A man whose family own a large English estate and a second home in Pembrokeshire has been selected as a Welsh Labour general election candidate. Henry Tufnell, 30, will stand in the new seat of Mid and South Pembrokeshire despite some raising concerns about his connection to the area.
Critics have blasted the selection process and questioned him over his Pembrokeshire links. Especially given the fact he was selected over two more well-known women who were assumed to battle it out for the nomination. Former MEP and current Cardiff councillor Jackie Jones and Philippa Thompson, a former aide to the now Health Minister Eluned Morgan, seemed more likely candidates.
Mr Tufnell's selection comes just months after he tried - and failed - to stand in the Essex seat of Colchester, but didn’t make the long list. He's since decamped to a second home owned by his mother - who in 2021 was the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire - near St Davids, from where he ran his campaign to be selected.
Read more: Couple with severe learning difficulties devastated to lose custody of their baby
Announcing on Twitter that he was "absolutely delighted and honoured" to have been selected, one replied asking what his connections to Pembrokeshire were. He replied simply: "I'm just outside St Davids."
He chose to ignore the tweet: "Do you know what Welsh people traditionally think of second homes Henry?" And also the comment: "What an absolute joke - only connection to the constit. is via upper class fambo’s 2nd home, and selected via v questionable process.... farcical."
Mr Tufnell has posted about how he is "looking forward to working with her [Eluned Morgan] to resolve the ongoing issues at Withybush Hospital", despite health being a devolved matter. And he supports the proposed tourism tax, having said: "A tourism tax is a positive development in trying to rebalance the relationship between local communities and the tourism sector. The charge is commonplace around the world and will provide tangible benefits, particularly for struggling local authorities."
To get our free daily briefing on the biggest issues affection the nation, Wales Matters, sign up in the news section of our newsletter page here
There are concerns about how a virtually unknown outsider could secure the selection with political journalist Michael Crick posting on his Twitter account Tomorrow’s MPs: "Mid & South Pembrokeshire. I hear of unhappiness at how unknown outsider Henry Tufnell won this selection against two well-known local contenders. One source writes of ‘lost laptop, missing postal votes, wrong membership list sent out & 167 members out of 500 voted’." For its part, Welsh Labour said it was satisfied with the validity of the result and its own investigations showed there was no substance to the allegations made.
Mr Tufnell has a background that's not exactly typical for a would-be Labour MP. His father - Mark Tufnell - is the current President of the Country Land and Business Association which is typically associated with some of the wealthiest landowners in the country. He also owns Calmsden Farms, a 2,000-acre estate in the Cotswolds, and went to Eton College in 1978-1982.
His mother, Jane Tufnell, started her career in 1986 joining County NatWest, where she jointly ran the NatWest Pension Fund’s exposure to UK smaller companies. In 1994 she co founded Ruffer Investment Management Ltd where she worked for over 20 years and built a £20 billion assets under management (AUM) business.
Henry himself qualified as a barrister in September 2020 and joined chambers in London but he no longer practises as a barrister. In a short biography on his campaign website he states: “I have been coming to Pembrokeshire since I was a small child with my mum, who was born in Pontypridd and grew up in south Wales. I am originally from a farming family and I am now based outside St Davids.
“Professionally I trained and practised as a barrister before leaving to work as an organiser at a grassroots trade union.”
His engagement to fellow barrister Poppy Elizabeth Clare Rimington-Pounder [born 1992], daughter of His Honour Judge Gerard Pounder and Helen Clare Rimington [Judge Rimington] was announced with the following detail: "Henry Tufnell's grandfather Carleton John Richard Tufnell [1923-95] married Rosemary Joan Caroline Lloyd [1929-2017], a descendant, maternally, of the Preston baronets."
Henry has been working for a union that is not affiliated to the TUC or the Labour Party called the Cleaners and Allied Independent Workers’ Union, which was launched in 2016. From a statement on its website, it appears that it was founded by some disgruntled members of the much bigger unions Unite and Unison, both of which are affiliated to the TUC and the Labour Party.
Welsh Labour said: "Henry Tufnell is an excellent candidate, selected by Welsh Labour members of Mid and South Pembrokeshire. He has set out his values to members and secured a majority of votes. He has a strong track record of campaigning for the Labour Party and workers' rights and will continue to stand up for the people of Mid and South Pembrokeshire offering a real alternative to the Tories who have let people down right across the country."
READ NEXT
- Big blow for Tories and PM Rishi Sunak as Labour takes key councils in English local elections
- The Adam Price interview: Plaid leader 'sorry' but won't resign despite damning report
The full list of donations and gifts made to every MP in Wales
Questions over how the Welsh Government spends money and hires senior staff
What is going on with the Twitter feed of Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies?
