Oops! Reform UK seems to have hit a slight snag with their Senedd election preparations. They’ve released their list of candidates, but there’s a tiny error… every single constituency name is wrong! 🙃
As we gear up for the election on May 7, it seems Reform UK forgot that the 16 new Welsh constituencies have official names now, and they’re in Welsh! This choice has sparked some chat, with calls for bilingual names being ignored. But Reform UK’s list uses English names, none of which match the official ones or even the current Senedd constituencies.
The new names, crafted by the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, aim to be more locally recognisable, a move that Reform UK’s list doesn’t reflect. Instead, they’ve broadly used Westminster constituency names, which were basis for the new Welsh ones but aren’t accurate copies.
For instance, where the official name should be Ceredigion Penfro, Reform UK has opted for “Ceredigion Preseli, Mid and South Pembrokeshire.” Bit of a mouthful, right?
With parties having until April 10 to finalise candidate names, some Reform UK candidates like Llyr Powell have already started promoting themselves using the proper names. Interestingly, Powell has experience here, having run in a Caerphilly by-election previously.
In the midst of this, a video of Nigel Farage, Reform UK’s UK leader, emerged where he jokingly called Welsh people “foreign speakers.” This raises eyebrows, especially since the party wants to scrap language initiatives in Wales.
The mix-up could be a simple oversight, but with the election fast approaching, they’ll want to get those names right soon. Let’s see if Reform UK can get everything back on track in time! 🗳️