‘No, I don’t want to have a chat about fascists’
A local resident called Reform’s by-election candidate in Caerphilly, Llŷr Powell, a “fascist”, while he was being interviewed by Politics Joe.
In the interview, Powell was keen to highlight his Welsh working-class background: his family were miners and supported Labour. However, he said the party no longer represents families like his.
As a passer-by approached, Politics Joe reporter Laura Beveridge said: “I think this man wants to talk.”
The reporter explained that she was with the Reform candidate in the by-election and asked whether he wanted to share his thoughts on the vote.
The man replied: “No, I don’t want to have a chat about fascists.”
When asked how he felt about being called a fascist, Powell said: “Well that just shows it’s just name calling. I’m here for a debate, if they want to approach me they can.”
He added: “I’m not going to be too bothered by the negativity. If someone comes with real issues that I can help them with, that’s what I focus on right now.”
Powell previously worked for former leader of Reform in Wales Nathan Gill, who has recently been convicted of accepting pro-Russia bribes between December 2018 and July 2019.
Gill refuses to say when exactly he worked for Gill and when he last had contact with him.
Powell has denied any knowledge of Gill’s crimes at the time, saying that he found out about it “through the press like everyone else”.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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