Reform candidate in Southampton claims account was 'hacked'

John Edwards has been criticised by a fellow general election candidate regarding the post.

A post from an X account under the name "John Edwards Reform UK Southampton Test" on December 28, 2021, condemned a Canadian rail company which “tells travellers who are vaccinated to wear a yellow sticker”, adding: “Nazi Germany did something similar.”

Mr Edwards has been criticised by a fellow candidate over an X post (Image: X)

His post has been criticised by one of his fellow candidates in the Southampton Test constituency.

Ben Burcombe-Filer, the Conservative candidate, said: “I was astonished to learn of [the comments – they are] abhorrent and [go] against the values of residents across Southampton.

“Yet again, a Reform UK candidate is proving that they are out of step with the vast majority of decent, hardworking and patriotic people of Southampton, and indeed the country, with outrageous comments such as this that show them as nothing more than extremists on the fringe.”

A search of the X account reveals more references to Nazi Germany.

A post from the same account criticised Gary Lineker for making disrespectful comparisons with Nazi Germany (Image: X)

On December 8, 2019, the account, reposting another post, said: “More Labour hooliganism on the hustings. Reminiscent of Nazi Germany.”

Another post from the same day read “hallmark of Nazi Germany” when reposting a video of former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell.

Just under two years later, he criticised BBC presenter Gary Lineker, saying he had “crossed the line making disrespectful comparisons with nazi Germany”.

John Edwards is standing in Southampton Test for Reform UK (Image: Submitted)

The post continued: “A period of history that for many lives on and harbours the nightmares and consequences.”

This appears to be related to controversy at the time where Lineker had criticised government policy and said it used wording “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”.

Other historic posts have been brought to light by the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show.

On June 9, 2018, a video of contestants on ITV2 reality show Love Island was reposted with the comment: “Thick tarts of the world unite. They don’t have a clue.”

In November 2019, a post on the account labelled then-Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson a “gobby bird”.

The account also retweeted a clip from Love Island in 2018 and referred to contestants as thick tarts (Image: X)

When the Echo contacted Mr Edwards regarding these posts, he said they were “not on his account, with the exception of one, which is now deleted”.

Mr Edwards added: “This is clearly the work [of] hackers out to discredit our party.

“The account is closed as stated. I do not know the date of the hacking. All I know [is] that there is data missing. A new account has been set up.

“For me, it's back to proper campaigning talking about things that matter to voters.”

Despite claiming the posts did not come from his account, his campaign website for the 2024 general election linked to this X account.

READ MORE: Southampton Test candidates have their say on how they'd improve transport

The account, which has promoted Mr Edwards’ campaign since the election was called, was deleted after the Echo contacted him for comment on Sunday.

Reform leader Nigel Farage has previously accused the party’s vetting company, Vetting.com, of an “establishment stitch-up”.

He claimed the party had paid £144,000 to vet hundreds of would-be candidates.

Party chairman Richard Tice said: “They promised a deep dive, particularly on social media, and adverse press checks, received our candidate data but then delivered absolutely nothing."

A spokesperson for Vetting.com said it had been working on the assumption the general election would be this autumn, giving it the summer to complete its work, and that it did not have time to scrutinise all 609 of Reform's candidates before the snap summer poll.

The candidates for Southampton Test are: Katherine Jane Barbour (Green), Ben Burcombe-Filer (Conservative), John Peter Edwards (Reform UK), Maggie Fricker (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition), Thomas Stephen Gravatt (Liberal Democrat), Satvir Kaur (Labour) and Wajahat Shaukat (Workers Party).