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The Reform UK Party has stated it’s “mortified” after sacking an election candidate – who had died after being chosen.
Officials dropped Tommy Cawkwell for being “inactive” when he failed to reply to telephone calls and emails.
The right-wing social gathering, based by Nigel Farage because the Brexit Party, stated it had dropped the York Central candidate, alongside about 50 others who had deliberate to stand on the subsequent normal election.
When Reform UK first sacked him, a spokesman stated: “We need candidates who are active to give people the candidates they deserve”, including: “We can’t afford to have people doing nothing in an election year.”
The cause given was that incorrect reviews had emerged that his candidacy had been withdrawn for “inappropriate” social media messages.
In reality, Mr Cawkwell, who was a former RNLI volunteer, had died after being chosen.
Party chiefs stated they had been “mortified” for not understanding he had died.
Spokesperson Gawain Towler advised The Mirror: “Naturally, I am mortified that through ignorance I did not realise the reason for his inactivity; it must have been ghastly for his family to read about it in the way it was presented in the press.”
He went on: “Having it being suggested that we had rescinded Mr Cawkwell’s candidacy for inappropriate social media messages by a local paper, I suggested that he was one of those candidates that had been removed for inactivity.
“The process, if we have not heard from a candidate in a while, we try and get in touch, a number of phone calls and emails are made, then if no response a final email is sent suggesting that the candidate does not respond then they will be removed.
“Reform was not aware that Mr Cawkwell had passed away, as this happened in an interregnum between Yorkshire area managers. So with no response being made he was removed.”
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