Thomas.

Thomas stepped down as leader in September after being arrested on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviour.

He is friends with Reform’s Risca East by-election candidate Darren Crandon, with the pair pictured drinking together in a pub over the summer.

Crandon also attracted controversy shortly after announcing his candidacy when Nation.Cymru revealed he had expressed support for anti-Islam activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson.

In posts published to X, Crandon described himself as an “admirer” of Robinson, whom he praised as being “in touch with the public”.

Reform’s Risca East by-election candidate was also exposed as a foul mouthed social media troll who, under the pseudonym “Brunte” on X, has a history of routinely targeting journalists and politicians with explicit insults and aggressive language.

After news of Crandon’s social media activity broke, he claimed his campaign in Risca East was being disrupted by “election interference and underhand tactics”.

We asked Caerphilly County Borough Council and Gwent Police if they had received any reports of election interference in Risca East ahead of the vote next week.

Both the local authority and the police force said no concerns had been reported.

The Risca East by-election takes place on November 19th. Candidates are listed below:

Marcus Kyle Leonard – Labour, Tracy Barrington – Green Party, Ceithin Llewellyn Dennes – Conservatives, Brandon Ham – Plaid Cymru, Peter John Heathcote – Independent, Darren Crandon – Reform UK.

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They huffed and they puffed and they blew their own house down. I predict Reform will crash below 20% in polling by Christmas and never recover. It will be the Whokip implosion all over again.

I’m with you. Place your bets folks! They refuse to wear their badges of pride, racism, fascism Nazism. (Bad for votes y’know). Transparent demonstrations of all titles with a pathetic side dish of denial. Oh, and who do we have here? Dan ‘i’ve done nothing wrong’ but actually has nothing to lose anymore Thomas. Digging himself ever deeper into the drain of shame. Does anyone remember ‘Tiswas’ in the ’80s? There was a thing called ”The Dying Fly’ where everyone was on their backs doing a stop start flailing of arms and legs like a dying fly. Always remember Deformees… Read more »

Racists like to stick together.

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