Reform mocked as third of MSs back attack on their own manifesto

Emily Price

Reform has been accused of having “no idea” what they are doing after a third of its Senedd Members backed a motion that attacked their own party’s manifesto.

Reform tabled a debate on Wednesday (June 11) which called on the new Plaid Welsh Government to publish the full costings and a timetable for the introduction of its flagship childcare offer within their first 100 days in government.

Reform warned that the cost of policy — which would provide 20 hours of universal childcare a week for children aged between nine months and four years — could rise well beyond £400 million.

Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams said the motion was “not genuine policy scrutiny”, but “deflection dressed up to sound like seriousness”.

Reform MSs laughed and heckled as Plaid’s Keira Marshall raised comments made by a Reform candidate who claimed that expanding funded childcare would cause abuse in nurseries to “skyrocket” and leave mothers wishing they had “looked after their babies themselves”.

Ms Marshal’, a new mother herself, told the Chamber that Reform didn’t want people like her in Wales’ Parliament.

She said: “What we’ve heard today is not really a debate about affordability.

“It’s a debate about whether Reform believe that childcare should exist in a way that allows both parents to work.”

Complaint

Reform’s James Evans later complained to the Presiding Officer that Ms Marshall had deliberately misled the Senedd on the nature of his party’s motion.

However, Llywydd Huw Irranca-Davies disregarded Evans’ claim, saying disagreements during debates were a “normal part of parliamentary proceedings”.

Reform’s Llyr Powell argued his party’s motion had been tabled to provide effective scrutiny of government spending.

He said: “This motion here is simply about providing the Government an opportunity to give their numbers to the Senedd.

“It’s not here to debate the childcare policy today. I’m sure we will have time on that.”

Vote

Reform’s motion was voted down and an amended Plaid motion was voted through 61 votes to 29 against with 1 abstention.

The amendment included a point which criticised Reform’s lack of commitments to childcare.

Reform’s higher profile Senedd Members – such as leader Dan Thomas, James Evans, Laura Anne Jones, Jason O’ Connell and Chief Whip Llyr Powell – voted against the final motion.

However, 11 Reform MSs supported the final motion which began by noting that, “Reform UK had no commitments on childcare in its Welsh manifesto”.

The Reform politicians that voted in favour of the amendment which attacked their own party were: Andrew Griffin, Art Wright, Carmelo Colasanto, David Mills, Gareth Thomas, Iain McIntosh, John Clark, Nigel Williams, Paul Marr, Steve Bayliss and Steven Rodaway.

Nation.Cymru asked Iain McIntosh why he and his colleagues supported the motion, and whether their backing reflected a strategy or confusion.

We did not receive a response.

Despite both Reform and Plaid’s motions receiving Tory support, Reform lashed out at the Welsh Conservatives after the debate, publishing an edited image to social media showing leader Darren Millar in bed with First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Conservative MS Sam Rowlands took aim at Reform, welcoming the fact that 11 of the party’s MSs had joined the Conservatives and Plaid Cymru in backing the final motion which criticised Reform.

‘No idea’

He said: “Better childcare provision was a key part of the Conservative manifesto. We have been very clear that we want greater access to childcare in Wales and that we will vote with any party seeking to increase childcare provision.

“That is why we supported the original Reform motion and the amended versions put forward by Plaid Cymru.

“The Conservative Leader, Darren Millar MS, was very clear during the campaign that we would vote with any political party bringing forward policies we support, and better childcare is something we strongly support.

“What surprised everyone was that 11 Reform MSs, voted with us and Plaid to attack their own party. Either Reform MSs have no idea what they were doing or one third have decided to attack their own party.

“Either way it does not suggest that they are a party ready for Government.”

Costings

Following the debate, Reform’s shadow minister for finance and government efficiency, Cai Parry-Jones, published a document he said was an “independent costing estimate” of Plaid’s proposal.

It stated: “Plaid Cymru’s stated cost of about £400 million a year appears to hold only on two favourable assumptions: that childcare is funded at a single flat rate
regardless of age, and that take-up stays at the level of the old work-tested
scheme.

“Once infant care is priced at what it actually costs to staff, and take-up
reflects a free universal offer, the annual run-rate is modelled to cost between
£388 million to £710 million, with the central case estimated at £587 million, and
this Senedd’s term cost near £1.4 billion.”

Plaid has promised to publish more details on the scheme before the middle of July.