Reform pledges to ‘put Wales first’ and abolish international aid
Reform UK says it would “put Wales and Welsh communities first” with changes to social housing and the scrapping of foreign aid spending if it wins May’s Senedd election.
The party, led by Nigel Farage, is expected to be one of the main contenders alongside Plaid Cymru in the Welsh parliamentary elections on May 7.
The party will launch its election manifesto on Thursday, unveiling a suite of policies, including scrapping the default 20mph speed limit and ending Wales’ status as a Nation of Sanctuary.
Reform Wales leader Dan Thomas called the manifesto – which includes a promise to build an M4 relief road – a “blueprint for real change.”
“These promises put Wales and Welsh communities first, and unlike the pledges put forward by other parties, these are deliverable,” he said.
“Armed with this blueprint, we have all the building blocks to end a generation of decline here in Wales.”
Mr Thomas added the party would “put Wales first” by “spending taxpayers’ cash in Wales” after abolishing foreign aid and “prioritising Welsh people for social housing” alongside an end to the use of migrant hotels.
He will unveil the manifesto alongside Mr Farage at an event in Newport.
Labour has led Wales since the Senedd was first established as the National Assembly for Wales in 1999, but, if opinion polls are to be believed, the May elections could see more than two decades in power brought to a dramatic end.
Plaid Cymru and Reform have topped recent opinion polls in Wales, with both parties hoping to win enough seats to form a new government.
The Welsh Conservative Party manifesto, launched on Tuesday, also included a pledge to reverse the default 20mph speed limit.
Reform Wales will outline plans aimed at tackling the cost of living, including a business rates review, 5% council tax referendum limit and a “tax lock” pledge against new levies in Wales.
The party is also expected to reiterate commitments to keep the NHS free, alongside promises to cut waiting times and upgrade hospitals.
Mr Farage said: “I’m immensely impressed by the hard work that has gone into developing this ambitious but realistic blueprint for government.
“In a Senedd Election campaign that has been characterised by fantasy economics from the other parties, this document is a serious plan to deliver the real change Wales deserves.”
Last week, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth outlined his ambitions for the first 100 days of a Plaid Cymru administration in Wales, which he said aimed to demonstrate the “seriousness” with which the party was approaching the prospect of governing.
Its targets included improvements to healthcare, education and a “resetting” of the relationship between Cardiff Bay and Westminster.
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Before he starts making promises for the magic relief road, perhaps he should study the extensive land survey findings collected to realise why its impossible to build it along the proposed route.
Also perhaps he should find out what happens to the entire ecosystem 30 miles in from the coast if those habitats get destroyed.
Reform despise Cymru, reform despise the inhabitants of cymru and Reform supporters want to see our country and communities destroyed.
All policies his backers can cream money off us for. None of this will happen as they say, they have form.
Meanwhile Trumps little toady in the UK going to deal with his masters massive price hit for people in Wales this year? Farage wanted the UK in at the sharp end in this idiotic war and now we are about to pay the price for Trumps deranged brain that farage adores so much.
“ending Wales’ status as a Nation of Sanctuary”
Have Putin’s alleged puppets actually denied this means returning Ukrainians?
And does international aid include Wales’ £2bn contribution to refurbish the Palace of Westminster? If they oppose that waste it could be a vote winner.