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Reform UK has said it is “mortified” after sacking an “inactive” election candidate – who had actually died after being selected.
The party said it had dropped their candidate for York Central, Tommy Cawkwell, after he didn’t respond to several phone calls and emails.
When he was first dropped as a candidate, a spokesperson for the party said: “We need candidates who are active to give people the candidates they deserve”.
They added: “We can’t afford to have people doing nothing in an election year.”
Reform UK has said it is “mortified” after sacking an “inactive” election candidate – who had actually died after he was selected
PA
The remarks were responding to an incorrect media report that he had been sacked for “inappropriate social media messages”.
Cawkwell, who was a former RNLI volunteer, had in fact died after being selected.
After the realisation emerged, a Reform UK spokesman said: “Naturally I am mortified that through ignorance I did not realise the reason for his inactivity, it must have been ghastly for his family to read about it in the way it was presented in the press.
“Having it being suggested that we had rescinded Mr Cawkwell’s candidacy for inappropriate social media messages by a local paper, I suggested that he was one of those candidates that had been removed for inactivity.”
He added: “The process, if we have not heard from a candidate in a while we try and get in touch, a number of phone calls and emails are made, then if no response a final email is sent suggesting that the candidate does not respond then they will be removed.
“Reform was not aware that Mr Cawkwell had passed away, as this happened in an interregnum between Yorkshire area managers. So with no response being made he was removed.”
A spokesperson added: “The simple fact is that we have removed upwards of 50 candidates for complete inactivity and I know those who had been removed for disciplinary measures.
“Mr Cawkwell was clearly not one of those. Sadly I was unaware that he had died and I made an assumption based on the knowledge I possessed.
Earlier this year, party leader Richard Tice was forced to sack a Reform UK candidate live on GB News after he posted “inappropriate” content on social media
PA
“I am mortified that my lack of care has caused his family pain, and I can only apologise profusely for my mistake. I do not know how to get hold of the family. If I did, I would apologise in person.”
Earlier this year, party leader Richard Tice was forced to sack a Reform UK candidate live on GB News after he posted “inappropriate” content on social media.
David Carpin, who was previously the candidate for Henley and Thame, was criticised for several social media posts, one of which saw him put pictures of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, transgender TikToker Dylan Mulvaney, and non-binary singer Sam Smith alongside the Nazi leader and asked who people would save from a burning room.
Other posts described trans women as “mentally ill men” and LGBTQ+ pride as a “sin”.
Asked about the posts, the Reform UK leader said: “So he has posted some inappropriate and frankly daft stuff.
“We’re a serious political party and I’ve told our candidates, you don’t put daft stuff up there.”
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Asked about one Facebook post, which saw Carpin post a mock-up of the EU flag replacing stars with yellow swastikas, Tice responded: “And so he’s an ex-candidate. I’ve fired him. He’s not a candidate. And that’s the point.
“I’m a serious leader that will take decisions immediately when they need to be taken.
“He’s gone. He’s done. And people need to learn a lesson that – look, you’ve got freedom of expression, that’s the joy of being in a democracy like ours. But I’ve also got freedom of choice as to who is going to be my candidate and he’s not going to be one of them.”
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