Reform Wales leader distances himself from candidate's 'abuse in nurseries' claim
BBCReform's Welsh leader has distanced himself from a claim by one of his candidates that "abuse in nurseries will skyrocket" if parents receive more free childcare.
Responding to questions about Martin Roberts's online post, Dan Thomas told BBC Radio Wales: "I disagree with those remarks - we have a very professional, caring childcare industry."
Another Reform candidate, Mark Lawrence, reportedly said he would rather support women to stay at home with their children than invest in childcare.
Asked if he had raised the comments with the two men, Thomas said: "We're not robots, we're not North Korea, everybody's got their point of view and but it's not my view, and it's not party policy."
Lawrence is Reform's third-placed candidate and Roberts its fourth in the Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr constituency for next month's Senedd election.
Six Senedd members will be elected for each constituency after the vote on 7 May.
Labour is pledging to create 20,000 new childcare spaces based on the current offering of 30 hours a week for working parents of children aged three and four, and the Flying Start scheme offering 12.5 hours to two year olds in certain areas.
Plaid Cymru and the Green Party are promising 20 free hours a week for children from nine months to four years old, in addition to the existing offer, while the Liberal Democrats say they would provide 30 hours a week for the same period.
The Conservatives are promising 30 hours of childcare or the option to nominate a grandparent for a Grandparent Childcare Payment.
Reform UK has not committed to any specific childcare policy if its leads the Welsh government.
Appearing on Radio Wales Breakfast, as part of a series of interviews with party leaders ahead of the Senedd election, Thomas was asked if it was unhelpful to have candidates expressing views that were not party policy.
"It's not, but we're a free society, at the end of the day, and we're not going to start cancelling people because they may have said something we disagree with," Thomas said.
But he added that he believed "a lot of parents would not want to go back to work" when they have children, "but feel obliged" to.
"When I grew up, in a two-parent household it was normally comfortable for one person to be able to afford to go out to work, and still pay the mortgage and go on holiday and have a comfortable lifestyle, while one parent stayed at home and looked after their children," he said.
"And it would be good if we could get back to those days."
A full list of candidates for the Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr constituency can be found here.
