Second Reform councillor fails to declare he is a Freemason

Martin Shipton

A second Reform UK councillor has failed to declare that he is a Freemason, we can reveal.

Nation.Cymru recently reported how Powys county councillor Iain McIntosh had failed to include in the authority’s register of members’ interests the fact that he was a Freemason, even though the council requires members to declare their membership of organisations that engage in charitable activities. The Freemasons do so.

In the May Senedd election, Mr McIntosh was elected as a Reform MS, representing Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd. His entry in the Senedd register of members’ interests, dated June 15 2026, includes confirmation that he is a Freemason. The relevant section states: “Name of club or society: Brecknock Lodge association of Brecon freemasons in the province of south Wales.”

MSs cannot also be councillors and Mr McIntosh resigned his seat on the council after he was elected to the Senedd.

It has now emerged that Stuart Keyte, a Reform member of Torfaen council, is also a Freemason. Like Mr McIntosh when he was a member of Powys County Council, Cllr Keyte has failed to declare his membership of the organisation.

A Nation.Cymru reader contacted us with evidence of Cllr Keyte’s role in the secretive society, whose members have to swear an oath of allegiance to what has frequently been alluded to as “the Brotherhood”.

Links to Facebook pages show that Cllr Keyte was welcomed to Llantarnam Lodge of the Freemasons in March 2024. A Facebook post states: “[A] warm welcome to Bro Stuart Keyte, our newest joining member. Great night had by all. Well done brethren.”

In February 2025 Mr Keyte was elected to Torfaen council at a by-election in the Trevethin and Pengarn ward. He was the first Reform councillor to win an election in Wales.

Torfaen council specifies the information about themselves that councillors are meant to include in their entry to the authority’s register of members’ interests.

The requirement includes: “Details of any (a) public authority or body exercising functions of a public nature; (b) company, industrial and provident society, charity, or body directed to charitable purposes; (c) body whose principal purposes include the influence of public opinion or policy; (d) trade union or professional association;(e) private club, society or association operating within your authority’s area, in which you have membership or hold a position of general control or management.

Cllr Keyte states he is a member of Griffithtown Harriers Running Club and Gwent Mountaineering Club, but he does not declare that he is a Freemason.

‘False stories’

The Nation.Cymru reader who drew our attention to Cllr Keyte’s membership of the Freemasons as well as his failure to declare it said: “Why hasn’t he done this? He has registered his membership of two outdoor clubs, but not Freemasons.

“He put considerable effort into hawking false stories about his own party leader locking children or a child in the boot of a car which could have caused reputational damage and criminal action by the police.

“However, for over a year, he could not take the small simple step of being honest with his own constituents by declaring his Freemasons membership on his councillor register of interests? Why? This is important – he does not live in the ward that he represents, which may mean a constituent will first turn to his record of interests to find out more about him.

“Last week, Reform UK Senedd Member, Francesca O’Brien, suggested that the Senedd should stop operating under a ‘veil of secrecy’ regarding its lack of record keeping of the meetings and relationships between lobbyists and politicians. Do her remarks also apply to the relationships between politicians and masonic organisations?

“If Mr Keyte corrects his oversight, will he then write an open letter to his Reform UK political allies – Senedd Business Manager Llyr Powell and Chief of Staff and his council colleague David Thomas – urging them to ensure that the records of interests for each Reform UK Senedd Member are completed thoroughly, so that honesty and transparency are enhanced and secrecy is reduced?”

Malicious rumours

In 2025, Cllr Keyte admitted spreading malicious rumours about Nigel Farage in the hope it would be picked up by the press.

Nation.Cymru was made aware of a story circulating among some politicians about a bizarre event that allegedly took place in May on the day Reform UK won the Runcorn and Helsby by-election.

We were told that Torfaen Councillor Stewart Keyte – who campaigned in Runcorn on polling day – had spread a rumour to two different political parties that a young Reform supporter was driven around in the boot of Nigel Farage’s car.

A senior politician told us: “Stuart Keyte was laughing when he told me this story as if it were funny and not serious.

“He said that a young Reform supporter was disappointed he couldn’t join in with the door knocking alongside Farage because there wasn’t room in the car.

“Stuart told me that it was decided the young lad could travel in the boot instead.”

The source added: “Stuart said Nigel Farage was travelling in the passenger seat of the car along with a number of Reform staffers, security and a driver.

“He told me it was the day of the Runcorn by-election and that when Farage and his entourage arrived at their destination they actually forgot the young boy was in the boot and only remembered when he called them via mobile phone.”

‘Fairy tale’

Later the Torfaen councillor admitted spreading a “fairy tale” – but claimed he did so because he wanted to see if the story would make it back to Nation.Cymru.

We asked Cllr Keyte to explain why he hadn’t declared his membership of the Freemasons, but he did not respond.