News
'Deceptive' dear neighbour letter from Reform sparks anger among Caerphilly residents
Emily Price
Reform election propaganda claiming to be from a "neighbour" has caused uproar amongst voters in Caerphilly.
Nigel Farage's party hopes to gain a Senedd seat in the by-election on October 23 following the sudden death of Labour MS Hefin David.
A concerned Caerphilly resident got in touch with Nation.Cymru about a "deceptive" note claiming to be from an elderly "neighbour" and "life-long Labour voter".
The printed letter, which uses a handwritten style font, is signed off by pensioner "Andrew Russell".
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Questions
Russell lists Labour's failures and explains how he can't get a GP, dentist or hospital appointment in Wales.
He goes on to plead with residents to join him in voting for Reform UK at the upcoming Caerphilly by-election.
Small print at the end of the letter indicates that it was printed in England as election material for Reform UK.
It sparked questions amongst locals about who Andrew Russell is - with some suggesting the name has no reference to anyone in the immediate area.
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'Unsolicited mail'
In an Ystrad Mynach community Facebook group, a post gained over a hundred comments when a resident asked: "Had a letter from an ‘Andrew Russell’ from the Reform Party? Does anyone else have one please?"
One member replied: "Sent back to Reform asking them not to contact us again. Unsolicited mail."
Another said: "Yes. A gimmicky election leaflet from some, probably fictional, dude."
Another member said: "Straight in the shredder. Was furious they had my actual name in the letter too."
We asked campaign manager for Reform's Caerphilly branch, Andrew Jones, if Andrew Russell was a real neighbour of Caerphilly residents.
Jones responded: "I can confirm that Andrew Russell is a real person."
Scotland
We asked the campaign manager where the author of the letter lived.
Jones refused to confirm that Russell lived in Caerphilly, but indicated that he does live in "south Wales".
We noted that Reform UK is currently standing an elderly candidate with the name Andrew Russell in Scotland's upcoming Ayr north by-election.
A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said: "While Reform send letters from England to convince Welsh voters into supporting them, despite still not having a candidate - Plaid Cymru candidate and local champion Lindsay Whittle is busy knocking doors, speaking to his neighbours, and sharing Plaid Cymru’s ambition for a healthier, wealthier Wales.
"People in Caerffili want change for the better which only Plaid Cymru offers. With just eight months to go until next year’s Senedd election - this by-election offers an opportunity to reset politics in Wales.
"A Plaid Cymru win means keeping Reform out, protecting the NHS against their plans to privatise it, and stop them from handing all power over Wales back to England."
Fake hand written notes are a familiar piece of election publicity used by parties that have the resources.
The strategy can be costly though, indicating that Reform UK are throwing everything at their campaign to gain a seat held by Labour since devolution began in 1999.
On Friday (September 12) Reform UK announced former spokesperson for the party Llyr Powell as their candidate for the by-election.
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