Evangelical podcaster under fire for minimising Dan Thomas arrest
Emily Price
A Reform UK supporting podcaster has faced a sharp backlash online after posting a video minimising the arrest of Dan Thomas, claiming it happens in politics “all the time”.
Evangelical YouTuber Faith Jarvis was responding to the controversy surrounding Thomas, who stepped down as Reform’s leader in Wales after being arrested on suspicion of assault and engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour.
Gwent Police confirmed that a 45-year-old man from the Aberbargoed area was arrested at the weekend and bailed pending further enquiries.
Thomas said he was released without charge and had “done nothing wrong”.
He remains a Reform UK Member of the Senedd for Casnewydd Islwyn.
In her video, Jarvis claimed the grounds for the arrest were unknown, adding that political resignations like his were not unusual and happen “all the time”.
She said: “You may have seen that Dan Thomas has stepped down as leader of Reform in Wales.
“He was arrested on the weekend – for what we don’t know yet.
“But he said he’s done nothing wrong, but feels it is appropriate for him to stop down as leader.
“However, he will be staying on as an MS in the Senedd.
“Now, of course the media is going to make this look like way bigger than it probably is.
“But this happens all the time. Leaders step down all the time because they do something that is maybe a mistake or inappropriate, or they say something that isn’t conducive to the party politics.”
Her comments prompted criticism on social media, with users arguing that the nature of the allegations against Thomas should not be presented as routine political controversy.
One critic wrote that Jarvis had “glossed over the alleged criminality” involved in Thomas’ resignation.
They pointed out that Thomas was being investigated on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviour, adding that the latter offence relates to repeated or continuous behaviour towards a person who is personally connected to the suspect.
The same user argued that there were unanswered questions about the circumstances surrounding Thomas’s arrest and criticised Jarvis for suggesting the situation was being overblown.
Another Facebook user also challenged Jarvis’s characterisation of the controversy, pointing to the allegations against Thomas and arguing that her audience deserved to be given the full context surrounding his arrest.
The user added a pointed reference to Reform UK’s previous Welsh leader, former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Nathan Gill.
Gill was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison in November 2025 after pleading guilty to eight counts of bribery.
The offences involved accepting money in return for making pro-Russian statements while he was an MEP.
Jarvis responded to the criticism by acknowledging Gill’s criminality.
“Yeh he was a proper crook! Thank goodness hes not part of Reform anymore,” she wrote.
Turning back to Thomas, she added: “As for Dan Thomas….he is still an MS and says he has done nothing wrong. I believe in innocent until proven guilty.”
Another Facebook user described Jarvis’ remarks as “absolutely egregious” and accused the podcaster of framing the resignation as a “tiff behind the scenes” while “blatantly excusing a potentially very serious situation”.
“You should be seriously embarrassed by this post, how disgusting,” the user added.
Jarvis responded in the comments section saying: “‘On suspicion of’ by the way.
“He said he has done nothing wrong. The police have not charged him.
“Stop building a narrative with information that doesnt exist. Innocent until proven guilty.”
In another online row with a commentator who raised concerns about the safety of women, Jarvis argued that “coercive control can be used on anyone….not just someone in close relationship”.
She added: “You’ve made an assumption, which may be correct but it also may be false.
“Looks like people have been building a narrative without the full facts.”
Also appearing to minimise the controversy was Jan Walsh, chair of Reform UK’s Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly and Rhymney branch.
Thanking Jarvis for her video, Walsh described Dan’s arrest as “a dark day” but said it was “nothing which should cause people to worry”.
Bizarrely Walsh appeared to confuse Reform UK Wales with the wider party by claiming it had won a council by-election in England.
She wrote: “Amongst all the noise, Reform UK Wales won a council by-election in Bassetlaw.”
Thomas has maintained that he has done nothing wrong.
When announcing his arrest and resignation the former Conservative said he did not want the resulting headlines to become a distraction from the work of the party’s Senedd group.
Thomas was appointed as the leader of Reform in Wales by Nigel Farage in February and led the party into the May 2026 Senedd election.
Reform won 34 seats and became the largest opposition group in the Welsh Parliament.
The controversy surrounding Thomas’ arrest comes as Reform’s Welsh group faces a period of upheaval.
On the day Thomas stepped down, Reform MS Sarah Cooper-Lesadd revealed she had defected to Plaid Cymru.
Reform’s chief whip in the Senedd Llŷr Powell has said the party continues to have Nigel Farage’s “full confidence”.
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Her faith in clowns is confirmed. Her faith in God is zero.
Evangelical podcaster Faith Jarvis typifies the Christian far-right. They themselves abuse and twist their faith, and so are attracted to those like-minded, like moths to an open flame.