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Reform UK candidate steps down over photo of him doing Nazi salute
Corey Edwards resigned amid backlash over a 2019 photo showing a Nazi salute gesture, defended as impersonation by Reform UK and its leader Nigel Farage.
On Saturday, Corey Edwards stepped down as Reform UK's lead candidate for Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg, citing mental health issues after a photograph appeared online showing him appearing to perform a Nazi salute.
Published by Nation Cymru on Friday, the image prompted Edwards to claim he was imitating 'a Welsh footballer's use of it, or indeed Basil Fawlty's walk' rather than making a genuine political gesture.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage initially defended Edwards, describing the gesture as a 'Fawlty Towers impression,' though opposition parties immediately questioned the party's candidate vetting process ahead of the May 7 election.
Plaid Cymru called the incident 'utterly disgraceful,' stating the photo confirms a 'clear pattern in the calibre of candidates' Reform is selecting for communities across Wales.
This resignation follows controversies involving other Reform candidates in Scotland and across the UK, intensifying pressure on the party to strengthen vetting procedures before the May election.