Reform Senedd candidate posed with destroyed Lib Dem placard during drunken night out

Emily Price

A prominent Reform UK Senedd election candidate who previously threatened to involve the police over vandalised campaign signs, posed with a destroyed Liberal Democrat placard during a drunken night out.

An image obtained by Nation.Cymru shows Reform’s leading Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd candidate, James Evans, posing in front of a crate of Carling lager while holding a life-sized Liberal Democrat poster that has been defaced with ineligible black graffiti.

In the photo, the former Welsh Conservative Senedd Member is seen smiling holding a glass bottle with his eyes closed.

An anonymous source who shared the photo with Nation.Cymru said: "Please find a snapshot currently circulating locally, showing James Evans, the lead Reform candidate, who recently spoke to the media about his campaign signs being defaced on two separate occasions.

"Here is a photo of him on a drunken night out with his local rugby club destroying a Liberal Democrats sign."

It is understood that the photo was taken around five or six years ago and not during the current Senedd election campaign.

Reform UK told Nation.Cymru that Evans did not procure the sign himself.

A Welsh Liberal Democrat source said: "Yet again again James Evans shows his total hypocrisy.

"He's happy to apply one rule for others and another to himself.

"It’s perhaps not surprising for someone who changes his mind on issues every five minutes."

Earlier this month the leading Reform candidate threatened to involve police after several of his party's placards in Powys were damaged.

In a post to Facebook, he wrote: "To the individual who has been trespassing and removing Reform UK signs, we are aware of what has been happening, and you have been caught on camera.

"Everyone is entitled to express their views in a democratic society, but interfering with others’ property and freedom to campaign is not acceptable.

"We ask that the signs are returned to the locations they were taken from by the end of the weekend. If they are returned, no further action will be taken.

"If not, the footage will be passed to the police and the landowners will be pursuing the matter further."

A week later, the Senedd hopeful posted a further image of a Reform UK campaign poster that had been defaced with a paint ball gun.

Evans branded the behaviour as "completely unacceptable".

He said: "If this is how some behave during a democratic election, where does it end?

"Disagree by all means, but this crosses a line."

Evans was ousted from the Conservative Party in January after he was caught engaging with Reform UK officials about possibly defecting.

The former Brecon and Radnorshire Senedd Member briefly sat as an Independent before announcing at a press conference hosted by Nigel Farage that he had joined Reform UK.