Reform candidate used untaxed van to campaign in Cardiff

Emily Price 

A high-profile Reform UK Senedd election candidate has been labelled a “grifter” after using an untaxed van emblazoned with party slogans to promote his campaign in Cardiff.

Mark Reckless, Reform’s second candidate in Caerdydd Penarth, shared a photo on X on Sunday (May 3) showing himself and supporters standing beside a white Vauxhall van plastered with party messaging.

Captioning the image, he wrote: “Out and about in Ely and Caerau in Cardiff today with the Reform bus.”

However, a check of the You.Gov vehicle database showed that the van is currently untaxed, with its tax having expired on March 1, 2026.

A further check revealed the van is also subject to an outstanding vehicle recall, suggesting the manufacturer has identified a potential safety-critical defect.

Under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 it is illegal to drive an untaxed car on a public road in the UK.

The DVLA conducts monthly computer checks and if a vehicle is flagged as untaxed the registered owner will receive an automated fine of £80.

Police and DVLA enforcement teams use automatic number plate recognition cameras to spot untaxed vehicles.

If caught, the car can be clamped, towed, or impounded on the spot.

Failure to pay the initial fine can lead to prosecution, with court-ordered fines potentially reaching £1,000 or five times the amount of tax owed, whichever is greater.

DVLA was invited to comment.

Reform UK says the van “doesn’t belong to Reform”.

Controversial

A Welsh Conservative source branded Reckless and his supporters “grifters”.

They said: “Whether it’s Farage pocketing a secret £5m personal donation, his deputy setting himself up in Dubai, or even taxing their own vehicles, Reform seem to have a real problem with paying tax.

“Patriots pay their taxes, grifters avoid them.”

A Welsh Labour source said: “If they can’t even be bothered to make sure their vehicles are legal, how do they expect to run a government?

“Clearly they’re so busy trying to fool voters into thinking they’re a credible option for Wales, that it’s slipped their minds.”

Reckless has gained a contentious reputation over the years after repeatedly changing his political allegiance.

Defections

He has served in a string of roles across multiple parties – as a Conservative MP, a UKIP MP, a UKIP MS, a Welsh Conservative MS, a Brexit Party MS, and later as an MS for the Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party.

His career has also been marked by a number of controversies.

In 2010, while serving as an MP for Kent, he apologised after being drunk in the House of Commons and missing a key Budget vote.

Ahead of the Rochester by-election in November 2014, he was accused of using “language of forced repatriation” when he suggested that a Polish plumber might only be allowed to stay for a fixed period if the UK left the European Union.

That same year, former Conservative colleagues sued Reckless over nearly £3,000 spent on campaign materials bearing his name, which were ordered shortly before his defection.

After winning a seat as a UKIP Assembly Member in 2017, Reckless was welcomed to the Welsh Conservative group by then leader Andrew RT Davies leading to accusations of dishonourable behaviour from former UKIP colleagues and some Tory colleagues.