Reform MS plays down smart glasses backlash claiming fellow MS looked ‘cool’

Emily Price 

A Reform Member of the Senedd has sought to play down the backlash over his colleague being caught wearing smart glasses to deliver a speech, saying all he did was look “a little more cool than normal”.

Casnewydd Islwyn MS Art Wright appeared to gloss over concerns raised by some Senedd Members that Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr MS Jason O’Connell had used a teleprompter function on a pair of smart glasses during a Senedd debate last week.

When asked by a Reform councillor from Rochford on X, formerly Twitter, for peoples thoughts on the revelation, Wright wrote: “Go with the times all Jason did was look a little more cool than normal.”

Senedd Members raised suspicions that O’Connell had used the technology after he delivered an entire contribution without looking down at his notes, having previously relied heavily on a paper script during speeches.

Several MSs told Nation.Cymru they had concerns about the fact smart glasses were being used in Wales’ parliament without the knowledge of the Llywydd.

We contacted O’Connell about the matter, but the Reform MS refused to answer our questions. Our story later made national news.

A spokesperson for Reform UK told other news outlets that the use of smart glasses by parliamentarians was the “next step”.

The Senedd Commission told Nation.Cymru that in future, Llywydd Huw Irranca-Davies would expect any Member intending to use this type of technology in the Chamber to discuss it with him first.

In a message sent to MSs ahead of Plenary on Tuesday (October 6), the Senedd Commission said it was now considering further guidance on the use of smart glasses.

Teleprompter glasses project a digital script into the wearer’s field of vision, allowing them to read notes or receive prompts from someone outside of the room while maintaining the appearance that their speech has been memorised.

However, the wearer’s eyes can sometimes be seen making subtle left-to-right movements across the lens as they read, creating a tell-tale unnatural-looking tracking pattern.

O’Connell’s eyes tracked in this unusual way when he gave his speech last week.

Although using a hands-free autocue can make speech delivery easier, smart glasses are generally not popular with professional politicians because they have earned a bad reputation due to serious privacy concerns.

Some MSs were highly critical of O’Connell’s use of the technology, arguing that it raised serious questions over his ability to carry out his taxpayer-funded role.

Several female Members also raised deeper concerns that smart glasses could be used for other purposes such as recording candid video without others’ knowledge or consent.

Despite the growing popularity of smart glasses in recent years, some models have earned the nickname “creep glasses” or “perv glasses” because their sleek designs can incorporate tiny hidden cameras.

One Senedd politician told us “formal concerns” had already been raised with the Senedd’s Chief Executive Manon Bonner about the use of covert recording devices such as smart glasses on the Welsh Parliament’s estate.

The concerns stemmed from a surreptitious image taken of Welsh journalist Will Hayward without permission several weeks ago as he interviewed several Plaid Cymru MSs in the Senedd’s canteen.

It is unclear who snapped the secret photo, or what device was used.

Reform Wales posted the image to social media alongside the caption: “This is ‘award winning impartial journalist’, Will. He’s having lunch with his Plaid Cymru mates. Don’t be like Will.”

The image was reposted by the then-Reform leader in Wales, Dan Thomas, and Reform MSs Francesca O’Brien and Claire Archibald.

It was later deleted following a sharp backlash.

The incident prompted some Members to raise concerns about the possibility of being secretly filmed or photographed in private areas of the Senedd while they are at work, including the toilets.

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