Wales

Two Thirds of Reform’s Wales Shadow Cabinet Are Ex-Tories

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Article by Adam Barnett republished from DeSmog.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage campaigning in Wales. Credit: Reform UK / YouTube

Welsh Reform labelled a “retirement home for failed Conservatives”.

The majority of Reform UK’s shadow cabinet in Wales is made up of former Conservative Party politicians, including its leader, chief whip, and shadow economy minister, DeSmog can reveal.

Nigel Farage’s radical right-wing party – which campaigns against climate policies and supports dramatically increased fossil fuel production – became the second largest group in the Senedd following elections on 7 May.

Reform has presented itself as an outsider force and an alternative to the established parties.

However, DeSmog’s analysis finds that almost two thirds (64.2 percent) of Reform’s shadow cabinet posts in Wales are held by individuals who have previously served or stood for the Tories.

That amounts to nine out of Reform’s 14 shadow cabinet members, and includes Reform’s leader in Wales, Dan Thomas, who was Conservative leader of Barnet Council in London before defecting to Farage’s party in June last year. 

It also includes the party’s chief whip, Llŷr Powell, a former Tory council candidate, and shadow economy minister Jason O’Connell, a former Tory councillor.

In total, 12 of Reform’s 34 Senedd members are former Conservative politicians – amounting to 35 percent of the party’s representation in the assembly.

A spokesperson for the Wales Green Party said: “In the election campaign, Reform presented themselves as an insurgent anti-establishment party, but it’s looking more like they’re just a retirement home for failed Conservatives.”

Reform’s central party is also replete with ex-Tories. Six of Reform’s eight members of UK Parliament defected from the Conservatives, five while they were serving MPs. This includes Robert Jenrick, a former Tory minister and Reform’s current economic spokesperson, and former Conservative home secretary Suella Braverman, both of whom defected in January. 

Of the remaining two – Farage and his deputy Richard Tice – the latter is a former Tory party member and donor.

In Scotland, at least four of Reform’s members of the Scottish Parliament are former Tory politicians, including Max Bannerman in the Highlands and Islands, Thomas Kerr and Kim Schmulian in Glasgow, and Graham Simpson in Central Scot and Lothians West. 

Reform’s biggest donor, Thailand-based crypto and jet fuel billionaire Christopher Harborne, was previously a donor to the Conservative Party, giving £1.5 million between 2018 and 2022.

Harborne has donated £22 million to Reform, and gave Farage a £5 million gift in 2024 prior to him reclaiming the Reform leadership and standing for Parliament. Farage did not declare this sum when he was elected as an MP, and it is now the subject of a parliamentary standards investigation.

The Roster

Llŷr Powell, Reform’s chief whip and business manager in Wales, was a Conservative Party candidate for local government in 2022, and supported Kemi Badenoch for Tory leader the same year.

Powell, who was Reform’s unsuccessful candidate in the October 2025 Caerphilly Senedd by-election, used to work for Nathan Gill, the party’s former Welsh leader. Gill is currently serving a 10 and a half year prison sentence for accepting bribes from an agent of the Russian government during his time as a Member of European Parliament (MEP) for the Brexit Party (Reform’s forerunner).

Powell has said he didn’t work for Gill when he committed these offences, and had no knowledge of his crimes, but has refused to say the exact dates when he served under Farage’s former MEP.

James Evans, Reform’s shadow minister for health, prevention and sport, was elected as the Senedd member for Brecon and Radnorshire in 2021 as a Conservative. Before that, he served in Welsh local government as a Tory.

Laura Anne Jones, Reform’s shadow minister for food, farming and rural affairs, was previously a Conservative Senedd member for South Wales East.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Welsh leader Dan Thomas campaigning in Wales.

Credit: Reform UK / YouTube

Sarah Cooper-Lesadd, the party’s shadow minister for children, young people and skills, was a Conservative candidate for Coventry East in the 2024 general election. From 2022 to 2024 she was also a parliamentary assistant to Vicky Ford, Tory MP for Chelmsford.

Louise Emery, Reform’s shadow minister for culture, tourism and hospitality, was elected in 2017 and 2022 as a Conservative councillor in Conwy.

Francesca O’Brien, shadow minister for local government, housing and planning, was a Tory councillor for the Mumbles elected in 2017.

Adrian Mason, Reform’s shadow Counsel General and shadow minister for the constitution, was a Tory council candidate in Wales in 2017.

Jason O’Connell, shadow minister for economy and transport, was briefly a Welsh Conservative councillor in 2018, having been elected as an independent.

Outside of the shadow cabinet, Reform Welsh Senedd members Iain McIntosh and Tom Montgomery were elected to local government in Wales as Conservatives in 2022, while Stephen Senior stood as a Tory in 2022 and 2023.

Reform was approached for comment.

Article by Adam Barnett republished from DeSmog.

Nigel Farage explains the politics of Reform UK: Racism, Fake anti-establishmentism, Deregulation, Corporatism, Climate Change Denial, Mysogyny and Transphobia.
Nigel Farage explains the politics of Reform UK: Racism, Fake anti-establishmentism, Deregulation, Corporatism, Climate Change Denial, Mysogyny and Transphobia.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage reminds you that he's the man that brought you Brexit and asks what could possibly go wrong.
Nigel Farage reminds you that he’s the man that brought you Brexit and asks what could possibly go wrong.
Continue ReadingTwo Thirds of Reform’s Wales Shadow Cabinet Are Ex-Tories

Our ‘Green objectives’ will be the price of any support for new government say Wales Green Party – as they welcome the defeat of Reform 

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Wales Green Party Leader Anthony Slaughter. Image: NoBeefKieth, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Wales Green Party Leader Anthony Slaughter. Image: NoBeefKieth, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Wales Green Party will be looking to achieve the key manifesto pledges it promised to voters in any forthcoming arrangement with Plaid Cymru, their leader Anthony Slaughter announced today. At the same time, Slaughter welcomed the defeat of the ‘divisive, Trumpian’ Reform Party. 

Anthony Slaughter said: “We welcome the defeat of Reform and congratulate Plaid Cymru on their result – this is a victory for everyone who wanted to keep out Reform’s divisive, Trumpian politics out of Wales. We are a welcoming nation – and Wales needs to stay a place where everyone is treated with respect and dignity and can thrive. 

“When it comes to the next government of Wales, we are open to having conversations, but no decisions have been made at this point. In any negotiations we will be looking to deliver on the Green objectives that people voted on in this election – including action to address the cost-of-living crisis, protecting our NHS, fixing the renting crisis, and restoring our natural environment.” 

The declaration comes after Wales Green Party celebrated its historic breakthrough onto the Senedd with the election of their first ever two MSs – Leader Anthony Slaughter in Caerdydd Penarth and environmentalist Paul Rock in Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf.  

Wales Green Party’s key manifesto pledges include: 

  • Replacing council tax with land value tax paid by landlords not tenants 
  • Freezing rents, building 60,000 social homes and ending no-fault evictions 
  • Ending corridor care, addressing the mental health pandemic and putting the NHS on a sustainable footing 
  • Free bus fares for the under 22s, £1 for adults, more bus routes 
  • Extending free childcare from nine months to four years 
  • Taking back control of water to clean up our rivers and bring down bills 
  • Making sure every government decision supports climate and nature recovery 

Paul Rock was the second Green Party candidate to win a seat in the Senedd. He will serve in the Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf constituency where he has lived for 30 years. Paul is committed to the sustainability and resilience of Welsh communities, serving as UCU branch Environmental Officer at Cardiff University, and helping create the Gabalfa Library of Things. He has a long history of activism, with interests in sustainable transport, renewable energy and public access to land. 

Zack Polanski, Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales said: 

“When myself and my deputies Rachel Milward and Mothin Ali were elected a year ago we were very clear that breaking through and gaining representation in the Senedd was our number one priority. If you asked us six months ago no one expected us to get more than one seat but we have doubled that.” 

Continue ReadingOur ‘Green objectives’ will be the price of any support for new government say Wales Green Party – as they welcome the defeat of Reform 

Morning Star Editorial: Political fragmentation deepens as Britain goes to the polls

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/political-fragmentation-deepens-britain-goes-polls

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage being interviewed by the media after an eve of poll photocall at College Green, Westminster, on the last day of campaigning ahead of the local elections on Thursday, May 6, 2026

MILLIONS of votes will be cast on Thursday in Scotland and Wales in the election of these two nations’ devolved governments and in England a cross-section of communities will vote — in six places for regional mayors — and in 5,000 seats where the composition of 136 different councils are up for grabs.

This is the biggest test of electoral opinion since Keir Starmer took office on millions of votes fewer than won by Jeremy Corbyn.

The calamitous fall in Labour’s popularity is the main feature of these elections but we should not discount the scale of the Tory collapse.

You might think that the defection of much of Boris Johnson’s Cabinet to Reform UK would have given Kemi Badenoch the opportunity to recover something of the traditional Tory vote, such as it exists. This, at least would be an innovation but, like Labour, the Tories are no longer a credible party of a future government.

Reform UK is faltering with a certain sense that the Establishment is setting limits on its ambitions. The monopoly media is not so tolerant; opinion polls are less encouraging and the more Nigel Farage’s privately owned electoral vehicle resembles the Tory Party the fewer workers are prepared to swallow its fetishisation of the market and its hostility to public services.

Today the Trump connection plays badly even on the deluded right.

…

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/political-fragmentation-deepens-britain-goes-polls

Continue ReadingMorning Star Editorial: Political fragmentation deepens as Britain goes to the polls

Campaigners celebrate after 115 Senedd candidates pledged for Palestine

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/campaigners-celebrate-after-115-senedd-candidates-pledged-palestine

 PSC Cymru co-chairwoman Bethan Sayed [… and what?]

PALESTINIAN campaigners in Wales were celebrating this weekend after 115 Senedd candidates pledged for Palestine — including backing boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel.

Candidates signing the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) Cymru pledge include 46 Green candidates, 37 from Plaid Cymru, eight from the Liberal Democrats, six from Labour and five independents.

PSC Cymru co-chairwoman Bethan Sayed said: “Reaching over 100 pledges is a milestone and is a clear message that Palestine is on the ballot in this Senedd election.

“Wales has always aspired to be a nation that stands on the right side of history, a globally responsible nation that holds human rights and international law at its heart.

“Support for Palestinian rights stretches across every community and every constituency in Wales. Polls show public backing for this issue.

“Voters will be watching closely to see who has the conviction to stand with them.”

The pledge commits elected candidates to uphold the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, stand up to Israel for its crimes of genocide and apartheid — and ensure the Welsh government is not complicit in these crimes.

…

Article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/campaigners-celebrate-after-115-senedd-candidates-pledged-palestine

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Nigel Farage objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Nigel Farage objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingCampaigners celebrate after 115 Senedd candidates pledged for Palestine

A new Welsh electoral landscape puts Plaid Cymru within reach of power

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Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru. PA Images/Alamy

Anwen Elias, Aberystwyth University and Elin Royles, Aberystwyth University

Plaid Cymru’s electoral hopes for May’s Senedd election are high. Polls suggest the party is competing with Reform UK to emerge as the largest group in the next Welsh parliament, putting it, for the first time, within reach of leading a government in Wales.

This marks a striking shift in Plaid’s electoral fortunes. At the first election to what was then the National Assembly for Wales in 1999, the party won 28.4% of the vote. That remains its strongest performance to date in what was widely described at the time as a “quiet earthquake” in Welsh politics.

Since then, Plaid has struggled to match that breakthrough in devolved elections. From 2011 onwards it has consistently been the third-largest party in the Senedd, behind Welsh Labour – which has led every government since devolution – and the Conservatives.

Even so, the arithmetic of Welsh politics has occasionally worked in Plaid’s favour. The party entered government in coalition with Labour between 2007 and 2011, and more recently struck a co-operation agreement from 2021 to 2024. But if Plaid ends up leading a government outright after May 7, it would truly set this election apart.

Positioning itself for power

Plaid Cymru’s strategy is to present itself as a credible government-in-waiting. Its focus is less about being a party of protest and more about delivery. In other words, what it would do in office, how it would tackle Wales’s major policy challenges, and how it would represent Welsh interests at Westminster after nearly three decades of Labour dominance.

In February, the party set out its plan for its first 100 days in government. This focused on improving healthcare, raising education standards, boosting the economy and reforming government.

Alongside these priorities, its manifesto calls for further powers to be devolved to the Senedd. These include greater tax powers, justice and policing, rail services and infrastructure, and the Crown Estate, which oversees things like the sea bed and mineral rights in much of the countryside.

Yet there has also been a noticeable change in tone on the party’s long-term constitutional aims. Our research examined how Plaid Cymru covered these issues in the 2021 Senedd election. Compared with five years ago, Welsh independence is significantly less prominent in both its current manifesto and campaign.

The timetable has softened too. There’s no longer a commitment to holding a referendum on independence in its first term of government. Instead, Plaid describes Wales as being “on a journey” to independence. It has committed to producing a policy on Welsh independence but with no referendum timeframe.

By downplaying its long-term constitutional ambitions in this way, and focusing on the more immediate policy challenges facing Wales, Plaid Cymru is approaching this Senedd election as many other pro-independence parties have done across Europe. A similar strategy helped the Scottish National Party win power in 2007 and remain in government for the next 19 years.

A ‘degradation in belief that Labour stood for Wales,’ says Plaid Cymru leader – Sky News.

From polling strength to political power

Strong polling does not guarantee power, however, and Plaid faces several obstacles. Opponents continue to highlight its commitment to independence.

Support for independence among the Welsh public remains relatively low – only 26% of respondents in a recent YouGov poll agreed that Wales should be an independent country. Plaid’s challenge is to persuade sceptical voters that this isn’t the most important issue in Wales for the next four years.

The new electoral system also presents fresh uncertainties. This election will use a fully proportional model, with 96 members elected across 16 constituencies. Success will now depend on broad support across Wales. That’s a test for a party whose organisational strength has traditionally been concentrated in the north and west.

The new system is also likely to produce a more fragmented Senedd, with a wider range of parties represented. That could make post-election negotiations decisive, shaping who is able to lead a government and how stable it is.

Anwen Elias, Reader in Politics, Aberystwyth University and Elin Royles, Reader at the Department of International Politics and Centre for Welsh Politics and Society, Aberystwyth University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership is intensely relaxed about assaulting those least able to defend themselves - the very poorest and most vulnerable.
Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership is intensely relaxed about assaulting those least able to defend themselves – the very poorest and most vulnerable.
Nigel Farage explains the politics of Reform UK: Racism, Fake anti-establishmentism, Deregulation, Corporatism, Climate Change Denial, Mysogyny and Transphobia.
Nigel Farage explains the politics of Reform UK: Racism, Fake anti-establishmentism, Deregulation, Corporatism, Climate Change Denial, Mysogyny and Transphobia.
Keir Starmer refuses to be outcnuted by Nigel Farage's chasing the racist bigot vote.
Keir Starmer refuses to be outcnuted by Nigel Farage’s chasing the racist bigot vote.

Continue ReadingA new Welsh electoral landscape puts Plaid Cymru within reach of power