Tory MS defects to Reform UK
Emily Price
A sitting Welsh Conservative MS currently under investigation by the Senedd’s standard’s watchdog has defected to Reform UK.
Reform’s leader Nigel Farage announced the party’s newest recruit – Laura Anne Jones – during a visit to the Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells on Tuesday (July 22).
Rumours of the Tory MS’s plan to jump ship swirled this morning when she didn’t show up at the Conservatives stand at the show alongside her colleagues.
The South Wales East MS said the Welsh Conservatives were finding out about her defection at the same time as the press conference.
She said she could no longer justify on the doorstep decisions made by the party.
‘Dodgy’
Asked whether Ms Jones would lead Reform in Wales – the former Tory MS said: “We will have to see what happens won’t we.”
Clacton MP Farage said Ms Jones knows how the Senedd works and was “energised and passionate”.
Reacting to the news, a Tory source told Nation.Cymru: “All Laura has ever cared about is her bank account, her dodgy expenses claims are evidence of that.”
Welsh Conservative Leader Darren Millar said he was “disappointed” in Ms Jones adding that she had “let Welsh voters down”.
He said: “The Welsh Conservatives will not allow this to distract us from our national mission to boot Labour out and fix Wales.
“In the meantime, we wish Laura all the very best in her new high tax and high spend party.”
Probe
Over the last year Ms Jones has been at the centre of a Senedd probe over her expenses and office culture.
In May last year, South Wales Police launched an investigation into the South Wales East MS following allegations that she had made false mileage claims.
The complaint had been referred to the force by the Senedd’s standards commissioner Douglas Bain.
WhatsApp discussions about petrol and milage between Ms Jones and her staff were later leaked to the Welsh media.
She was asked to step back from the Welsh Conservative shadow cabinet while the investigation was ongoing.
South Wales Police concluded its probe in December saying “no evidence” of fraudulent activity had been found.
The outcome of the Bain’s probe is expected to be announced soon.
It is understood that Ms Jones’ former chief aide – Ed Sumner – gave evidence to the investigation.
He joined Reform UK as the party’s communications lead several months ago.
Messages
In August last year, Ms Jones was caught up in another controversy when Nation.Cymru revealed a screen grab of a racist slur she had sent her staff.
During a WhatsApp exchange about the Chinese owned video app TikTok, the South Wales East MS sent a message saying: “No chinky spies for me!”
Responding to the offensive slur, Ms Jones’ former staffer, the now Reform UK comms lead Ed Sumner – sent a heart emoji and a message saying: “That’s the Laura we love”.
Further offensive text messages sent by the then Conservative Senedd Member were also leaked to the media following allegations of bullying by a party official.
WhatsApp messages sent by Ms Jones to her team group chat appeared to show that the South Wales East MS made derogatory remarks about a caseworker she suspected of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
It came after “sickening” and “hateful” messages were obtained by Nation.Cymru which revealed the toxic working atmosphere in Ms Jones’ office.
The communications associated with the then Tory MS and her staff included disparaging comments about other party members and jokes about Natasha Asghar’s dead father.
As a Conservative MS, Ms Jones would have faced a battle with Monmouth MS Peter Fox for the number one spot on the party’s list of candidates for the new Sir Fynwy Torfaen constituency after both members had their incumbency requests approved.
It is understood that Ms Jones had attended her hustings to be a Tory candidate less than a week ago.
She told the Reform UK press conference at the Royal Welsh that she was unsure yet which seat she would stand for at the Senedd election in 2026.
Plaid Cymru Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth branded Ms Jones “desperate”.
He said: “This is yet another desperate Tory defector who knows the writing is on the wall for their party’s prospects next May.
“Our national parliament is not a plaything for those who want to set Wales on a road to ruin.
“Only a Plaid Cymru government will build a fair, ambitious and prosperous nation.”
Responding to Ms Jones’ defection, Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson David Chadwick said the Conservatives were “clearly dead as a political force in Wales”.
He said: “But let’s be clear: Reform has no answers for Wales, just more noise, division, and is seemingly now only a vehicle for failed Conservative politicians.”
More to follow…
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Reform are just the Establishment Cons in disguise.
The lady has form. Maybe Reform will help her mend her ways, or is she beyond reform ?
Only Allah can help her now.
Lol….that would be poetic justice for a right wing bigot like her Amir.
Allah, peace be upon him, can only do so much. Some are beyond help.
This should be good. Cons down one.
Reform have a type, hows the expenses thing going?
Though I thought ARTD was a dead cert.
So, what will her first commentary be about. forriners coming here and stealing our jerbs? Stop flying flags that reform don’t like the look of because they don’t represent white males? Demand a doge unit?
Elected as a top-up, not as an individual, yet can choose to change sides.
I understand that this insult at least will stop with the new voting system.
Yes and no. She can’t change sides again; but no one is going to be elected as an individual next year. Presumably she has been guaranteed a spot at the top of Reform’s list so is virtually guaranteed to be elected and continue her expenses claims. This new voting system is an accident waiting to happen.
Pardon the pun, but if she doesn’t reform her ways, Allah willing she will not get re-elected.
You have touched a nerve! This individual was elected on that pat of he system that is PR.
If she had been elected as a constituency member, quite rightly there would have been calls for resignation. More importantly, a petition would have been raised that would have resulted in her removal.
This is not possible, and any similar shenanigans after May will also mean that removal would be impossible.
Wonderful living in a democracy.
She sounds really delightful from the messages she sends. And she is surrounded by like minded people. May Allah bless you Emily from bringing us this story of hate, bullying and a feeling of superiority over others.
She will have an approved way to talk and subjects to attack and subject to avoid and subject to get behind from Nige. Who owns the company she has just joined. Dissent is verboten. See Rowe.
Top of the list from Nige at the moment is the “UK is about to riot”. So I have a little money on that coming from her soon. Need a riot, agitate your thugs.
Corruption and reform go hand in hand. Take th cash, robbing councils in England and helping nobody. She is going to be well at home.
No place for either party in Wales. Let’s hope she fades into pointless insignificance along with her old party.
So, Tories not sufficiently small-minded and mean-spiritied for her anymore.
Given that they are almost certainly going to vanish from the political map of Wales next year anyway I expect she just has her self-satisfied greedy, toxic eye on the main chance of staying in the public eye.
Nothing to offer except more lies and distractions
Congratulations to Nigel Farage – of all the tories in Wales who could defect to Reform she is without doubt the worst! And – following the earlier defection of David Jones – let’s just hope that come next year’s Senedd elections the Welsh electorate takes cognisance of the fact that Reform in Wales is becoming a retirement home for deeply right wing and personally ghastly tories.
Isn’t it odd that ALL the Reform defects have something wrong with them or are under suspicion of something? Should be renamed Deform
Defectors- not defects- though that would be accurate as well
The Reform takeover of the Conservative Party creeps along. “Creeps” being the operative word!!
Like a fly to the proverbial. It seems Conservative and Reform UK go together like famine and pestilence. Corrupt to their rotten core. But what puzzles me. I thought Welsh Government put measures in place to stop a Senedd member crossing the floor? Obviously not. In reality she should face the electorate if that confident seeing they, for their sins, voted for her to represent them not anyone from Deformed UK.
But they didn’t. She’s a party list MS
What happened to Reform’s vetting process? Dodgy expenses claims and a racist comment, what’s not to like Nige? She’ll fit right in.
Will she be junior to a 19 year old council leader in the party hierarchy?
How on Allah’s green bountiful earth is Laura Jones still a member of the Senedd. She has referred to someone using the racially degrading C word. She has made jokes about Natasha Asghar’s late father. Natasha is Muslim and her father is of a Pakistani descent. She has made fun of someone with a disability. There is an obvious pattern emerging. This is completely unacceptable and of really poor standards unbecoming of a member of the Senedd. And the only thing they are investigating is her expenses, money. Is money the only thing that keeps the senedd spinning?
The more discerning and aspirational rats desert the ship once they realize that it’s sinking.