The Reform UK Party has said it is “mortified” after sacking an election candidate – who had died after being selected.
Officials dropped Tommy Cawkwell for being “inactive” when he failed to respond to phone calls and emails.
The right-wing party, founded by Nigel Farage as the Brexit Party, said it had dropped the York Central candidate, alongside about 50 others who had planned to stand at the next general election.
When Reform UK first sacked him, a spokesman said: “We need candidates who are active to give people the candidates they deserve”, adding: “We can’t afford to have people doing nothing in an election year.”
The reason given was that incorrect reports had emerged that his candidacy had been withdrawn for “inappropriate” social media messages.
In fact, Mr Cawkwell, who was a former RNLI volunteer, had died after being selected.
Party chiefs said they were “mortified” for not knowing he had died.
Spokesperson Gawain Towler told 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He went on: “Having it being suggested that we had rescinded Mr Cawkwell’s candidacy for inappropriate social media messages by a local paper, I suggested that he was one of those candidates that had been removed for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.”
Party leader Richard Tice has said the party wanted to stand against every Conservative MP at the next election.
A poll six months ago suggested Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives were losing more of their 2019 voters to Reform UK than to Labour.
