Reform MS rejects ‘far-right’ label in interview on podcast accused of platforming extremists

Emily Price 

A Reform Member of the Senedd has insisted his party is “not far-right” while taking part in a podcast that has been condemned for platforming far-right figures.

Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr MS Jason O’Connell appeared on the Faith Speaks Louder podcast on Thursday (August 6), with the episode later published on Facebook and YouTube.

The podcast is hosted by Faith Jarvis, an evangelical YouTuber who has faced criticism for giving sympathetic interviews to controversial figures including associates of English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson.

Ahead of the Senedd election in May, Jarvis publicly said she intended to vote for Reform UK.

During her interview with O’Connell, she also declared: “I love what you guys stand for,” later adding that Sir Fynwy Torfaen MS Laura Anne Jones was one of her “favourites”. 

At one point, Jarvis laughed as she asked the Reform MS why he believed his party had been labelled “far-right wing”.

O’Connell replied: “The left love to throw labels at everything right. So if I’m wearing odd socks, I’m a xenophobic racist. It’s just, honestly, grow up.

“We are not a far-right party, we believe in strong borders, we believe in controlled immigration. We believe in being fiscally responsible with other peoples money because its tax-payers money.”

During the episode, the Reform MS accused the “mainstream media” of “anti-Reform” reporting.

Leader Nigel Farage was facing a probe into a £5 million gift from crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne before he was elected.

Probes

However, the inquiry was paused after Farage resigned as MP for Clacton in July, triggering a by-election. It will resume if he regains the seat.

Deputy leader Richard Tice is also facing a separate investigation from the parliamentary standards watchdog over an alleged failure to declare an interest.

O’Connel said: “Every report you see is anti-Reform this, anti-Reform that, Richard Tice has done this, Nigel Farage has done that.

“But when you scratch the surface, nine times out of 10 there’s nothing there.”

Jarvis responded: “And that’s where you get these lefties, like, screaming from the rooftop that you’re bigots and racists”

“Literally, yeah, yeah yeah, walk down the street screaming,” O’Connell agreed.

Discussing Caerdydd Penarth MS Joe Martin, O’Connell praised his Reform colleague, saying he had brought “a breath of fresh air” to the table.

Martin triggered a walkout in the Senedd after making controversial remarks during a debate on Welsh Government international spending.

Offensive

Several Plaid Cymru, Labour and Welsh Green Members left the Chamber in protest after Martin criticised overseas projects and made comments about nurses and children that opponents described as offensive.

The Presiding Officer later rebuked Martin, warning Members to maintain respectful language during debate.

This week, he was branded “vile” after he called on a Welsh council to abandon its adopted definition of “Islamophobia”, arguing that some aspects of Islam were “psychopathic” and “deserved hate”.

Discussing Reform UK’s Senedd election campaign, Jarvis asked O’Connell why more of the party’s candidates had not appeared on podcasts such as her own.

The evangelical YouTuber revealed that she had reached out several times before O’Connell agreed to appear on her channel.

The Reform MS acknowledged that his party had taken a “cautious” and “safe” approach ahead of the Welsh election, but insisted its representatives had regularly taken part in interviews and said the party was not seeking to avoid scrutiny.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Wales has repeatedly criticised Reform UK, accusing the party of engaging in a pattern of intimidation and unwarranted attacks against Welsh journalists.

The union has also raised concerns that journalists likely to ask challenging questions have been excluded from certain Reform media events and prevented from receiving the party’s press releases.

As host Jarvis nodded along, O’Connell said he believed Reform figures should participate in more “events like this”, referring to her podcast.

Commenting on Rupert Lowe’s offer of a partnership between Restore Britain and Reform UK, O’Connell described the proposal as “performative”, saying there was “no way” Reform would meet some of the demands set out by Restore’s leader.

“Restore voters have got to realise that they are not going to get a lot of elected officials, all they are going to do is enable more left wing politicians to come in and split the vote,” he said.

‘Extreme’

Jarvis asked whether the Reform MS agreed that some voters had “jumped on the Restore bandwagon” because Farage’s party wasn’t “extreme” enough.

O’Connell said: “I think a lot of people have gone to Restore out of frustration and I understand it, whether it’s around the pace of change or just the lengths of which Reform are willing to go.

“We are a professional party. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes, rather than just politicians coming out and speaking, there’s a whole  infrastructure in place there.

“A lot of people have left because they don’t like that side of it, and they’ve looked for a vehicle to enact rapid change out of anger and frustration.

“I get it, I do get it. But it’s just not going to make the difference they want.”

On immigration, Jarvis asked O’Connell to confirm whether under a Reform government immigrants would be blocked from obtaining housing and “access to food”.

The Reform MS replied: “Identify. Detain. Deport.”

Strong concerns have been raised about the figures Jarvis has showcased on her YouTube channel which she launched in December 2025.

Amongst the people she has interviewed sympathetically was Dan Morgan, the co-founder of an anti-Islam group which purports to be a “newspaper”.

The Tommy Robinson associate and his group, Voice of Wales, actively target hotels and accommodation used to house asylum seekers.

In 2023, Morgan was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud for his role in a large-scale PPI call centre scam that targeted elderly and vulnerable people.

Jarvis has also interviewed Bishop Ceirion Dewar, a self-described missionary bishop in the Confessing Anglican Church who has attracted criticism for promoting a nationalist interpretation of Christianity and appearing alongside Tommy Robinson at public rallies.

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