Thread by @WillHayCardiff

So I have been having a little look at the people who run some of the Welsh anti-20mph Facebook groups.

It seems that many of them a run by Tory politicians.... who live in England....and support 20mph where they live....

Let's go on a journey (at a very safe speed).

[Thread]

I had a look at 4 Facebook pages that opposed Wales' new 20mph limit:

- South Wales Against Blanket 20mph limits - 5.3k members

- West Wales Against Blanket 20mph limits - 4.3k

- North Wales Against Blanket 20mph limits - 2.6k

- Mid Wal Against Blanket 20mph limits - 225

The tone in Facebook groups has been particularly vitriolic at times.

However when you dig a little deeper there are reasons to suggest that the opposition has not entirely been driven by concerned members of the public.

Looking at the admins on the group you can see that many are either members, employers or elected representatives of the Conservative Party.

All four groups have multiple admins and two names come up for them all - Lyall J Reed and Alfie White.

Mr Reed is actually a Conservative councillor for Sunderland.

In his bio on the Sunderland Conservatives website he speaks a great deal about his love for Sunderland but at no point mentions any links to Wales. He said: “I am currently the chairman of Sunderland Conservatives Association and a councillor for St Michael's Ward. I am a graduate of Northumbria University earning a degree in history and politics. I have lived my entire life in St Michael's Ward and it is an honour and a privilege to represent my home ward on the Sunderland City Council. I care deeply about my home ward and home city, and I know that Sunderland can never reach its full potential whilst Labour are still calling the shots in Sunderland City Council.”

Though Mr Reed has seemingly dedicated significant energy opposing the 20mph limit in Wales, his opposition doesn’t seem to transfer to his home town.

He posed for this picture where he proudly announced he had arranged an “extension of the 20mph zone”.

He has posted regularly about road safety and was quoted in the Sunderland Echo describing how “Conservative members were continuing to push for further measures to reduce speeding”

Rather hilariously, within hours of me approaching Mr Reed for comment, he apparently removed himself as the admin from all the groups.

This kids, is why you always screenshot.

Mr Reed is not alone in changing his views on 20mph.

Back in 2018 Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies spoke to leaders of the 20's Plenty group which campaign for a reduction in the speed limit.

The other person listed as an admin on the all the Facebook pages, Alfie White, has been harder to track down.

However, he shares a name with an Alfie White who stood as a Conservative candidate for for Burnley in the 2021 council elections....

Other admins for the groups all appear to have links to the Conservative Party.

Let's go through them one by one...

South Wales Against Blanket 20mph limits

Rebeka Fudge - Appears to previously have been part of Swansea Young Conservatives

West Wales Against Blanket 20mph limits

Ben Sansome - Hard to find details but only has three friends on Facebook, one of which is Alfie White.

North Wales Against Blanket 20mph limits

Will Martin - Campaign manager - North Shropshire Conservative Party

Victoria Relf - Junior area campaign manager, Conservative Party North Wales

Janie Loise Rees - Campaign manager, Wrexham Conservatives

Mid Wales Against Blanket 20mph limits

Chris Kirkham - Shares a name with the election agent for Vale of Glamorgan Conservatives

Mr Reed gave comment to WalesOnline.

He said:

"Across Wales it is clear that a blanket policy of 20mph is unpopular. In my ward I personally advocate for 20mph zones in front of schools and nurseries which are all sensible locations. There is a clear difference between targeted zones and a blanket policy."

It is worth noting that Sunderland Echo reported that the 20mph limited was applied in "several residential areas" as well as outside schools.

The Conservatives have not responded to our requests for comment.

The point I am making is not that many people arn't genuinely opposed to 20mph. Many are.

Just that it is clear that there is an orchestrated attempt by the Conservative Party to keep fanning these flames and it is often been carried out by people outside of Wales.

Plus these people don't seem quite as opposed to 20mph when it is where they happen to live...

Facebook groups have been a key place where opposition to 20mph has been fostered and often gotten very nasty with personal attacks on journalists, campaigners and politicians.

You can read the full piece about how English politicians are seeking to influence the 20mph debate in Wales here:
walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/…

If you like this sort of journalism, there is a very easy way you can support it to help me do more:

https://twitter.com/WillHayCardiff/status/1743236621892268503