Reform chair’s Palestine and Pride support at odds with party stance

Emily Price 

A Reform UK branch chair is facing questions over her political views after posts emerged showing her support for Palestine and LGBTQ+ causes, appearing to put her at odds with her party’s stance.

On Tuesday (August 11), Nation.Cymru reported how Jan Walsh, Chair of the Reform UK Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly and Rhymney branch, had made what were described as “completely false” claims on social media that Plaid Cymru volunteers were attempting to collect voters’ data at polling stations during a key by-election.

Following the publication of our story, several sources contacted us describing Ms Walsh as a “hypocrite” and pointing to a number of left-leaning views she holds that appear to be at odds with her party’s political stance.

One source sent us several screenshots from Ms Walsh’s Facebook page showing that, before joining Reform UK, she had expressed support for Palestine and LGBTQ+ causes.

In 2022, Ms Walsh shared a number of posts on both her personal Facebook page and the Facebook page for her Newport business, Belle Vue Tea Rooms, promoting the business’s participation in a Pride celebration.

One post showed that the event was sponsored by the Welsh Government and Newport City Council, with promotional material shared by the Reform branch chair featuring the council’s official logo in LGBTQ+ colours.

Sharing the advertisement, Ms Walsh’s business page wrote: “Whoop whoop, we can’t wait”.

Ms Walsh herself shared a separate rainbow coloured advertisement, which included colours representing the transgender community, on her personal Facebook page with the comment: “Woooooo.”

Reform UK says that local authorities and public bodies should not fund, promote or fly flags associated with Pride or other identity-based political movements, with Nigel Farage arguing that there is “no place” for local government to promote Pride events in the UK.

Other posts published by Ms Walsh to Facebook appeared to show her support for the Palestinian people amid the ongoing war in Gaza, which escalated following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

In a Facebook post published in November 2024, the branch chair appeared angry and critical of the US for vetoing international action against Israel.

Ms Walsh wrote: “Another dark day for the UK as one vote (US) vetoes strong action to complete Israel to stop the annihilation of Palestinian people.”

Ms Walsh also expressed anti-Trump views, in one post saying it was a “strange time” with him “in the dock”.

In another post, the branch chair indicated that she did not want Britain to follow the US into the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, adding that Israel “has a lot to answer for”.

Ms Walsh wrote: “I am pondering the morning’s news on a growing conflict in Israel/Iran/West Bank.

“My view is that if the US choose to prop up that war then it should not automatically follow that we say how high when they say jump!

“How many more conflicts and tensions can the UK sustain when at home we are faced with significant health, economic and identity struggles.

“I do understand the implication to the rest of the world if this conflict escalates but having read background and historical detail there is a lot Israel has to answer for.”

In February 2026, the United States and Israel attacked Iran killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and targeting nuclear and military infrastructure.

The UK later agreed to a US request to use British military bases for “defensive” strikes on Iranian missile sites. Nigel Farage said the decision was “better late than never”.

In another Facebook post published in May 2024, Ms Walsh suggested that her support for Nigel Farage was unusual, saying it was the first time she had agreed with him.

She wrote: “For once I agree with Farage. Why would UK Govt sign away control over our response to health scares to WHO????

“A non elected entity. Have we not learned from Covid?”

There is no publicly available record confirming the exact date or month Ms Walsh became the Chair of Reform UK’s Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly and Rhymney branch.

However, less than a year after saying she had agreed with Nigel Farage only once, Ms Walsh had become heavily involved in campaigning for Reform UK, taking part in the party’s failed by-election bid in Caerphilly following the death of Labour’s Hefin David.

One Reform UK source questioned Ms Walsh’s apparent shift from what they described as “left/liberal views” to supporting a right-wing political party, suggesting that her change in political allegiance could may have been “opportunistic”.

Nation.Cymru pressed Ms Walsh on her previous Facebook posts and asked what prompted her to join Reform UK.

In response, she asked Nation.Cymru to reveal the names of the sources that had raised concerns about her shift in political beliefs.

We explained that he have an ethical duty to protect the confidentiality of our sources, and therefor cannot disclose the identities of those who had contacted us.

Nation.Cymru gave Ms Walsh a further opportunity to address her apparent shift from expressing pro-Palestinian and pro-LGBTQ+ views in 2024 to becoming, a year later, a branch chair for a party whose positions on these issues differ from those views.

She did not respond.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.