Reform Senedd election hopeful quits party amid blazing row over ‘rigged’ selection process
Emily Price
A potential Reform Senedd election candidate has left the party amid a blazing row over a “rigged” selection process and the “mistreatment” of members.
Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion Reform board member, Ajay Owen, alleged that members were being charged by the party to be assessed for the Welsh elections despite favourites already being secretly hand picked.
In a Facebook post published on Wednesday (September 18), Owen said: “As Reform have decided to ignore my complaint – yet continue to ask me for £150 for running as a candidate – I’ve decided it is in my best interest to speak out.”
The autistic Welsh speaker from Preseli had hoped to stand for Reform in 2026 Senedd election for the new Ceredigion Penfro seat.
The party is currently carrying out an internal selection process and has yet to officially reveal any candidates for the Welsh elections.
‘Rigged’
Owen says that the process has been “rigged from the get go” because front runners have already been chosen without a democratic vote by grassroots members.
He says Reform’s candidates will only be revealed a few months before the elections in Wales, “because they wish to throw other political parties off in the area and not declare actual, personal amounts going into promotions”.
The Reform member wrote on Facebook: “By announcing the Senedd candidates at the last minute, they only need to disclose the minimal amount of fees for canvassing, for leafleting, for promotional material as all candidates get a set budget and are legally not allowed to go over the budget.
“This is how Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire are getting around it.”
Owen says that many Senedd election hopefuls are unaware that front runners have already been chosen and are still being asked to pay a £50 application fee and a further £150 for an assessment day.
Front runners
The Reform member told Nation Cymru he paid the initial £50 application fee, but was later informed by a Reform councillor that three members of the Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion board had already been picked as “front runners”.
Owen says the party is still chasing him for the £150 assessment day fee despite the three board members “waiting to be officially voted in via telephone call”.
One of the supposed pre-chosen candidates is Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion Branch Chair Stewart Marchant.
The former Reform general election candidate hit the headlines in February when he was banned from driving for three years after pleading guilty to drink-driving.
Owen told Nation.Cymru that Marchant had ordered him to remove the words “political candidate” from his Facebook bio “because once you declare candidacy, you have to declare amounts spent on candidates to the electoral commission.”
Spat
Text messages seen by Nation.Cymru reveal a spat between the pair over a newspaper article Owen had appeared in alongside Dan Morgan – the co-founder of the far-right group ‘Voice of Wales’.
Morgan and Owen had both circulated material online alleging that children at a Pembrokeshire school had been encouraged to write Valentine cards to adult asylum seekers.
The Schools of Sanctuary charity disputed this saying pupils had written short anonymous messages such as “welcome to our town” – some of which were displayed in local refugee support groups.
During a text message exchange, Marchant branded Owen a “keyboard warrior” and a “rogue risk” that had brought Reform UK into “disrepute”.
Marchant asked to speak with his fellow board member face to face but later blocked him from the board group chat and branch WhatsApp group.
‘Free speech’
Owen said: “A party that is ‘pro free-speech’ is ever so quiet and likes to silence those speaking out.
“I spoke out on immigration, schools of sanctuary and notes that were being given to asylum seeker support groups.
“I was approached for statement, and I gave it. But because I didn’t consult with the chair first, it was ‘the wrong thing to do’ and I was seen as a ‘risk’ to the branch.
“I spoke honestly, I gave my opinion – I made it clear that it is my opinion and not the party’s opinion.”
Owen raised an official complaint with Reform HQ back in August about the dispute with Marchant and the party’s selection process but says he didn’t receive a response until his Facebook post was published yesterday.
Complaint
He said: “I want to put it out there that this is not a direct issue with Stewart.
“Yes, he handled the situation wrong – but it is with all of Reform.
“Not one person, other than Scott Thorely, messaged me to see if I was okay.
“I had a message from an elected county councillor to wish me all the best and that she was saddened to hear what happened – but I’ve had no support, no sense of direction to where I can escalate my complaints.
“The original complaint was raised with HQ on 15th August and I only had a response at 7:30am today, after my post yesterday – coincidental? I think not.”
He added: “These issues need to be addressed and it’s severely disheartening that new people and young people are not being given the chance.
“They saw how passionate I was, they saw every meeting I attended, I was asked to be a board member because it looked good for them that I could speak Welsh and would be the only board member residing in Ceredigion Preseli. It’s all just a game to them.
“A lot of farmers concerns were minimised – when members of the crowd in meetings would bring up the Welsh language there was no defending from anyone but myself.”
Asked whether Owen would remain a member of Reform UK, he replied: “No way. I’ve been mistreated so badly by the lot of them.
“I’m open to any party that would love to take me on, or help me with my movement to speak up for the people.”
It is understood that Reform’s Campaign Director for Wales, Cllr David Thomas, has since reached out to Owen.
Earlier this month, Thomas was accused of fuelling an “authoritarian culture” within Reform Wales amid an internal row over a lack of elections for Welsh branch chairs.
Reform UK was invited to comment but did not respond.
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Reform are a bunch of charlatans.
Sharks might be a better word!
“Reform UK was invited to comment but did not respond.” How many times have we heard that? I love it when tighty – righties bite chunks out of each other; long may it continue. And why do Reform supporters look so weird? A bit like… er.. Reform supporters.
Most politically active people look a bit weird. It’s a part of their ” we know best” gene defect.
Oh the irony of your comment is a thing of beauty.
Marvellous. Keep it going Reform!
If Owen was amplifying the racist scaremongering of the far right Voice of Wales then Reform are well rid of him.
Reform’s Gareth Beer looked quite at home posing for a photo with the other half of VoW, Stan Robinson, UKIP’s GE candidate at the Llanelli hustings. Read what you will into that.
Nia Griffith MP (Labour) didn’t turn up for that hustings claiming safety reasons, even though the chief constable of Dyfed Powys made assurances and would deploy officers as necessary. Gareth Beer (Reform) was cordial and pleasant and shook hands with all the other candidates, including the independent, Plaid Cymru, Conservative and LibDem. Stan of Ukip did not arrive with his band of thugs from Swansea as expected and went away as billy no mates.
Hmm, Farage claimed he was told by the Speaker not to hold surgeries for security reasons, which turned out to be a lie.
Nia Griffith had her office firebombed during the SPH debacle.
Nigel Farage was on the receiving end of the odd milkshake.
Nia Griffith works hard for her constituents.
Nigel Farage works hard for, well, Nigel Farage.
I didn’t attend the hustings, which apparently,. turned into a bit of a debacle which was subsequently reported by Nation. Cymru so I’ll have to take your word that it was little short of a cross party love fest.
When thieves fall out….
Nige don’t like anything he doesn’t own, he owns reform, you will play his tune. Of course he will pick who he wants and make money off you.
Reps looking to front for him, you wont have a say.
That dude on the right, politically nasty bit of work.
So most Reform members hate the Welsh language. Well, there’s a surprise!!
Announcing their candidates a few months before the election is blatantly to deny the media time to trawl their social media histories and other shenanigans, cos they’re guaranteed to have put up some absolute horrors for election.
Ceredigion is full of settlers and plastic Welsh that they would probably vote for them regardless of these shenanigans.
Ceredigion is surprisingly, I have heard, one of the most LGBT+ accepting areas in Britain per capita. This is not definitive in and of itself, but often indicates a socially liberal population A topic Deform have a VERY different viewpoint on. It doesn’t mean a part of the left would win necessarily. up until 8 years ago even the Yories (under Theresa may and before Boris’ “bonfire of all the talents”) were sympathetic to the LGBT+ community. The danger lies (if danger is not overstating it) in the socially liberal votes being split amongst various parties but the anti-everything fun… Read more »
Reform UK are full of far-right political opportunists who shouldn’t be allowed to run a tap let alone a country.
Nothing about the Abolish Wales party surprises me.
Same party really, same racist thugs different name
I’m sorry but in recent months and years i don’t understand how any body reading this article can be surprised that politicians are using dirty tricks, telling lies, and half truths, to get into or stay in power. In years past, people sort public office because they were driven by their beliefs and thought that they could do some good in their community. Today I see many politicians national and local as self serving, individuals who would steal, lie, mislead and use dirty tricks to either obtain office or remain in office. The politicians creed of today appears to be… Read more »