Beth Winter faces backlash online after sharing fundraiser for her election campaign
Ella Groves
A Community Independent candidate for a south Wales valleys constituency has faced considerable backlash after sharing a link to a fundraiser for her Senedd election campaign on social media.
Beth Winter, a former Welsh Labour MP and more recently a member of Your Party, announced this month that she will be standing as a Community Independent for the Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr constituency.
Ms Winter previously represented Cynon Valley from 2019 until the constituency disappeared in 2024.
Boundary changes resulted in the abolition of her seat before she then lost a selection battle to Gerald Jones to become the Labour candidate for the new parliamentary seat of Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare.
In July 2025, Ms Winter announced her support for the newly formed Your Party, co-founded by Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn.
However, in early 2026 Ms Winter told Nation Cymru that she was no longer a member of the party.
She has since announced her intentions to run as a Community Independent candidate in the Senedd elections in May.
In her statement she said: “My heart and soul lie in these Valleys. It is my home – I grew up here, I still live here with my family, and after much thought, I’ve decided to stand in the upcoming Senedd election as a Community Independent candidate for Pontypridd, Cynon and Merthyr.”
Yet, Ms Winter is now facing some backlash online having shared a fundraiser for her election campaign on her social media.
GoFundMe
The GoFundMe page reads: “Hi. My name is Julia Silezin. I am Beth’s agent for her Senedd election campaign. I’m raising funds for the campaign. Any unused funds will be donated to local food banks. To donate, you must be registered to vote in the UK. We may need to contact you to verify this information.”
Many commenters on the Facebook post where she shared the GoFundMe link expressed disbelief at her “cheek” for asking supporters to fund her campaign.
Referring to the statement that any funds left over from the election campaign will be donated to local food banks, one commenter said: “Unbelievable – foodbanks first…The privileged and rich can look after themselves.”
Other commenters drew attention to her previous role as an MP, with one saying: “She was on 80k/90k for 5+ years as an MP surely she can afford 3.5k.”
Another added: “lowest of low. 90k plus for years as mp and huge expenses. Wants back on gravy train makes you puke”
However some have expressed support for Ms Winter and her campaign wishing her good luck on social media, with the fundraiser having already made over £5,000 and nearing the £6000 goal.
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So, the Welsh Labour party machine is now in full attack mode…at a socialist with a proven commitment and political integrity? Who would of guessed!
The backlash has come from Farijbots. Where is the backlash for him appearing to buy the Prime Ministership with a bottomless pit of ghosted away taxpayers’ money stored securely away from its’ owners in tax dodging offshore accounts?
Getting funded is part of democracy. It’s not about how much you have in the bank.
Yeah you’ve got to raise an eyebrow about any supposed backlash here. Asking supporters to fund campaigns is, after voting, the thing that all candidates want most. The criticism makes no sense except coming from people who are already hostile for one reason or another.