Scandal hits Exec elections as candidate backtracks on Brexit

The LeadLUU elections has been rocked by its first apparent scandal, as one candidate has been accused of changing their mind about Brexit.

Charley Weldrick, a candidate for Union Affairs, has been accused of supporting Brexit at the time of the referendum but then changing his opinion to wishing the UK voted remain in the current LUU election period in order to gain votes from the student body.

Tweets show that Charley supported Brexit in the 2016 referendum

His u-turn on Brexit has been picked by from a wide range of people including those who work closely with the union. With some deciding to turn the issue into a meme, this is 2017 of course.

When asked for comment, Charley had this to say: “I think it’s absolutely fantastic to see this level of scrutiny – engaging with candidates is a great thing. That’s why I have a blog, linked to on (Weldrick 4 Union Affairs) and also available (here). This does, excitingly, contain an article on Brexit. If a journalist wants to talk to me about my views and have a civil discussion, in person or in a polemical form, I’d jump at the opportunity. My platform is in many ways explicitly political – I promise a greater level of training in how to engage with the real world and a higher level of representation on a national level. For this reason I am very enthusiastic about this kind of thing.

“Cheap point scoring, though, subverts the democratic process. Yelling ‘scandal’ over a candidate’s potential change of view is reductive, divisive and makes both the election and the platform offered to the journalist look petty.

“That is why, especially in light of the short amount of time I was given to offer a quote, I refuse to engage with this so called ‘scandal’. This is sensationalism at its worst, at a time when the student world is fraught with real problems.Politics is no longer in the abstract – it affects students and staff here at Leeds. That’s why you need Weldrick to stand up for what is right.”

Politics 4th year and formerly Leeds BNOC Art Sejdiu said, “I don’t think the bad thing is that he said he wanted to leave, it’s that he’s pretending he wanted to remain for votes”.

In the world of student politics this is the making of a devastating scandal. In the real world however, people are wondering “who cares?”

You can see Charley’s campaign Facebook page here.