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Tory general election candidate Sam Trask quits after lurid sexual comments exposed

Magistrate Sam Trask said his favourite bra size measuring technique was ‘hand sizing them by feel’

Archie Mitchell
Thursday 06 June 2024 16:44 BST
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Tories staring general election defeat in face, says John Curtice

A Tory general election candidate has quit after lurid sexual comments he made about women were exposed.

Magistrate Sam Trask was standing in the battleground seat of Bridgend in Wales, which the Conservatives narrowly won in 2019.

But he pulled out of the race on Thursday after it was revealed he once boasted that his favourite bra size measuring technique was “hand sizing them by feel”.

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Mr Trask, a magistrate whose role comes with the responsibility to “respect the dignity of all”, added: “Maybe have to make a more detailed inspection with my lips and tongue... for accuracy, of course.”

Magistrate Sam Trask was originally standing in the battleground seat of Bridgend in Wales
Magistrate Sam Trask was originally standing in the battleground seat of Bridgend in Wales (RCTCBC)

In comments posted online, uncovered by The Mirror, father-of-two Mr Trask also asked: “If a woman with big boobs seems to idly rub them against you, is she flirting or are they really just getting in the way?”

Confronted over the remarks, Mr Trask said they were “wholly inappropriate”, apologised and said he had “decided to withdraw as a candidate”.

The Conservative councillor for Llantwit Fardre was also involved in a discussion about chat-up lines, in which he said: “Hey there, wanna come to my place and watch porn on my 50 inch flat screen mirror?”

He has previously met Rishi Sunak and was picked to run for the Conservatives in Bridgend, where Jamie Wallis, the first openly transgender MP, is retiring.

Wallis won the seat with 18,193 votes in 2019, taking it from Labour’s Madeline Moon by just over 1,000 votes.

Mr Trask’s resignation means the Conservatives will have to find a new candidate for the seat by Friday’s deadline.

Sam Trask was the Conservative candidate for Bridgend and has met Rishi Sunak
Sam Trask was the Conservative candidate for Bridgend and has met Rishi Sunak (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Labour’s shadow paymaster general, Jonathan Ashworth, said: “These lurid revelations pose serious questions about the calibre of candidates the Tories have been forced to select. With the deadline for nominations approaching, Rishi Sunak still has time to do the right thing and re-vet his candidates to make sure they are fit to serve the public in Parliament. This is yet more chaos with the Conservatives.”

Mr Trask’s comments were made on the myfitnesspal online forum under the name Aerosam, an account which carried a picture of him giving a thumbs up.

In a September 2013 post, entitled “no one understands bra sizes”, he said: “I think I’ll stick to my method of hand sizing them by feel.

“Maybe have to make a more detailed inspection with my lips and tongue... for accuracy, of course.”

In a statement to The Mirror, Mr Trask said: “These comments were made a number of years ago, and I recognise they are wholly inappropriate. For that I apologise and have decided to withdraw as a candidate.”

The Independent has contacted Mr Trask for comment. The Conservative Party referred The Independent to Mr Trask’s statement.

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