Senedd refuses to release details of who worked for disgraced ex-Wales Reform leader

Emily Price 

The Senedd has refused to release details of who worked for Nathan Gill when the disgraced former leader of Reform in Wales was a member of the Welsh Parliament.

Gill recently pleaded guilty to eight counts of taking bribes in return for making pro-Russian statements in the European Parliament between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019.

He was released on bail ahead of sentencing which is due to take place at the Old Bailey in London on November 21.

Gill was first elected as a UKIP MEP in 2014 and was one of seven UKIP members who won seats in what was then known a the Welsh Assembly in the 2016 election.

After infighting Gill left the party’s group in August that year to sit as an independent member for north Wales before he was replaced by UKIP’s Mandy Jones in December 2017.

He was also the leader of Reform UK in Wales during the party’s Senedd election campaign from March to May 2021.

Nation.Cymru launched an investigation into who worked for Gill in the Welsh Parliament following concerns about possible Russian interference in the Senedd.

Several sources indicated that some of Gill’s former employees are still prominent figures in Reform who could be looking to stand in the Senedd election next year.

The Senedd told us any requests for personal information would need to be considered through its Freedom of Information (FOI) process.

However, in their FoI response the Welsh Parliament would only confirm that Reform’s Caerphilly by-election candidate Llŷr Powell had been employed by Gill – a fact that is already common knowledge.

Powell faced criticism and abuse during his campaign for the Senedd seat and has strongly denied any knowledge of his former employer’s wrong doing.

Permission

The Senedd gave a number of reasons for why it would not provide any of the other names of Gill’s former employees including that it would be a breach data protection laws.

In the FoI response, the parliament explained that it had been in contact with the individuals captured by the request and that they would not give permission for their details to be released.

The Senedd also claimed that there was no “legitimate public interest in disclosing the information” because support staff don’t hold “public-facing roles”.

Nation.Cymru has since pointed out that the individual’s captured by the request could hold-public facing roles now and could become public figures if they stand for election next year.

‘Transparency’

The FoI response stated: “Whilst we recognise the legitimate interest in transparency and accountability relating to the actions of individuals during their time as an elected representative, support staff do not hold public-facing roles.

“In other words, they are not subject to, nor would expect, the same level of accountability or intrusion as elected representatives.

“Likewise, it is our view that disclosing the names of individuals who worked for a former Member would ordinarily add little or no value for the purposes of transparency and accountability in relation to former elected representatives.”

They added: “Furthermore, we received opposition to disclosure in the consultation exercise carried out with the individuals captured by your request.”

Impact

The FoI team also felt that the disclosure could cause Gill’s former staffers and their families “endangerment”.

The Senedd’s FoI department stated: “It is arguable that the current coverage relating to the actions of Mr Gill during his time as a Member of the European Parliament exacerbates the impact disclosure would be likely to have on the physical or mental health, or safety, of any individual.”

They added: “Having weighed the competing factors, it is considered that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.”

Labour Senedd Member Alun Davies criticised the FoI response and called for “full transparency”.

‘Influence’

He said: “It seems that Reform have bullied the Senedd into keeping their secrets. I believe that we need full transparency.

“These people are paid from the public purse and we have a right to know who they employed and in what roles.

“We need to know how far this Russian influence has gone in Reform.” 

Shortly after news broke about Gill’s guilty plea in September, Davies called for the Senedd’s Llywydd to give a statement confirming that no public resource had been used by Reform to support Vladimir Putin.

The Labour Senedd Member’s call was echoed by Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip Jane Hutt who said Davies’ request should be followed up.

Two months on, and no statement on the matter has been provided by the Llywydd’s office.

Appeal

A Senedd Commission spokesperson said: “Nation Cymru’s request for information was considered under the Freedom of Information Act.

“Some information had to be withheld as it met exemptions in the Act, including in relation to personal information.

“The Senedd Commission is committed to transparency but must adhere to its legal obligations.

“Nation Cymru can contest this decision by requesting a review, and if not content with the outcome of the review, can appeal directly to the Information Commissioner.”

Reform UK was invited to comment but did not respond.