Reform defector suggests the party could back the abolition of the Senedd
Martin Shipton
Laura Anne Jones, the former Tory Senedd Member who recently defected to Reform UK, has dropped a bombshell by suggesting that Reform could change its position to one where it supports the abolition of the Senedd.
During a speech at Reform’s Autumn conference in Birmingham, the South Wales East MS said: “We need to try and make the Senedd work for the people of Wales, but if it doesn’t we need to question whether the Senedd is really adding value to Wales.”
Her comment is at odds with previous statements made by party leader Nigel Farage, who when asked about the question of abolition has consistently said that was a settled matter from the past and that Reform would accept the Senedd and work within it for the good of Wales.
‘No room for this’
Mr Farage recently told ITV: “There is no room for this. We are seeing devolution across much of England now as well. It’s time that everybody here in Wales accepts it.”
Speaking to BBC Wales after her speech, Ms Jones said the Senedd was not ‘working for the whole of Wales’ currently.
“So if it gets to a point where we, not even us, can make it work for Wales, then we have to question why it’s there.”
When it was put to her that she was questioning whether the Senedd should exist, she added: “In the future”.
Referendum
She denied she was calling for a referendum, but added: “As a party we are not ruling anything out.
“If you lived in Wales would you like to see it carry on if its not working for Wales?
“We want to make the Senedd work for the people of Wales first. That’s our priority.”
Nigel Farage has previously said he would not allow anti-devolution candidates to stand.
When it was put to Ms Jones that her position was at odds with Mr Farage’s position , she said: “Nigel Farage doesn’t live in Wales, does he? I adore him. He’s fantastic, [I] can’t wait for him to be prime minister.”
Attendees applauded Reform MS Laura Anne Jones at the party’s conference this afternoon when she hinted at Reform Wales taking on an abolish the Senedd stance. pic.twitter.com/A46C1RWBf9
— Emily Price (@EPriceJourno) September 5, 2025
While Ms Jones’ comments could be seen as a bid to shore up support for Reform among the hard-core minority who want to see the Senedd abolished, they are likely to cause embarrassment for the party in the run-up to next May’s Senedd election.
Reform will be seeking votes on the basis that its policies will improve prosperity in Wales, and that a Reform government would be able to deliver tangible improvements.
But opposition parties are likely to argue that if Ms Jones’ comments are taken seriously, there must be no confidence among senior Reform figures that they can make Wales a better place and that the party’s election promises should therefore be regarded as worthless.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Why stop with the Senedd and Welsh language, abolish Wales and decimate the country with fracking.
This is a wake up call. I have no time for Ms Jones and remain convinced that a different model of devolution is the way forward. But equally there are many more people out there who are very disappointed with the lack of results over 26 years. The anti devolutionists remain a minority; but not quite the “hardcore minority” of 10-15 years ago in my view. Clock ticking?
As a Scot I think Wales has had it’s hands tied behind its back over the 26 years. You’ve been shafted by Barnett and all of us (up here too) have been shafted by a series of incompetent WM governments. How can the UK never mind Scotland be so much in debt when it had all that oil? Answer, they wasted it. The used it to finance closing down our textiles and heavy industries – right across the UK. Every government since Thatcher has been Thatcherite. Wales, even more so than Scotland has had an economic kicking as a result.… Read more »
A valid argument in part; but I disagree on two points. First, Scotland hasn’t been shafted by Barnett. It has done very nicely out of it and that is the main reason why it’s never been replaced. Westminster being fearful of fuelling independence. Second, Wales didn’t have its hands tied behind its back for the first half of the devolution period at least. Instead we lacked politicians with vision and grit like Salmond and Sturgeon (although both had faults).
Most of the policies that Cymru needs to govern effectively are still in the hands of Westminster. Most crucially comprehensive tax raising powers. Yes, past Senedd governments could have done more but without a doubt they were certainly held back by financial and political constraints.
Wynn’s post says only Wales was shafted by Barnett and everyone was shafted by incompetent Westminster governments. You can still disagree
Fair point; but I stand by the argument that Barnett hasn’t been reformed because of the inevitable negative consequences for Scotland.
If hands are not tied why refuse to devolve APD?
Awesome. They’ll get rid of your government as well as your human rights. Consider yourselves warned, all of you who have forgotten Brexit, and all of you thinking of voting for these absolute grifting charlatans.
Far right dont like people with power. If farage is in No10 then wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland lose control.
Ex-Tory Laura Anne Jones, now a Reform MS, asks: “would you like the Senedd to carry on if it’s not working for Wales?” “Is the UK Parliament working for Wales?” is a much more pertinent question. The abundant evidence available since the conquest (1282AD) proves that the answer is a very emphatic NO. One prime example is the GDP per Capita for the UK countries: England £37k, Scotland £34k, Northern Ireland £30k, Wales £27k. This bottom position for Wales is virtually certain to prevail in perpetuity while it is a member of the UK.
Senedd is excellent representation for Wales. It has better communication links with the Welsh people than we have with Westminster. It is ambitious, green and friendly. Deform will annihilate Wales, Welsh language and being Welsh with their policies.
North East England is now at the bottom of the GDP per capita table.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/bulletins/regionaleconomicactivitybygrossdomesticproductuk/1998to2023
The UK gov only works for London (£69k) and the Home Counties (£41k).
But the north east of England isn’t a country?
In economics it’s where you pay your taxes to that matters.
Excellent points, Gwyn Hopkins – for Wales to vote Reform would be like turkeys voting for Christmas. Reform has no stakeholder input into Welsh problems. Apart from immigration, it has no message whatever to offer, only a ragbag of random uncosted promises. It is essentially a Union Jack party, on which banner of course there is no sign of the Welsh dragon. It is of course as you will have noticed anti-Welsh, its foundations are rooted in a sentimental attachment to a faded Empire of which a Great Britain undivided is at the centre of its power The same sentimental… Read more »
Anyone lucky enough to sit through all the speeches at the Nuremberg rally tomorrow here’s the buzzword bingo card to keep you awake.
Confirms what most of us already suspect. The treacherous Quislings of Reform UK world happily get rid of our parliament, our language, our national sports teams, and anything else that sets us apart from England. I think it would be a much better idea if we abolished Reform UK instead!!
Reform UK , the mask has slipped revealing your true face. And duw what an ugly one it is too. Thank you. You are the enemy of Wales and Welsh democracy. We have suffered 28 years of the Conservative, Ukip, Brexit party attacks , and now Reform UK, who each and every Senedd election like a stuck record call for the abolition of our Senedd Cymru. After the Brexit referendum in 2016, the very same patronising little England hypocrites argued with glee that Remoaners (Remainers) lost and should accept the will of the 52.5%. Oh but these clowns never have… Read more »
It sounds very much like Reform’s stance depends on them winning the election next year. If they don’t win, they’ll campaign to abolish the Senedd. In other words, they only respect Welsh democracy when it goes their way. I’ve said this quite a few times before but it still needs saying: the problem is not the Senedd, the problem is Labour. Blaming devolution as a whole gets Labour off the hook. Furthermore, using genuine concerns about Labour’s poor record to pursue an anti-Welsh agenda is disingenuous. And yes, it is anti-Welsh: are they also proposing to abolish the Scottish Parliament… Read more »
Nigel Farage launched his Reform manifesto in South Wales. There can only be one reason for that and it had nothing to do with “stopping the boats”, because Wales does not have a significant proportion of asylum seekers. They are mostly housed in England and it’s England they want to go to.
He did it because he wants a majority in the Senedd to be able to destroy it from within.
Despite his talk that devolution is “here to stay”, the mask has slipped.
Presumably we abolish the Westminster parliament because it isn’t working for the people of these islands?
Be careful. Farage &Co would do away with parliament as we know it and run things from his private office with a cluster of hangers-on.
Well, well.. Didn’t take long to reveal their true colours, did it? And of course, they will find “evidence” to justify why it “needs” to be abolished.
They are laughing because he has just told her that voters are like sheep to the slaughter.
Ultimately, Reform can not be trusted, the very future of our country is at risk. It’s increasingly important that the people of Cymru fully understand this before next May.
Nothing new here, Farage has never supported Devolution whatever scam he has been the front man for, the question is why is it always Wales, I’ve never heard Scotland mentioned?
He’s scared of Scotland.
Unfortunately I think Wales is seen as an easy target, unfortunately there are plenty of residents of Wales willing to hand power back to the English, you only have to look through these replies.
It’s more primordial than rational strategy.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25156510
“‘Memories’ pass between generations”
Past traumas of Germanic ancestors butchered by Vikings and humiliated by indigenous Britons that refused to be assimilated, passed on to future generations. Explains his love of all things German too.
Let’s translate Laura Anne Jones’ words – unless Wales chooses a far-right Reform UK government then we will ban Wales from choosing and having a government in the future. Wow so much for democracy.
The minority Labour Party in Wales , not the Welsh Labour Party are distancing themselves from the Labour Party in the UK , I can’t imagine why .
Many are standing down before next year , and age is an excuse for a few of them. They have their priorities on major issues topsy turvy for quite a few years , and put their hands up to blame
other factors in their excuses.
Not a fact of too little too late , but just too late.
Scary times. People calling for Wales to lose its democracy are on very dangerous ground.
Perhaps it’s time for the more sensible people out there to put a stop to this before defence of Wales needs to be a thing.
The Abolish Wales party.
If Reform gain the Senedd (but don’t gain the Scottish Parliament), then it would not surprise me to see if they will try and then somehow leverage the promise to abolish the Senedd in the following UK elections by promising the abolition of the Scottish Parliament in turn – just get the ‘patriotic blood up’ with the electorate, and gain the votes as a stepping stone to the full UK parliament. Create division purely for the sake of power along the way … and power centralised in that one place i.e. Westminster. To deploy populism which goes with the direction… Read more »
I think things could get really nasty if people keep flirting with abolition. Let’s be honest such a hypothetical referendum would not happen until the 2030s at the earliest, assuming that Reform do win power in 2029. By then the 1997 vote will be nearly 40 years old, and many of those still bitter about that result will no longer be around, replaced by a younger generation who’ve only ever known devolution. That makes abolition basically unwinnable. But that doesn’t mean we can be complacent. If it were ever forced through, it would be on the slimmest of margins, and… Read more »
For many reasons I really dislike Farage abd is Party.
‘England knows what’s best for you workshy race of peasant scum. Vote for us.’