Landlady’s support for rival upsets election candidate

If you win an election, you need to be unbiased to all people. I’m allowed freedom of speech Delyth Jones

I really don’t care how she votes – it’s entirely up to her. And it’s not telling other people not to frequent the pub Mark Tribe

A COUNCIL election candidate who told a pub landlady that neither he nor his family would visit her pub again after she endorsed a rival has defended his comments, saying it would have been a very awkward encounter.

Independents@swansea candidate Mark Tribe said he didn’t care which way Delyth Jones, who runs The Plough and Harrow in Llangyfelach, Swansea, voted but that he felt let down when she endorsed Labour candidate Rob Marshall on Facebook.

Mr Tribe, who has served as a Llangyfelach community councillor since 2017, said he had helped Mrs Jones during Covid.

In a message to Mrs Jones, he said: “Del, just got back from the Plough with our Sunday lunches and hav- ing a pint and saw your endorsement for Rob Marshall on FB [Facebook]. To say I am disappointed is an understatement after all the assistance and support I have given the Plough over the past couple of years, even delivering your lunches to residents who are unable to drive. U can guarantee that neither myself nor my family will be frequenting your pub again.”

Swansea Labour leader Rob Stewart criticised Mr Tribe’s comments, saying councillors should work for everyone in their community regardless of who they voted for.

Mr Stewart claimed another Llangyfelach resident had experienced a similar reaction from Mr Tribe.

Mr Tribe told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he felt his message to Mrs Jones was “pretty harmless”.

He said: “I really don’t care how she votes – it’s entirely up to her. And it’s not telling other people not to frequent the pub. It’s purely because it would have been so awkward to visit for me and my family.”

The 64-year-old said he felt he had given a lot of help to Mrs Jones, including with her idea to put up a sign on the green outside the pub.

He added: “We used to go to the pub every Sunday, we held meetings regularly about how we can improve the village.”

Mr Tribe said he was taken aback by Mrs Jones’ public support of Mr Marshall and denied his comment about not going to the pub was petty.

“I believe it’s pettiness on behalf of Rob Stewart and Swansea Labour, looking to attack me,” he said. “It was a ‘nothing’ comment – I thought she was a friend.”

Mrs Jones said she felt Mr Tribe’s comment about not going to her pub again for the reason stated was “totally wrong”.

She said she was an upstanding member of the community and ordinary businesswoman who should be allowed to say who she backed without any comeback from a candidate.

“If you win an election, you need to be unbiased to all people,” she said. “I’m allowed freedom of speech.”

Mrs Jones said Mr Tribe had made a phone call on her behalf when she inquired about putting up a sign on the green.

She added: “I would expect a community councillor to go and help. I’m not for sale, though.”

Mr Tribe, a former Royal Mail worker and school caretaker, said he’d had a positive reaction from people while canvassing, with flytipping, speeding and the state of the roads among the priorities raised.

He also responded to Mr Stewart’s claims that he had given another resident short shrift after she canvassed for the Labour candidate.

Mr Tribe said he had helped the resident concerned and later received a message from her saying she wanted Labour to win in Swansea but that she would not vote and that he was the best candidate for Llangyfelach.

He replied saying he understood her position, then received another message from her saying she had helped Labour canvass but felt conflicted about this and hoped they would remain friends.

Mr Tribe said he’d told her that he didn’t think it was possible for them to remain as Facebook friends and so removed her.

“Again, there were no threats,” he said.