Two Reform MSs’ offices targeted by vandals in just one week

Emily Price 

Two Reform Members of the Senedd have had their constituency offices targeted by vandals within the last week.

Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni MS Catherine Cullen and Afan Ogwr Rhondda MS Benjamin Hodge Mckenna both had damage caused to their constituency offices, with one forced to delay the opening of theirs as a result.

Ms Cullen arrived at work on Tuesday (August 18) to find the word “scum” spray-painted across the front of her constituency office which has just been painted with Reform UK’s trademark teal colour.

The Reform MS said the vandalism had been carried out by two men who arrived at the building on a bike at around 2:30am two days earlier.

The office had only just been completed in readiness for her new caseworker team to begin their work helping local people solve problems with government bodies, councils, and other public services.

Ms Cullen said that when she was elected by the people of Blaenau Gwent, Rhymney and Caerphilly she had been given a “mandate to represent their voices and hold Labour, Plaid and the rest of the establishment to account”.

“Before I came into office, one of the things I told constituents was that I would be visible in the community, and I intend to keep that promise,” she said, adding that she was just trying to do her job.

It comes after Ms Cullen faced criticism last week for appearing on a far-right podcast in which she revealed her links to a controversial evangelical church which she said prayed for her throughout the process of becoming a candidate for Reform UK.

Afan Ogwr Rhondda MS Benjamin Hodge Mckenna also had his office targeted this week, with vandals causing significant damage to the interior of the Port Talbot building, including setting off fire extinguishers and ripping doors from their frames.

The Reform MS said he had received a call from South Wales Police who told him a group of young people had broken into the building and “absolutely trashed the place”.

Mr Mckenna said the “thankfully” the attack didn’t appear to be targeted, but that the severe damage caused would mean he would have to delay the office’s official opening.

He said: “All of the furniture that had been in here was destroyed. Fire extinguishers were set off, and a lot of damage has been done to the doors as well as the bathrooms.

“This sort of behaviour is completely unacceptable and must be dealt with as a point of priority.

“This doesn’t just affect people like myself, but it causes tremendous damage, things like vandalism and anti social behaviour to independent local businesses, who are just trying to make ends meet.

“Thankfully the police informed me that this was not a targeted attack incident.

“This sort of damage and disruption could be absolutely catastrophic to somebody who is just setting up their own small business, or to a local community organisation that is just just trying to help in the area.”

“I would like to thank South Wales Police for all of their help so far and the proactivity they have shown in dealing with the situation.

“I’m crossing my fingers that the perpetrators of this incident will be found and face the consequences soon.”

It comes after a large rock was used to smash the windows of the constituency office of Casnewydd Islwyn MS Natasha Asghar.

The Welsh Conservative politician posted a video to Facebook last month showing her sat in her Newport office surrounded by broken glass.

Ms Asghar said: “It’s incidents like this that put people off from joining politics and from doing their job.

“But I’m here to tell you that regardless of this stone or any difficulties or hardship that come across my way, I’ll carry on doing the job that I love and do day in day out.”

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