Reform UK Senedd group take aim at Plaid Cymru voters
Emily Price
Reform UK’s group in the Senedd has launched a direct attack on Plaid Cymru voters, accusing them of supporting the party simply because they believe it represents Welsh patriotism.
In a video message aimed specifically at Plaid supporters, Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr MS Jason O’Connell claimed that some voters only back the party because they believe it is “automatically the party of Wales”.
Standing in a field on a mountain wearing a suit and tie, the Reform UK politician said that Plaid Cymru’s name does not give the party “ownership” of Wales’ identity.
He said: “Wales belongs to all of us. Our flag doesn’t belong to Plaid Cymru, our history doesn’t belong to Plaid Cymru, our culture doesn’t belong to Plaid Cymru.
“And the dragon certainly doesn’t belong to Plaid Cymru.”
O’ Connell accused Plaid’s supporters of looking at the party’s branding rather than what it “actually stands for” and challenged the idea that voting for Plaid is a natural expression of being proud to be Welsh.
O’Connell said: “I’m fiercely Welsh, fiercely proud to be Welsh.
“But loving Wales doesn’t mean that you have to support Plaid Cymru.”
He added: “Nobody gets to tell you that supporting one political party makes you more Welsh than somebody else.
“Being Welsh is bigger than politics. It’s bigger than Plaid Cymru.
“The dragon belongs to all of us. Wales belongs to all of us.
“Plaid Cymru does define Wales, the Welsh people do.”
Showing footage of asylum seekers travelling in a small boat and an image of the transgender pride flag, O’ Connell urged Plaid Cymru voters to look beyond the party’s name and consider its policies and what they would mean for Wales.
He said patriotism should be measured by a desire to improve everyday life, pointing to opportunities for children, an improved NHS, schools, and thriving Welsh businesses.
“Being patriotic is about wanting the very best for Wales,” he said.
The clip ended with the Reform Senedd’s group’s trademark teal blue Welsh dragon logo.
One comment left visible on the post saw a Reform supporter suggest using violence against Plaid Cymru voters.
“Can’t we just start clubbing people who voted Plaid in?” the commentator suggested.
The video’s background music featured a piano version of Dafydd Iwan’s famous Welsh-language folk anthem Yma o Hyd – a song about the survival of the Welsh people, language, and culture against centuries of hardship.
It is unclear whether Reform’s group in the Senedd obtained permission from Iwan to use his anthem in their campaign video.
Iwan served as the Chair of Plaid Cymru from 1982 to 1984 and strongly supported the party during the May Senedd election where he actively campaigned and appeared at rallies supporting the Plaid and the Welsh language.
In August 2025, the singer expressed anger when “Yma o Hyd” was used by the Reform supported far-right group, Voice of Wales.
The group, led by a man convicted of scamming vulnerable people, had used Iwan’s iconic anthem as the soundtrack for a Facebook video showcasing high-profile protests against housing asylum seekers at the Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli.
Iwan strongly condemned Voice of Wales for co-opting his song.
In a post to social media, he urged people protesting against the housing of asylum seekers to stop using “Yma o Hyd”.
In a bilingual post to X, formally Twitter, Iwan said: “Mae wedi dod i’m sylw fod ‘Yma o Hyd’ yn cael ei defnyddio gan bobol sy’n gwrthwynebu rhoi cartref i geiswyr lloches.
“Os gwelwch yn dda, peidiwch!!
“It has been brought to my notice that ‘Yma o Hyd’ is used by groups opposing the housing of asylum seekers. This must stop!!”
Plaid Cymru and Dafydd Iwan was invited to comment.
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I’d rather have our culture belong to a party that cares about Wales than in the hands of a party seeking to destroy Wales.
Wow, attacking members of the voting public for exercising their democratic rights the “wrong” way. This couldn’t possibly backfire horribly…. could it? If this is how they act in opposition, let’s make sure we never see them at work in government.
Interesting as reform and Farage have been very vocal of their disdain for the Welsh language and the senedd.