REFORM Wales leader Dan Thomas has distanced himself from comments made by one of his party’s Senedd candidates, who claimed that nursery abuse would “skyrocket” if free childcare was expanded.
Martin Roberts, Reform UK’s fourth-placed candidate in Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr, made the remarks during an online exchange about childcare policy.
The comments followed criticism of another Reform candidate in the same constituency, Mark Lawrence, who reportedly suggested at a hustings that more should be done to support women to stay at home with their children rather than investing further in childcare.
Speaking on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Mr Thomas said he did not agree with Mr Roberts’ comments and praised the childcare sector.
He said: “I disagree with those remarks. We have a very professional, caring childcare industry.”
However, he defended the right of candidates to express personal opinions, saying Reform would not “start cancelling people” because they had said something he disagreed with.
Asked whether he had spoken to the two candidates about their comments, Mr Thomas said: “We’re not robots, we’re not North Korea. Everybody’s got their point of view, but it’s not my view, and it’s not party policy.”
The row has placed Reform under renewed scrutiny over its approach to childcare, one of the major issues in the Senedd election campaign.
Plaid Cymru and the Green Party have promised 20 hours of free childcare a week for children aged from nine months to four years, on top of existing provision.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have pledged 30 hours a week for the same age group, while Welsh Labour says it would create 20,000 new childcare places.
The Welsh Conservatives have promised 30 hours of childcare, or the option for parents to nominate a grandparent for a childcare payment.
Reform UK has not set out a comparable childcare expansion policy for Wales.
The National Day Nurseries Association Cymru has also entered the debate, urging Welsh election candidates to spend time in nursery settings before making claims about the sector.
Tim McLachlan, chief executive of NDNA Cymru, said it was disappointing that a candidate had “not done any research into the benefits of early education and care.”
He said there was a wealth of evidence showing the educational and wellbeing benefits of early years provision, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Mr Thomas said many parents felt under pressure to return to work after having children, even when they might prefer to stay at home.
He said that when he was growing up, many two-parent households could manage on one income while the other parent looked after the children.
He added that it would be “good if we could get back to those days.”
The Senedd election takes place on Thursday, May 7. Under the new voting system, Wales will elect 96 Members across 16 constituencies, with six Members returned in each constituency.
