Tory Senedd candidate accused of supporting Reform UK

Emily Price 

A Welsh Conservative candidate who has been selected to stand in the Senedd election next year has been accused of liking posts on social media that urge people to "Vote Reform UK".

A Conservative Party member got in touch with Nation.Cymru raising concerns about the social media activity of Senedd candidate Jake Enea on Facebook.

They said: "Jake Enea is standing in Newport for the Conservatives, yet he is liking posts by Laura Anne Jones which is telling people to vote Reform.

"He should be supporting Natasha Asghar not liking posts of someone who has betrayed us."

Jake Enea was previously the Deputy Chairman of the Newport Conservatives Federation and is presently a member on the National Board for the Welsh Conservatives.

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By-election

The 21-year-old university student was recently selected to stand in third place on the Tories list for the new Senedd constituency region of Casnewydd Islwyn at the Welsh election in May.

A screen grab provided by our Tory source showed that Mr Enea had liked a Facebook post published by Reform MS Laura Anne Jones which urged voters in Caerphilly to vote for Nigel Farage's party in the October 23 by-election.

Jones' post stated: "Voters of Caerphilly. Please remember that Plaid WILL NOT protect women's rights...basic rights...to women/girl-only spaces and women/girl-only sports.

"Plaid clearly don't care about women and girls safety, about fairness and about abiding by the law...

"Your daughters, mothers, sisters, grandmothers deserve to be safe.

"Do NOT vote Plaid Cymru. Vote Reform UK. We will protect them. Reform UK Wales Cymru."

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Defection

Jones defected from the Welsh Conservatives to Reform UK at the Royal Welsh Show in July. Her Tory colleagues only became aware of her move as a press conference with Farage unfolded live on TV.

In recent weeks she has been campaigning hard with Reform Caerphilly by-election candidate Llŷr Powell.

The by-election was won by Plaid Cymru's Lindsay Whittle in a major gain for the party on Friday (October 24).

The Welsh Conservatives selected ex-charity worker Gareth Potter to stand - but he only gained around 2% of the vote.

Support

We asked Jake Enea why would you like a post that urges Caerphilly voters to support Reform UK when Conservative candidate Gareth Potter had stood in the key election.

In a statement, Mr Enea said: "Thank you to Nation.Cymru for raising this to my attention. The Facebook 'like' was an accidental one while scrolling.

"I would like to reassure people that I am fully committed to the Welsh Conservatives.

"I’m extremely proud and grateful to be one of the youngest candidates standing for the Party in next year’s Senedd election.

"Whilst Reform is full of empty rhetoric, the Welsh Conservatives are the only Party with real plans to scrap Welsh stamp duty and business rates for many businesses, build roads, and slash NHS waiting lists."

Concerns

The Tory party member who told us about Mr Enea's online activity also raised concerns about a recent pledge by the Welsh Conservatives to scrap Wales' LGBTQ+ action plan.

The source said: "I have been deeply concerned about the right ward drift of the party recently, and I'll probably end up leaving.

"Their recent announcement of scrapping the Welsh Government's LGBTQ+ plan has appalled me."

The Welsh Conservatives told Nation.Cymru the party stands for "common sense".

A spokesperson said: "The Welsh Conservatives will scrap the LGBQT+ action plan because it is out of date and not fit for purpose.

"The plan refers to the Welsh Government's Nation of Sanctuary plan, gender affirming healthcare for trans children, a desire for biological men to compete in women's sport, fails to refer to the need to protect women only spaces, and doesn't reflect the Supreme Court Judgement on the definition of a woman.

"We stand for common sense and fairness on these issues."