Losing Reform by-election candidate goes on holiday before count

Emily Price 

A Reform candidate standing in a by-election in Neath Port Talbot, who was accused of 'dirty tricks' during his campaign, has refused to say why he didn't show up for the vote count.

Reform's John Bamsey finished in third place with 23.7% of the vote in the Baglan by-election on Thursday (July 17).

A source who was present at the count told Nation.Cymru that the former Royal Marine did not attend alongside his fellow candidates because he was on holiday in Holland.

The source added that Reform members who had arrived to show support were only made aware that Bamsey wasn't coming when they rang him and asked what time he would arrive.

We contacted the Reform hopeful via Facebook and asked why he didn't attend his own election night.

He read our message then blocked us.

Nation.Cymru also contacted Reform's branch chair for the area and asked if the party's candidate had gone on holiday - but we didn't receive a response.

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We also asked Reform's head office if they were aware of where Bamsey was on Thursday night - but an insider said they had "not a clue".

An image posted to Facebook four days before the vote showed Reform UK's team out in Baglan canvassing for Bamsey - but the Reform candidate himself didn't appear to be present.

Bamsey was comfortably beaten in the by-election by Welsh Labour's Josh Tuck with 37.5% of the vote.

Earlier in July, Nation.Cymru reported how Tuck had faced a barrage of questions about his background after rumours were sparked by Reform supporters about where he was from.

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Rumours

The misrepresentation of Tuck's heritage was fuelled further by Bamsey who suggested to locals in a community Facebook group that the Labour hopeful was from Yeovil in Somerset and had moved to Baglan only recently.

Bamsey - who has links to the Port Talbot Freemasons - warned the community group that there was "secrecy" around Tuck's campaign and argued that it was important for the Welsh Labour candidate to "demonstrate a valid link with the community".

The 67-year-old was later accused of "dirty tricks" when it transpired that the hearsay about Tuck’s upbringing had stemmed from a harrowing Somerset Live news article from 2018 headlined: "Somerset man reveals how he took back control years after he was raped by a neighbour."

The article laid out the upsetting details of how Tuck was sexually abused by his neighbour at a sleep over when he was just 10 years old.

His experience was later told by the NSPCC as part of a campaign to encourage those being abused to speak out.

The news article had resurfaced online in the run up to the by-election following allegations that Tuck was actually English and not from Wales.

In response, the "proud Welshman" posted a statement to Facebook explaining his Welsh roots having been born in the Rhondda Valleys before moving to England whilst his mother pursued a law degree.

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Tuck's parents separated shortly after the move and his father moved back to south Wales where Tuck visited him and both sets of grandparents regularly.

He then moved back to Wales permanently several years ago and was the only candidate in the Baglan by-election that actually lived in Baglan.

Speaking after the votes were counted on Friday (July 18), the newly elected councillor said: "I’m just over the moon but also so grateful to the people of Baglan for putting their trust in me."

In a show of support the day before election night, First Minister Eluned Morgan published a post to Facebook describing Tuck as "Baglan through and through".

She wrote: "Baglan needs someone who’s rooted in the community and ready to stand up for it every day. That’s Josh Tuck.

"He is Baglan through and through. He’s not standing for headlines, he’s standing to serve and to get things done."