Reform Wales regional director blasts Welsh media over Caerphilly coverage
Emily Price
Reform UK’s regional director for Wales has accused the Welsh media of “anti-Reform” attacks following the party’s by-election defeat in Caerphilly last week.
Torfaen Councillor David Thomas made the comments after Reform’s Caerphilly office was spray painted with a message at the weekend telling Nigel Farage’s party to, “Fuck off home”.
Reform finished in second place in the October 23 Caerphilly by-election despite polling predicting Llŷr Powell would win.
Powell’s campaign centred largely on immigration and misinformation about the Welsh Government’s Nation of Sanctuary policy.
In the end, Reform UK lost to Plaid Cymru’s Lindsay Whittle who gained 47% of the vote – marking Labour’s first parliamentary defeat in Caerphilly for over 100 years.
Unsurprisingly, this is what happened to our campaign office in Caerphilly.
We’ve cleaned up and installed cameras, we won’t be intimidated.
What’s remarkable is that Welsh media ran the story, but ignored the hateful rhetoric aimed at us.
“Now you can f*** off home.”
And… pic.twitter.com/1yrIvAUIav
— Cllr David Thomas (@cllr_thomas) October 26, 2025
Deputy Leader Richard Tice and Ashfield MP Lee Anderson claimed that during Reform’s campaign, the party faced violence and intimidation from the “Antifa” and the “radicalised hard left”.
Nazi symbols were daubed on posters of Powell and the door of his home was allegedly kicked in during the run up to the by-election.
‘Hateful rhetoric’
Sharing images of the vandalised office in Caerphilly town centre, Reform’s Welsh director claimed that Wales’ media had “ignored hateful rhetoric” aimed at his party.
In a post published on X, Cllr Thomas wrote: “Unsurprisingly, this is what happened to our campaign office in Caerphilly.
“We’ve cleaned up and installed cameras, we won’t be intimidated.
“What’s remarkable is that Welsh media ran the story, but ignored the hateful rhetoric aimed at us.
“‘Now you can f*** off home.’ And we’re the ones they call racist and divisive?
“Just shows you exactly what the Welsh media is really all about. The Welsh media anti Reform attacks continue.”
‘Hatred’
Throughout the Caerphilly by-election, several Welsh journalists raised concerns about being unable to obtain statements and press releases from Reform UK or answers to questions put to various party representatives.
In a post to X, Caerphilly based journalist Tom Hicks criticised Thomas saying: “Spare us the faux outrage – you can’t incite hatred then play victim when it blows up in your face.”
Cllr Thomas hit back at Hicks saying: “A journalist defending vandalism. This is the standard of Welsh journalism.
“When Reform gets abused, it’s ‘faux outrage’. When the left takes offence, it’s ‘hate speech’.
“Our office was vandalised. We were told to ‘f*** off home’. But apparently, that’s fine because it’s Reform UK. Hypocrisy doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
Hick’s responded saying: “Your party has made people feel genuinely unsafe to walk the streets because of the colour of their skin and you expect equal outrage over paint on metal shutters?”
Reform’s regional director for Wales replied: “Real journalists call out violence and intimidation, not cheer it on for attention.”
Vandalism
The next day he published a further post X saying that the “twisted logic of the so-called tolerant left” is that “vandalism is fine… as long as it’s aimed at Reform UK.”
Cllr Thomas played a prominent role in Reform’s electioneering in Caerphilly – publishing images online daily of himself posing with fellow canvassers and activists on the campaign trail.
He was previously credited as one of the driving forces behind Reform’s Runcorn and Helsby by-election success in Cheshire where the party narrowly won by just six votes.
Cllr Thomas gave Reform UK its first official presence in Wales when he defected to the party last year with two of his fellow independent Torfaen councillors.
He was later appointed Reform’s regional director for Wales and is expected to stand in the Senedd election next year.
‘Corrupt’
Cllr Thomas has previously branded the Welsh media “corrupt” and branded stories about his party’s controversies “hit pieces”.
He has featured in several contentious news articles since his defection to Reform including for allegations he had posed for pictures of himself cutting a ribbon at the opening of a new Lidl store despite not be invited to do so.
The Torfaen councillor – also known as DJ Dowster – faced calls to resign when news broke that he was credited as one of the “composers” of a happy hardcore tune that used a derogatory term for a person with cerebral palsy.
We invited Cllr Thomas to comment but he did not respond.
A Reform UK insider said: “David Thomas was running around telling the world it was him who won the Runcorn by-election.
“Now there is an embarrassing defeat and it’s all someone else’s fault – not his as Reform’s regional director for Wales.
“Thomas shouldn’t be blaming the media for anything – it’s blame avoidance by him as usual.
“Every time a negative news story comes out he won’t provide an official reply, so the media stories only go one way.
“If he was sharp enough to handle the media properly he wouldn’t be in this mess.”
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With the noble exception of nation.cymru, I don’t think any Welsh government media is anti deform. Quite the opposite. There was just one minute of BBC coverage on its half hour news program at 6.30pm when they opened with the the sentencing of Nathan Gill. That was it. I have never seen a headline story on that program get less than 8 minutes of in depth coverage. One minute. That’s it. Anti deform media. They are having a laugh.
Nathan Gill hasn’t been sentenced yet. I’d not expect to hear much before he is even if media were interested (contempt of court). Sentencing is 21 November. We’ll see if anyone has anything to say after that. Trying to be open minded. It’s not easy
This is hilarious coming from the party that exists to incite hatred. Farage & co love to dish it out but can’t take it.
Lets see, the party that sows hate a division, provide help for Pochin’s vile racist tirade and will not sanction her, provides a platform for the likes of Kruger, promises to deport people they don’t like.
The irony is the graffiti is telling reform to do what they want to do to people legally in the UK.
How is Gill anyway? Best mates with farage and his Welsh go to. Until he took a bung.
Are those Turkey teeth?
Turkeys have enough to be depressed about with Christmas on the horizon without being associated with Reform.
Never mind “Now U can f**k off home”, you can f*****g grow up as well, Snowflakes.
But what does Welsh Dave think?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10/17/peterborough-vote-welsh-dave/
“One problem has been how to pronounce the Christian name of their Caerphilly candidate Llŷr Powell, which translates as “the sea”. The party’s chief whip Lee Anderson, who I bumped into at GB News’s studios this week, tells me he has got round the problem. “We call him ‘Welsh Dave’,” he says.”
Fair do’s “Welsh Dave” sounds just like a dodgy character from Fools and Horses. Quite appropriate for the whole Reform setup really.
Although totally opposed to any kind of vandalism, as an avid reader/listener/viewer of the Welsh media I disagree entirely with Cllr Thomas’ claim that Reform UK was hard done by prior to the Caerffili by-election. Although it deceptively centred its campaign on immigration – over which Wales’ Senedd has no control – it certainly had its fair share of coverage. On the contrary, Reform, with only 4 MPs, is given a ridiculously large amount of attention by all the London-based UK Media – far, far more than the Lib-Dems who have many more MPs, i.e., 72.
The neck on Thomas Faux indignation. Can’t he take the hint? Caerphilly must have been sick of the sight of him Turned up most days neglecting his ward in Llantarnam His fellow councillors had clocked his absences The man who got caught out putting competitors signs to his window cleaning business in the back of his van Let’s hope Plaid kept a close watch on their garden signs His switching of political parties makes Anderson look almost pedestrian. Now Reform;s Duracell bunny turns up at the opening of every Reform envelope Its all gone to his head ,heavy handed around… Read more »
Snowflakes.
In other words we didn’t win so it must be the media’s fault? Was it the media’s fault that Reform members were taking bribes from the Kremlin, or were they just reporting the news, you know which is their job.
Don’t forget they claimed they threw everything at this, and people like musk and Zuckerberg, mail and telegraph would have elevated farage above the others despite his brexit lies. Their claim is disingenuous given the huge frontage they get from the UK press and polls.
The Welsh mob have a chance if the press in Wales is any good, they can absolutely denounce Pochin’s racist comments, or they become what Pochin is. Will the Welsh press step up and hold them to account. BBC, ITV, probably scanning these pages, go on, ask a real question.
What goes around comes around. Reform are going to come under intense scrutiny in the run up to next May. They had better get used to coming under attack and with the same tactics they use. This is not a one way street.
Aww bless crying over a few hurty words.
Regional Director for Wales????
A region of what precisely. Whether you support independence or not Wales is a nation – Not a region.
Good point.
Sour grapes from Reform UK David Thomas & Llŷr Powell. Unlike Plaid Cymru they were aided by multimillionaire donors, the right-wing print media, cult leader Nigel Farage on GB News, and still they failed to win Caerphilly. Sore losers. #Plaid Cymru 🏴 ✊ #Ymlaen 🏴
Pretty clear messaging, sums up my feelings…get from here !
They are sentiments many of us hold! I for one, don’t want fascists in my country and how do we know it was’nt reform who painted on the shutters for additional publicity. And whilst we are on the subject, why doesn’t Mr. Thomas face the voters of Torfaen under his new banner rather than be there duplicitously
You mean like running as an independent then “TADAAA I AM REF UK”? It’s a wonder Torfaen haven’t graffitied his ass,
He would say that!
Virtually all the news and comment media, here in Wales and beyond, tipped them to win. What more could they conceivably want or ask?!
D.T. is a Hope Not Hate asset in disguise. He passes the test of creating more than six embarrassing stories. The fact that Yusuf, Anderson, Welsh Dave, MacKinnon, Sumner and others cannot see that tells us all we need to know.
You’d have thought that the massive swing in votes from Labour to Plaid in the by-election would have already painted a fairly clear picture of Caerffili’s feelings towards Reform UK.
But I guess Reform UK is not used to an electorate communicating its feelings in the language of democracy. Maybe this is more the kind of language that Reform UK and its supporters are accustomed to. After all, it *is* a rallying cry they themselves use often enough.
It’s just some hurty words, guys – don’t be such woke snowflakes about it.
I think there is a much more sinister side to this outburst. Whether they lie, or spread hate, they attract media attention, which keeps them in the public eye, and on every tv screen, radio show and in the press. They thrive on it, and as has been said in the past, no coverage is bad coverage when you are seeking attention. They are setting the agenda, and we all bite.
Were these characters in Reform notable in their condemnation of violence and threats to life during the Farage riots in Southport and other towns
It’s the same with all violent bullies. They don’t like a taste of their own. Slap ‘em in the face and they go screaming to Mummy.
They seem to have abandoned the office now, last week it was open with a security guard there who seemed amused when I handed back their leaflet with Putin’s puppets written on it, the chaps in the vape shop opposite said they moved out on the Saturday
Absolutely amazing news it makes me incredibly happy to see that these hate filled, racist, anti Welsh scum are having a bad day.
As for the new paint job at their office… its quite simple. We dealt with facists using flame throwers in world war two, but its just not the done thing nowadays, so perhaps they should practice what they preach and keep their evil hatred and twisted mindsets away from Wales.
Attacking nazis is self defence.
Excellent news. They can choose to find out the easy way or the hard way that there’s no place in Wales for their party or their hate.
Well done to those actively reminding them.
Although not condoning the damage to property that the graffiti caused.there is something about it that Reform might well find is an Achilles heel.
The ‘……OFF HOME’ part.
If that sentiment takes hold, cultivated , but not in an illegal way obviously’ by their opponents it could reduce turnout by those tempted to vote Reform or even convince some to vote for other parties instead..
Especially in the post industrial areas of south Cymru where according to surveys the proportion of people that identify as Welsh and Welsh only are highest.
Yes, we are seeing a transformation. I suspect the Valleys will become the new Welsh heartlands.
The most devastating take down of this bloke was by one of his own. What happy campers they all are eh? NO!
Can’t they take a joke?
I think a lot of the comments on here are made by lefty commie trolls trying to bring Reform into diesrepute ,
As a matter of fact I think this one is .
I think disrepute is the word you are struggling to spell. You lost get. Get over it snowflake.
To be fair I think Clark was trying to be tongue in cheek.
Clark Gwent? Or is it the Bald Clarke Kent?
No need – Reform is pretty good at bringing itself into disrepute without outside help!
Isn’t “f**k off home” your entire policy platform? Nobody respects a sore loser. Keep proving why the good people of Caerphilly were right to reject Defraud UK.