Reform MS mocked for offering help over car fire outside his constituency

Emily Price

A Reform Member of the Senedd has been mocked after urging constituents affected by a fire to contact him, despite the incident taking place outside his constituency and involving just one car.

Casnewydd Islwyn MS Art Wright published a post to X on Tuesday (November 4) sharing a news article by the South Wales Argus that reported how crews had rushed to the scene of a fire on a Gwent road.

Rumours of a “big fire” were later shared in a community Facebook group.

But the Argus’s article detailed how South Wales Fire and Rescue had confirmed the blaze involved just “one private motor vehicle.”

Captioning the article, Wright wrote: “For any of my constituents who may have been affected by this fire please contact [email protected] if you need any assistance.”

The Reform MS also shared his appeal for constituents affected by the fire to contact him on Facebook.

However, the article shared by the Reform MS explained that the fire had happened on Mountain Road in Bedwas.

The road runs through several postcodes in the Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni Senedd constituency, none of which fall within Wright’s own constituency of Casnewydd Islwyn.

A political source in the Senedd said: “Perhaps Reform could use some of its dodgy donations to buy Art Wright a map of his constituency so he can work out where it is he actually represents.

“But then again this just perfectly sums up the calibre of Reform’s politicians in the Senedd. They haven’t got a clue what they are doing.

“You’ve really got to feel for the people of Newport and Islwyn having Reform representatives like Art and former leader Dan Thomas.

“If I was a constituent of theirs, I’d be feeling pretty shortchanged and demanding a refund.”

Wright is not from the area he represents in Wales’ parliament.

He was born in Colwyn Bay in north Wales and later moved with his family to Birmingham which he describes as the “formative city of his youth”.

Wright later joined the Army, where he served for 20 years, before moving abroad after, by his own admission, nobody in the UK considered him “worthy of employing”.

After ten years away from the UK, Wright moved back to Wales ahead of the Senedd election in May.

Shortly after winning his seat under Reform’s banner, he made several embarrassing blunders, including urging his constituents to sign a Labour Party petition.

It came after Wright appeared confused about how to ask a question during the Senedd’s Plenary proceedings.

In June, when the Reform MS was due to ask Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams a supplementary question, he instead read a brief sentence from a piece of paper before quickly sitting down.