Reform chief cries ‘stitch up’ after his own party backs Llywydd appointments

Emily Price 

Reform Wales’ new chief of staff has branded the election of the Senedd’s new Llywydd and Deputy Llywydd a “Plaid-Labour stitch up” – despite most of the members of his own party backing the appointments.

Controversial Torfaen Councillor David Thomas took to X to air his frustration following the election of Deputy Welsh Labour Leader Huw Irranca-Davies and Plaid newbie Kerry Ferguson as the Senedd’s new official referees.

The troll account “Doge Wales” had published a post stating: “The new Senedd’s first act was another Plaid-Labour stitch up.

“Labour’s Huw Irranca-Davies elected Presiding Officer and Plaid’s Kerry Ferguson elected deputy. Nothing has changed.”

Sharing the post, Thomas wrote: “And so it begins.”

He later received an online backlash from commentators who branded him an “absolute sausage” for not realising that members of his own party had voted in favour of the “stitch-up”.

Afan Ogwr Rhondda MS Irranca-Davies had stood against Welsh Conservative MS Paul Davies for the position of Llywydd.

However, Paul Davies was unable to secure a second nomination from another party, including among Reform UK members.

96 Senedd Members across all parties cast a vote in the secret ballot.

Irranca-Davies won comfortably, securing 85 votes, with nine votes against and one abstention.

Support

The result meant that most of Reform’s newly elected MSs voted in favour of Welsh Labour’s deputy leader becoming the new Presiding Officer.

Plaid Cymru MS for Ceredigion Penfro, Kerry Ferguson, was elected Deputy Llywydd without challenge.

Reform UK did not nominate any of its own MSs for the two roles. It is unclear why the party did not back right-wing politician Paul Davies for the role of Llywydd.

A Welsh Conservative source accused Reform of joining forces with the “Cardiff Bay consensus” it had pledged to breakup.

The Tory source said: “Plaid Cymru and Labour have been in bed together for years – now Reform UK wants in too.

“What started as a two-way pact is turning into a full-blown throuple.”

A Reform UK insider told Nation.Cymru that concerns were already mounting over David Thomas’s new appointment and whether he was competent enough to steer his group in the Senedd.

‘Clown’

The Reform UK source said: “Thomas is already clowning around and is not able to realise his own MSs voted for this.

“It just shows he can’t tell the difference between his left and right shoes. He will destroy the Reform group in the Senedd as Chief of Staff.”

Nation.Cymru invited Thomas to answer a series of questions:

*With Huw Irranca-Davie gaining 85 votes, it’s clear that the large majority of Reform MSs voted for him to be the new Llywydd – Did you not understand how the vote worked?

*When you published your post to X, did you not realise that your own MSs had backed the two appointments?

*Why didn’t Reform nominate one of its own Senedd members for the role of Llywydd or Deputy Llywydd?

*Why did Reform choose to support Huw Irranca-Davies over a right-wing politician (Paul Davies).

*What was Reform’s strategy for electing the deputy leader of the party in power in Wales for 27 years as the new official referee of the Senedd?

*As chief of staff, did you advise Reform Senedd Members to vote in favour of Huw Irranca-Davies?

David Thomas did not respond.

Window cleaner

He has made headlines several times since defecting to Nigel Farage’s party in 2024, having previously been associated with the Labour Party, the Brexit Party and the Conservative Party, as well as serving as an Independent councillor.

Earlier this year he was removed from Cwmbran Community Council for failing to attend meetings.

In February last year, calls were made for him to resign as a councillor in Torfaen after the BBC unearthed “offensive and misogynistic” dance tracks posted online under his  music alias “DJ Dowster”.

Some of the tracks used crude and offensive language about women and included a highly derogatory slur for people with cerebral palsy.

Thomas denied the music was his, but told the BBC to continue to publish the story because “it keeps us in the limelight”.

Rivals

It was also reported that his window cleaning company Dr Squeegees had been taking down signs of his rivals and driving off with them.

One rival said they had put an air tag on one of the signs and tracked it to one of Thomas’ vehicles.

He argued the signs had been removed during a community litter pick.

The window cleaner was also caught up in a row with a supermarket chain last year.

Lidl complained after Thomas had posted pictures of himself cutting a ribbon at the opening of a new store in Cwmbran.

But the supermarket claimed no official ribbon cutting took place and no formal invitations had been issued.

Thomas later deleted the post which showed him holding a large pair of scissors.

In recent months he has served as Reform’s “regional director for Wales”.

However on May 7, before the Welsh election results were declared, Thomas updated his register of interests at Torfaen Council to show he has been elevated to the position of Reform’s chief of staff in the Senedd.

In 2021, Thomas, began referring to himself as “the bald Clarke [sic] Kent”, claiming his new glasses would help him spot “bullshit” in the Senedd.