‘Criminality, bribery and general treachery’: Council’s Conservative leader criticises Reform UK

A council group leader who hopes to be elected to the Senedd used a meeting to highlight Reform UK’s former Welsh leader’s criminal conviction.  

Councillor Richard John, who leads the opposition Conservative group on Monmouthshire County Council, said he wanted to raise the expected announcement of a leader for Reform UK in Wales at the authority’s January meeting. 

After the chairman had made his opening remarks, Cllr John said that part of the meting is sometimes used “to send our good wishes to Welsh party leaders for various reasons” and noted it is expected Reform UK will announce a Welsh leader. 

The party doesn’t currently have a leader in Wales, and its only Senedd Member is the South Wales East MS, Laura Anne Jones, who defected from the Conservatives last July.

At the 2021 Senedd election Reform were led by Nathan Gill who has since been jailed over a Russian bribery plot.

Gill had been elected to the European Parliament for the Brexit Party in 2019, having previously represented UKIP in the parliament from 2014. He was announced as UKIP leader in Wales by Nigel Farage ahead of the 2016 Welsh Assembly elections, when he and six other UKIP candidates were elected to Cardiff Bay.

Cllr John said: “Any day now we are expecting Reform UK to announce a successor to Nathan Gill the disgraced former leader of Reform UK in Wales who used to represent Monmouthshire in the European Parliament. 

“It was during that time he accepted tens of thousands of pounds in illegal bribes from the Russians and now spending ten and a half years in prison.

“But I think it would be appropriate for us to note the impending appointment of Nathan Gill’s successor and, while I’d stop short of wishing Nathan Gill’s successor well, perhaps it would be appropriate for us as a chamber to send our congratulations to Nathan Gill’s successor.

“I think I probably speak for all members in this chamber that we would wish to send Nathan Gill’s successor our hopes that they won’t engage in the criminality and bribery and general treachery that their immediate predecessor did as leader of Reform UK in Wales.” 

Council chairman, Labour’s Peter Strong, laughed before saying: “I don’t quite know how to respond.” 

To laughter he said: “I will allow councillors to keep their own counsel on that maybe.” 

Gill was jailed for ten-and-a-half years in November, after he admitted taking bribes to help pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine while he was a member of the European Parliament. He admitted eight bribery charges. 

He is thought to have received up to £40,000 to make statements on Ukrainian television in favour of a pro-Russian politician, who was facing treason proceedings. 

Following his sentencing, Reform UK said its former Welsh leader’s actions were “reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable”. 

Reform Wales said: “Everyone in Wales is appalled by Nathan Gill’s treacherous behaviour. We look forward to Richard John campaigning to join the Tory Senedd group led by a man who resigned as chief whip in disgrace after allegations of boozy covid breaches.”

Tory Senedd leader Darren Millar resigned as chief whip, in 2021, after he and three other MSs were seen drinking in December 2020 on the parliamentary estate during a Covid pub alcohol ban.

Cllr John is the second placed candidate on the Conservative list for the new Senedd seat of Sir Fynwy Torfaen.  

While Reform only has one community council seat in Monmouthshire, it has a four member group on Torfaen Borough Council, and polls suggest both Labour and the Conservatives are vulnerable to the party in the new combined constituency at May’s Senedd election.