Ed Sumner
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Ed Sumner | |
|---|---|
| Director of Communications for Reform UK | |
| Assumed office 2024 | |
| Leader | Nigel Farage |
| Preceded by | Gawain Towler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward William Sumner September 1996 (age 29)[1] |
| Occupation | Political communications adviser |
Edward "Ed" William Sumner is a British political communications adviser who has served as director of communications for Reform UK.
Career
Reform UK appointed Sumner as head of communications in 2024, replacing Gawain Towler, who had previously worked in press roles for UKIP, the Brexit Party and Reform UK. PoliticsHome reported in October 2024 that the appointment had caused concern among some Reform UK figures because of previously reported WhatsApp messages attributed to Sumner.[2]
A March 2026 article in The Spectator described Sumner as Reform UK's director of communications in coverage of the party's organisation and electoral strategy.[3]
Sumner was a director of Consulate Communications Limited, a dissolved company, from 3 September 2019, according to Companies House.[4]
Media coverage
According to PoliticsHome, Sumner replaced Gawain Towler as Reform UK's head of communications in 2024. The publication also noted earlier reporting by Nation.Cymru about WhatsApp messages attributed to Sumner while he was working for Welsh Conservative politician Laura Anne Jones. It reported that the Conservative Party had no record of disciplining Sumner at the time.[5]
In November 2025, The Guardian covered legal correspondence sent to Nation.Cymru by barrister Adam Richardson, who said he was representing Sumner. The correspondence followed the outlet naming Sumner in coverage relating to Jones. Richardson alleged misuse of private information, breach of confidence and breach of the editors' code, and asked the publication to remove Sumner's name from the article.[6]
Later that month, Nation.Cymru published a report based on leaked screenshots from an internal Reform UK WhatsApp group. The outlet said the screenshots showed Sumner using an offensive term to describe Welsh journalist Will Hayward after Hayward criticised Reform UK's decision not to name a Welsh leader before the 2026 Senedd election.[7] Journalism trade publication HoldTheFrontPage and The Pembrokeshire Herald also covered the story.[8][9]
The National Union of Journalists Wales Executive Council later issued a statement criticising Reform UK's conduct toward journalists in Wales. The statement referred to legal correspondence involving Nation.Cymru and to comments attributed to Sumner.[10]
References
- ↑ "Edward William Sumner personal appointments". Companies House. Companies House. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ Scotson, Tom (3 October 2024). "Reform Faces "Headache" Over New Press Officer's "Immigration, Diversity And Gays" Comments". PoliticsHome. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ Shipman, Tim; Heale, James (21 March 2026). "'We'll wake up on 8 May and realise that the Conservative party's gone': Inside Reform's plan to devour the Tories". The Spectator. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "Edward William Sumner personal appointments". Companies House. Companies House. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ Scotson, Tom (3 October 2024). "Reform Faces "Headache" Over New Press Officer's "Immigration, Diversity And Gays" Comments". PoliticsHome. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ Boffey, Daniel (25 November 2025). "Reform's 'Trumpian' legal threats hint at more aggressive approach to media". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ Price, Emily (28 November 2025). "Reform UK head of comms branded prominent Welsh journalist a 'c***'". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ Linford, Paul (4 December 2025). "Reform UK comms chief brands prominent journalist a "c***"". HoldTheFrontPage. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ Sinclair, Tom (30 November 2025). "Reform UK comms chief caught using obscene slur about Welsh journalist". The Pembrokeshire Herald. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "NUJ Wales condemns Reform UK's threats and smears against journalists". National Union of Journalists. 16 December 2025. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
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