BBCCorey Edwards said the photograph, originally published by Nation.Cymru, could be "misinterpreted"Reform leader Nigel Farage has stood by one of his party's leading candidates for May's Senedd election, after a photograph was published appearing to show him perform a Nazi salute.
In the picture Corey Edwards, a former Conservative ministerial adviser, is seen with his right arm in the air and with a finger under his nose.
Farage said it looked terrible and he "wouldn't approve of it" but said Edwards would not be kicked out of the party.
The party leader said he was impersonating Basil Fawlty, although a statement from Edwards suggested he had also been impersonating Welsh footballer Wayne Hennessey.
Corey Edwards was previously a special adviser to Conservative Welsh Secretary David TC Davies.
He was announced as the party's lead candidate for Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg on Wednesday evening, meaning if the party wins a seat in the Bridgend and Vale of Glamorgan constituency he is certain to be elected.
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It is not clear where the image, which was originally published by the Nation.Cymru news site on Thursday, was taken or obtained. Reform said the picture was taken in 2019.
In explaining the photograph, the Reform leader referred to an episode of the 70s BBC TV series Fawlty Towers, where hotelier Basil Fawlty goosesteps and holds his finger to his nose while concussed in front of a group of German guests.
In an interview with ITV News, he said: "It was a Fawlty Towers impression. Maybe we should ban the BBC, I don't know".
Asked if he would be kicked out of the party, he said: "No. He's a human being."
"I get the point - it looks terrible. Things in isolation often do. I wouldn't approve of it."
A separate statement from Edwards appeared to suggested he had been both imitating Basil Fawlty and Wayne Hennessey, who was involved in a row over an alleged Nazi salute in 2019 which he denied at the time.
A charge against the Welsh footballer was found not proven.
In a statement Edwards said: "A photo from many years ago has been shared that I recognise looks bad and could be misinterpreted.
"There is a clear distinction between ordinary use of the appalling gesture, compared with me imitating a Welsh footballer's use of it, or indeed Basil Fawlty's walk."
He said the Nazi regime was "the most barbaric ever, and I'd never make light of nor dilute its seriousness".
"My dear grandfather fought against the Nazis and his brother-in-law was a prisoner of war. I'm a staunch champion of Judaism, and it sickens me to see the recent openly anti-semitic marches on the streets of Britain", he said.
"Like many young people, I have made mistakes. But I am proud of the person I am today and the values I stand for, and I hope that people judge me on the professionalism of how I conduct myself as a candidate and the contribution I can make going forward."
In a video posted to social media platform X, Edwards said the photo "predates when I even started working in politics".
According to his profile on LinkedIn, Edwards began his political career as a senior parliamentary assistant in the Commons from October 2019, before later working for David TC Davies. He was a paralegal prior to that.
A spokesperson for Reform said: "We're not willing to write people off forever because of mistakes they made when they were young."
A Plaid Cymru spokesman said it was "utterly disgraceful" and said Reform had "serious questions to answer regarding their vetting process".
Reform has been attacking Plaid Cymru candidates for social media messages in recent days.
One Plaid candidate, Neil Roberts, resigned after Reform found a message which showed him using an offensive term for children in a conversation on Twitter.
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