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Shadow home secretary fails to name leader of Welsh Conservatives five times

26 Oct 2025 2 minute read
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp (Photo: Lucy North/PA Wire) and Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar (Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp failed to name the leader of the Welsh Conservatives despite being asked five times to do so during an interview.

The MP for Croydon South was answering questions from Christopher Hope, the political editor of GB News, on Sunday morning.

Mr Philp said the Conservative Party “fought” hard for votes in the Caerphilly by-election on Thursday, which saw Plaid Cymru sweep 47% of the vote and Reform UK take second place with 36%.

Welsh Labour’s candidate took 11% of the vote while the Welsh Conservatives received just 2%.

Disappointing

Mr Hope asked for Mr Philp’s reaction on the result, adding “do you know who your Welsh leader is in Wales?”

“We have obviously fought that by-election hard, disappointing result for the main parties – Plaid Cymru obviously won that and Reform did pretty well,” Mr Philp replied.

“We had a disappointing night because I think we’re still in a process of recovery and of renewal, and we’re going to keep working hard at that up and down the country.”

He described the Conservative Party conference as a “turning point”, with a number of new policies announced including leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (EHCR).

‘Totally fine’

Mr Hope asked for the name of the leader of the Welsh Conservatives a further four times during the interview.

After the fourth time, Mr Hope told Mr Philp: “If you don’t know, you can say – who is the leader of the Welsh Tories?”

He then asked a fifth time, repeating: “If you don’t know, you can say, it’s totally fine”.

Mr Philp replied: “We’ve got a relatively new leader and I’m afraid, I’m afraid, I’m afraid the name escapes me.”

Mr Hope said: “He’s called Darren Millar and that does matter because the party is disappearing rapidly into the sand of a Welsh beach.”

Mr Millar, the Clwyd West MS, was elected as leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd in December last year.

He was first elected to the Welsh Parliament in May 2007 and re-elected in 2011, 2016 and 2021.


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Buzby
Buzby
1 month ago

To be fair, there’s no such role.

https://nation.cymru/news/andrew-rt-davies-criticised-for-falsely-claiming-hes-leader-of-the-welsh-conservatives/

“The Welsh party is essentially an offshoot of the English party, and It would therefore be right to say that its leader is [Kemi].”

Alwyn
Alwyn
1 month ago

These ‘gotcha’ news articles are tedious. I doubt many of the general population could name him either, maybe over 95%. But I doubt they could name the leader of the UUP either, for example. Grill him on policy or views or something that matters, rather than if he can remember a phone book.

Amir
Amir
1 month ago
Reply to  Alwyn

If he is taking a leaf from his reform wannabe hand book, it won’t be much else other no Muslims, no immigrants, and demolish publis services and privatise everything.

CapM
CapM
1 month ago
Reply to  Alwyn

 ‘rather than if he can remember a phone book’.

And that would be the phone book that lists the names of every Tory politician in Cymru.
Otherwise known as the World’s shortest book.

Blinedig
Blinedig
1 month ago
Reply to  CapM

No such thing as a Welsh Conservative

CapM
CapM
1 month ago
Reply to  Blinedig

Of course there is.

Amir
Amir
1 month ago

This just emphasises the insignificance of Wales in the eyes of these reform wannabes. The actual reform guys are far , far more ruthless. Once in control, Wales as we remember it will most likely cease to exist. Um, greater England.

Jeff
Jeff
1 month ago

He also got his wotsits handed him on LBC trying to fit a fag paper between Pochin and Jenrick.

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 month ago

This shows how ineffective Darren Millar is as the leader of the Welsh Conservatives. But it also shines the spotlight too on Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp and how ignorant he is not to know who leads the Conservative party in Wales. In my opinion. Both are an irrelevance and should be consigned to the political dustbin where they belong. Roll on next May’s Senedd election. It can’t come quick enough. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 #Ymlaen

Amir
Amir
1 month ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

Well said.

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 month ago
Reply to  Amir

Jude 1:4

smae
smae
1 month ago

There are tories in Wales???

Garycymru
Garycymru
1 month ago
Reply to  smae

Like the odour from the excrement they pump into our rivers, or the never ending threat of coal tips sliding that they gave us, they’ll always be lurking in the background.

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