Outrage as Reform UK set to hire Westminster based Wales policy advisor
Emily Price
Reform UK has been accused of allowing “anonymous faces in London” to make decisions about Wales after a job advertisement revealed the party is hiring a Westminster based advisor to help shape Welsh policies.
Nation.Cymru found that the party – led by Clacton MP Nigel Farage – is advertising a £72,000 a year role on hiring platforms such as Greenhouse and Adzuna.
We also found a listing on the student learning app Study Smarter that advertised the role as “part time” with a salary range of £36,000 to £60,000.
The successful applicant will have the “exciting opportunity” to work on the 2026 Senedd election with a team that “influences the future of Welsh politics”.
But the listings state that Reform’s “Wales Policy Advisor” will be based in “Westminster, England” with one ad stating that there will be “no home office possible” – indicating that working from home is not an option.
Key responsibilities include “drafting and developing policy proposals for inclusion in devolved manifestos” and “tracking political, legislative and public opinion trends across devolved nations to inform policy direction”.
The essential skills required include a “good understanding of Welsh and UK political structures” and “a genuine alignment with Reform UK’s mission and values.”
On advertisement states: “Reform UK is looking for a proactive, passionate and detail-driven policy advisor to help shape bold, evidence-based policies for Wales and beyond.
“This is an exciting opportunity to make a real impact, contributing directly to Reform UK’s manifesto for the 2026 Welsh Parliament elections, while also supporting our wider policy development efforts across the UK.
“If you care about public policy, believe in common-sense reform, and want your work to help change the direction of the country, then this role is for you.”
‘Stepping stone’
Plaid Cymru accused Reform of seeing Wales as “nothing more than a stepping stone to get Farage into no.10 Downing Street”.
A Plaid spokesperson said: “They simply don’t care about us – they’ve already shown complete disrespect to our language, and they’ve even said they’d silence our voice by considering scrapping the Senedd.
“This job advert shows yet again that they’ll only ever view Wales through a Westminster lens.”
Welsh Labour issued a similar jibe with one source saying: “We already know that Farage is the one pulling the strings when it comes to Reform in Wales.
“Reform don’t care about Wales and this is just further evidence of using Wales as a stepping stone to get Farage into number 10.”
‘Anonymous’
The Liberal Democrats warned that a vote for Reform would see anonymous faces in London make decisions about Wales.
A Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson said: “It’s perhaps no surprise that, after flying in their leader from London, they are also choosing to base their Welsh staff in London.
“It’s clear a vote for Reform is a vote to continue to have decisions about Wales made by anonymous faces in the South East of England instead of those people based in their local communities.”
‘Foreign speakers’
Reform UK is expected to be a major contender in the Senedd election on May 7 with recent polls predicting the party is almost neck-and-neck with Plaid Cymru.
Reform faced criticism last month when Farage announced former Tory London councillor Dan Thomas as the new leader of the party in Wales.
Farage’s opinion of Wales was questioned again in recent days when The Guardian revealed he had branded Welsh people as “foreign speakers” in a paid-for Cameo video.
Nation.Cymru asked Reform UK why their new Wales policy advisor would be based in England and not in Wales. We did not receive a response.
Additional research by Hayley Jones.
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Don’t be outraged let the electorate decide at the ballot box.
You know his will only line the pockets of the people that bought him. NHS will be sold off, green energy projects stopped, you know the ones we need because of his friends rampage in Iran. Same sex marriage will be attacked, vaccinations gone, and judging by the councils that are floundering, we will need a decade or two to recover. That and all the race hate. If you ever get them out because fascists don’t like losing power. Oh, and the ask for evidence based policies in the job description. Farage makes stuff up as he goes along, his… Read more »
My experience of politicians who banged on about evidence based policy making was that they generally wanted me to provide evidence to bolster their precooked opinions.
Politicians who actually consulted evidence in order to make decisions just asked for what we knew, interrogated us about it and were prepared to adapt if new evidence turned up,
They didn’t declaim slogans as though they were the first people ever to hear about this wonderful new political weapon called evidence.
When did this ad first appear? If it has only just come out then surely it’s late in the day? Shows how serious they are about winning seats here in Cymru!