Investigation: Reform figures in Wales linked to far-right social media networks

Emily Price 

An investigation by Nation.Cymru has found that Reform politicians in Wales are regularly interacting with far-right social media accounts, including amplifying disturbing content and posts that target a prominent female Plaid Cymru figure with abuse.

Our investigation examined the online activity of senior Reform figures in Wales, including their interactions with prominent extremist groups and individuals.

We found that a significant number of Reform Members of the Senedd followed Facebook groups that shared racist content.

The investigation also found that some official Welsh Reform branch accounts, a Reform councillor in north Wales, and a caseworker for a senior Reform politician were following or engaging with accounts that shared such material.

Reform UK Wales deputy leader Helen Jenner is among a number of senior party figures found to be following the Swansea-based anti-migrant group Voice of Wales on Facebook.

The group is also followed by Senedd Members Iain McIntosh, Gareth Thomas, Laura Anne Jones, Joe Martin, and Catherine Cullen.

Reform’s official Blaenau Gwent Caerphilly and Rhymney branch Facebook account, the Swansea West and Gower Reform branch and the Alyn, Deeside and Wrexham branch are also following the account.

Voice of Wales has faced widespread public condemnation and platform bans for promoting racism, hate speech, and divisive anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Its founders Dan Morgan and Stan Robinson are supporters and associates of Tommy Robinson and have been described by anti-extremism organisations as far-right activists.

Morgan is a convicted fraudster who received a suspended prison sentence in 2023 for his role in a call centre fraud scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable people.

In recent weeks, he was removed from a Lush cosmetics store in Swansea after entering the premises and challenging two young staff members over posters displayed in the window that stated: “Migrants are blamed to distract you”.

Abusive

Voice of Wales’ YouTube channel was removed in 2021 after it repeatedly violated the platform’s policies regarding hate speech and abusive content.

The group’s Facebook account is now one of its most active platforms for daily engagement.

A senior Reform party official previously told Nation.Cymru that Reform figures in Wales had been advised against engaging with Voice of Wales or any individuals associated with founder of the English Defence League, Tommy Robinson.

However, our investigation found evidence that the warning was not being heeded.

Martin Roberts, the caseworker for Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr MS Jason O’Connell, has regularly interacted with Voice of Wales through his official Facebook account as Reform’s Merthyr and Pontypridd campaign coordinator.

Mr Roberts was Reform UK’s fourth-placed candidate in Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr at the recent Welsh election, but failed to secure a seat in the Senedd.

This week, he liked several posts published by Voice of Wales, including comments targeting Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood.

One such comment described the former party leader as a “crackhead”.

Mr Roberts also liked a Voice of Wales video which featured convicted fraudster Dan Morgan calling for the “reversing of Islamification” and the reintroduction of the death penalty.

The same video was liked by Reform Flintshire county councillor, Kristian Salkeld.

Reform UK’s official Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd Facebook account has also interacted with Voice of Wales, adding a thumbs up emoji to a post which referred to several Plaid Cymru Mss as “the goon squad” and Leanne Wood as a “has been”.

Martin Roberts also added a laughing emoji to this post.

Sir Fynwy Torfaen MS Laura Anne Jones added a thumbs up emoji to a post by Voice of Wales claiming that unless British voters woke up, it would be “too late” for the UK.

The former Welsh Conservative also liked a post by the hate group which referred to the Green Party as “goblins”.

Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd MS Iain McIntosh has also engaged with Voice of Wales online, liking a post which claimed that under Leanne Wood’s advise, Plaid Cymru would “destroy Wales”.

Reform’s Blaenau Gwent Caerphilly and Rhymney branch Facebook account added a thumbs up emoji to a Voice of Wales post which claimed that “Irish women and girls” had become “prey” to migrant men sent by the European Union.

Disturbing

Last week, Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni MS Catherine Cullen shared a post from Voice of Wales on her official Senedd Member Facebook account.

The post featured a screenshot of a separate post by Reform’s Llyr Powell and included Voice of Wales commentary supporting its message.

This post was also endorsed by Laura Anne Jones and Caerdydd Penarth MS Joe Martin.

Nation.Cymru found that MS Steve Bayliss follows several Facebook pages that focuse on far-right content, including a page called “Resurgence News”.

This week, the page published a disturbing video showing a man it described as a “lefty drip” being verbally abused and threatened by another man.

Another video shared by the page showed intimate footage of a white Welsh woman kissing an Asian man in bed.

The accompanying post appeared to suggest that the man’s relationship with the woman was motivated by a desire to obtain a passport.

The Resurgence News page also shares regular abusive posts mocking gay people.

Mr Bayliss also follows several Facebook pages focused on parental alienation, which regularly share posts portraying separated parents as being deliberately cut off from their children by former partners and encouraging the view that children are being used as tools in relationship disputes.

Bizarrely, Mr Bayliss also follows Nathan Gill on Facebook, despite the former Reform Wales leader currently serving a lengthy prison sentence for bribery offences involving payments linked to pro-Russian interests.

Our investigation found that several of Reform’s branch pages follow Faith Jarvis, a Welsh evangelical podcaster who has faced public criticism for hosting sympathetic interviews with controversial far-right and nationalist figures.

She has previously interviewed Voice of Wales’ Dan Morgan and in recent days has offered a platform to controversial Restore Britain Councillor Owain Clatworthy.

Extreme

In a video uploaded to YouTube last week, Jarvis spoke against same sex marriage and blamed the late Queen for “illegal immigration”.

Reform MS Catherine Cullen follows Jarvis on Facebook and on July 22 she shared a clip of the podcaster interviewing Reform’s Hengoed by-election candidate Kimberly Heath.

When Owain Clatworthy defected to Restore Britain several months ago, he told Nation.Cymru that his dissatisfaction with Reform UK was partly due to warnings from senior party officials advising him not to engage with Faith Jarvis.

Nation.Cymru asked Reform UK whether that guidance was still in place. The party did not respond.

We handed the findings of our investigation to Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood and the Green Party.

Plaid Cymru MS Carrie Harper said: “Reform’s own leader, Nigel Farage, has repeatedly spoken about the abuse he has received online.

“But it’s hard to ignore the hypocrisy when his party’s own elected representatives are actively sharing and engaging with offensive content directed at others.

“The fact that the founders of these groups, which are designed to spread hate online, are supporters of the likes of Tommy Robinson and other far-right figures tells us everything we need to know.

“Everyone in public life has a responsibility to act with integrity and treat others with respect, regardless of political differences.

“There is absolutely no place for this kind of despicable language or the targeting of individuals and groups in our communities, which only deepens division in our society.”

Leanne Wood said: “It’s been clear to me for some time that high-profile Reform UK supporters and its politicians provide cover for, and lend credibility to, even more extreme right-wing views, figures and activities.

“Far right activity on social media is based on misinformation and false slurs, contributing to narratives that other and punch down on people in minority communities and women and demonise their political opponents.

“I have been urging the powers-that-be for years to take this online activity and their in-person gatherings more seriously, and for more people to speak out against the far right in all of its forms.

“It’s all given way too much of a free pass and it’s deeply dangerous.”

‘Hateful’

Leader of the Wales Green Party Anthony Slaughter said: “It is deeply concerning to learn that elected Members of our Senedd, and at various levels of elected authority, may have been interacting with and endorsing hateful and offensive messaging on social media.

“There is no place in Welsh democracy for hatred or bullying, and Senedd Members should be the ones to uphold this principle to the highest standard.

“Any instance of a Member engaging in harmful and hateful content should be taken seriously and investigated by the Senedd Commissioner for Standards.

“Wales will not be made better by hate, exclusion and discrimination, but by returning to its roots in compassion, neighbourliness and cymuned.”

Reform UK was invited to comment but did not respond.

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