Reform target Welsh by-election
Twm Owen Local Democracy Reporter
A by-election that could see the first Reform Party councillor elected in Wales has been described as “more important” than voters realise by its candidate.
Stuart Keyte is hoping to make history when voters go to the polls to fill a vacancy on Torfaen Borough Council following the resignation of Labour councillor Sue Malson.
Though Labour will retain control of the council, as it still has a majority of 12, should Reform win the February 13 contest it would boost the party’s membership on the authority to four after three, previously independent councillors, formed the first Reform group on a Welsh council last summer.
Strong support for Reform
Toniann Phillips is Labour’s candidate for the contest in the two-member, Pontypool ward, with the party having won both seats comfortably at the 2022 local government elections, finishing more than 350 votes clear of the only challengers, the Conservatives.
However the by-election comes at a time when polls are showing strong support for Reform, that is led by Nigel Farage and formed from the former Brexit Party, ahead of the 2026 Welsh Senedd elections.
“I think this by-election is more important than even the residents of Trevethin and Penygarn realise,” said former army major Mr Keyte who served 21-years in the Parachute Regiment and the Royal Logistics Corps both as a regular and reserve.
“This election is so important as if we win this seat, and win it we will, it will be the first time a Reform candidate has won an election in Wales and this will be the domino that knocks everything else.
“The people of Trevethin and Penygarn get to put their hands up and say enough is enough, ‘stop imposing policies on us we do not agree with’ such as 20 miles per hour.”
“On trial”
The 64-year-old, who is semi-retired but is still involved with a number of businesses, and previously worked as a director with Royal Mail and in 1996 took a year out to teach business studies at Llantarnam School, where he attended, added: “It is all very well to get elected but we would have to demonstrate to the people of Torfaen that Reform can get things done, we will be on trial.
“It’s all very well talking about what needs to be done but we can demonstrate we can deliver in the 18 months before the Senedd elections.”
Anti-social behaviour, poor maintenance of the area and a lack of public and community services were highlighted as issues facing Trevethin and Penygarn by Mr Keyte who lives in Wainfelin, Pontypool and was selected as candidate by a secret ballot of some 60 local members.
Nominations to stand in the by-election close at 4.30pm on Friday, January 17.
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It’s becoming more clear by the day that if the media is to feature the Reform party it must also up a gear in analysing it’s policies. Not everything is about bashing immigrants. Would Reform really be a party for Cymru ? Personally, I very very much doubt it!
Agreed. Farage has talked about a French style model of healthcare, Rupert Lowe has talked about replacing the NHS with a pay model, (we already pay) the party has suggested raising the tax free allowance on earnings by over £7,000. I interpret that last bit as the intention to privatise EVERYTHING so that public services will end and we will all have to pay burgeoning shareholder demands. I haven’t heard them being grilled over any of this and once they are, if they are, they’ll be well and truly flushed out. Free prescriptions will be gone. Not to mention, of… Read more »
Do you think Labour have been a succes in Wales then? 25 years of them and Wales is bottom of everything, Education, NHS,Economy and wasting money! Plaid have helped them.
Come off it the 20 mph speed limit has been a resounding success, fewer deaths, less serious accidents and less pollution.
Reform is certainly not the panacea to Wales’ problems.
This is the party whose owner is best mates with the convicted multiple felon and abuser in the US and willing to accept a bung from a foreign agent that is a hate peddler and got a standing ovation from a far right party in Germany and has a convicted abuser as an MP and also the owner praised Putin and a fan of Tate who’s info he used to help the riots along.
Press need to go to town in Q+A with this mob. BBC wont do it. S
I would ask those people in Cymru if you have ever voted Tory in your life? If the answer is no then why would you vote for farages limited company who are the (hard right) Tory party under another name. I know of several past Labour voters who intend to vote for “Nige” partly because of disillusionment with Labour in Wales but who are also taken in with the cult of farage which, lets face it, is repeatedly promoted by the likes of the BBC etc. The other parties need to up their game & their rhetoric in pointing out… Read more »
When the Tory party were in power some people voted for the labour labour under the assumption that they were or are better than anyone else. So who could do a worse job than the labour party? Anyone really.
Torfaen Cllr David Thomas (Reform, ex-Labour) said: “The food bank has become a model of how political activism can translate into tangible community benefits, directly impacting the lives of many residents in Wales.”
Precisely what the Nazi Party did in Germany setting up soup kitchens in the 1930s to appeal to the poor and unemployed.
All elected persons who change party (and therefore programme) must be required to stand for re-election. Surely that is something WelshGov can look at independently of Westminster.
They only managed 13% in Splott last month. And that was before Mr Musk pointed out how hopeless Mr Farage is.