Tories suspend councillor over recording saying ‘all white men should have a black slave’
A Conservative councillor has been suspended after an alleged recording of him saying all white men should have a black slave was published.
Andrew Edwards (pictured), who represents an area of Haverfordwest on Pembrokeshire County Council, Wales, referred himself to the Public Services Ombudsman after the 16-second clip surfaced.
The Welsh Conservatives confirmed on Thursday that Mr Edwards had since been suspended by the party while an investigation is carried out.
Mr Edwards’ voice is said to have been identified by other members of the council after they were sent the audio.
In the recording, published earlier this week by online news site Nation.Cymru, a man’s voice can be heard saying: “Nothing wrong with the skin colour at all.
“I think all white men should have a black man as a slave or a black woman as a slave, you know.
“It’s nothing wrong with skin colour, it is just they’re a lower class than us white people, you know.”
It is not clear when the recording was made or who it was made for, however children and other adults can be heard talking and playing in the background of the audio.
Mr Edwards has represented the Haverfordwest Prendergast ward as a Tory councillor since May 2022.
The Tories are an opposition group in the authority, which has been led by independent groups since 1996.
Mr Edwards was a sitting magistrate but resigned his position in July 2022, and is the owner of a barber shop called Freestyle Barbers in Haverfordwest.
In his statement on Wednesday, Mr Edwards said: “I am aware of such serious allegations being made against me. This is why I have self-referred to the Public Services Ombudsman for an independent evaluation.
“It is now in the hands of legal experts and the Ombudsman. It would be unfair on the process for me to comment now.”
A spokesperson for the Welsh Tories said: “Andrew Edwards has been suspended by the party whilst an investigation is carried out.”
Welsh Conservatives leader in the Senedd, Andrew RT Davies, said: “The views expressed in the recording are disgraceful, abhorrent and are not shared by the Welsh Conservatives.
“As the matter is being investigated, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
It was confirmed Mr Edwards had left the party group on the council on Tuesday.
The Pembrokeshire council said: “We are aware of an allegation being made and have referred the matter to the ombudsman. It would be inappropriate to comment further.”
Copyright (c) PA Media Ltd. 2023, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Pembrokeshire County Council.
