Tory defector who was suspended over racial slur named new deputy leader of Reform UK in Wales

Laura Anne Jones, a Tory defector who was suspended for a racial slur less than a year ago, has been named the deputy leader of Reform UK in Wales.

It comes after former deputy Helen Jenner was named leader on Monday.

Ms Jenner replaced Dan Thomas, who stepped down last week after being arrested on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviour.

Mr Thomas said that he had done “nothing wrong”, but did not want the case to be a “distraction” from the party’s work.

Ms Jones defected to Reform from the Welsh Conservatives last summer.

At the time, she said: “I've just suddenly felt that the Conservative Party was unrecognisable to me. It wasn't the party that I joined over three decades ago.”

She is a Member of the Senedd for Sir Fynwy Torfaen.

She said in a post on Facebook on Tuesday: “I am honoured to have been elected Deputy Leader of Reform UK Wales and hugely grateful to my colleagues for their trust and support.

“We have made a fantastic start in the Senedd, giving a voice to the voiceless, holding the Welsh Government to account and standing up for communities that have been ignored for too long.”

She said that Ms Jenner would be a “strong, effective leader” and added “I will do everything I can to support her”.

In November, Ms Jones was suspended from the Siambr (Senedd debating chamber) for 14 days after using a racial slur about Chinese people in a WhatsApp group during a discussion of the Chinese-owned app TikTok in August 2023.

She said in the Senedd in November: “I never meant to cause any offence and would never have that intention of doing so.

“It is deeply regrettable that the message and others in which I had aired my frustrations in private, which I’ve also apologised for and do again, were leaked to the press and made public where they had the potential of being misconstrued and hurt someone unnecessarily.

“My staff and I have all completed Senedd respect and conduct training, and I have actively been in contact and helped the community that is being referred to.

“I have reflected deeply on this, and I wholly accept the need to take greater care with my language at all times.”

In a statement last week, Mr Thomas said: “It has been the honour of my life to have been the leader of Reform Wales and see this party go from zero to 34 elected members and become the largest opposition group in Welsh history.

“With deep regret, I am now standing down from this position due to personal reasons.

“Over the weekend, I was reported to the police and was released without charge.

“I stress that I have done nothing wrong, but I do not want the coming headlines to be a distraction from the fantastic work our Senedd team is doing in holding this Government to account.

“I will continue to serve my constituents in Casnewydd Islwyn and will fully back whoever the group selects as its next leader.”

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage visited Cardiff on Monday to announce Ms Jenner as the new head of the party in Wales, describing recent events as a “bump in the road”.

He said: “I’ve known Helen for many, many years.

“She’s a determined campaigner, someone that I trust, and I think’s going to do a very, very good job.”