Welsh Conservative councillor defects to Reform
Richard Youle, local democracy reporter
Swansea has its first Reform UK councillor after Cllr Francesca O’Brien, who represents Mumbles, joined the party.
The former Welsh Conservative was first elected to the council in 2022 and described Reform UK as the only chance to break the “Labour-Plaid consensus in Cardiff Bay and create a government in Wales that understands the concerns of ordinary people”.
Cllr O’Brien had stood as a prospective Conservative MP for Gower in the 2019 general election, finishing second behind Labour’s Tonia Antoniazzi.
“I’m proud to be announcing that I am joining Reform UK,” said Cllr O’Brien.
“Reform UK is our only chance to finally break up the Labour/Plaid consensus in Cardiff Bay and create a government in Wales that understands the concerns of ordinary people.”
‘Pointless’
She said Reform UK was committed to ending “the bleeding of millions of taxpayer pounds on things like empty Welsh Government buildings and pointless overseas offices” and would redirect that money back into Wales.
She added: “I continue to remain dedicated to my role as a councillor, determined to make our communities thrive, businesses boom and deliver a safe and vibrant community for our families to live and work.”
Reform UK said it now had 16 councillors in Wales, including two in Carmarthenshire.
Cllr O’Brien has been an officer with the Royal Air Force air cadets for over 17 years and is a member of the Mumbles and South Gower Royal British Legion. She is also a Mumbles community councillor.
A mother to two young boys, she said she also worked for 12 years in the motor industry and was involved in the farming sector for a time, working on a “farm to fork” business in Gower. She is also the former deputy leader of the Welsh Conservatives in Swansea.
Cllr O’Brien’s father, Richard Lewis, has served as councillor for Gower for decades as a Conservative, Independent and Liberal Democrat, and also sought the Gower parliamentary seat in 2005 on a UK Independence Party ticket.
Mumbles has two other councillors – both Conservative – Will Thomas and Angela O’Connor.
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Well, they come flooding out the beer hall now.
despite her claim, she will have to do what nige says.
Something about career politicians looking for the continuation of a meal ticket willing to go to reform. Leaves a nasty taste.
And they will win seats from those who want change overnight. As if voting for any party is like buying from Amazon and having the package delivered the next morning.
Just being tired and fed up is no excuse to invite a lot of carpetbaggers in protest. Politics is a long game in a world of immediate gratification. Remember Brexit?
Anyone still wondering why I call them ‘Toryform’? By the next General Election, every single last one of these racist frauds will have moved across just in time for them to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation for their incitement to racial hatred at which point, they will be flushed down into the cess pit of history. Keep moving over. Come on, speed it up there!
We already know that any Reformee wants to shut down our Senedd and end the existence of our nation and democracy, removing money from Wales and routing it all into the private accounts of the Republic of Tufton Street. I have faith (do I?) in the people of my mothers’ birthplace to step up and recognise this. Our country is under attack. Toryform is the enemy. Destroy it with your ballot box pencil like the people Grangetown did. If you do not, we will for years ahead, have to listen to Wales voted for its’ own extinction just like it… Read more »
The Greens won in Grangetown.
They did indeed and the voters of Grangetown destroyed Toryform with their ballot box pencils.
Quite right!
It really is the party of failures.
I do not support Reform , but why do they keep winning seats from Labour in the valleys and North Wales ?
Self inflicted by Labour in Wales ignoring the Welsh public on so many issues insisting they know best , well they live in a bubble that will burst next May , and many people (95% in one survey) believe the same.
%%%
Correct 100% But things aren’t that bad where decent Welsh people have to co exist with fascists and abuser supporters. Hopefully Labour will be sent to the history books, along with the Tories, as both parties are treacherous, criminal Wales haters. But Reform have been quite open about attacking Welsh language, culture and even removal of what little democracy we have. Removal of democracy nearly always ends up in civil unrest/ war. Basically I don’t understand why people would vote to completely destroy Wales just because the other parties have let us down….well, unless the voter in question has a… Read more »
Of the last half a dozen county council by-elections to be held in Wales, I can only remember Reform winning one of them (in Llangennech). 12 of the 16 Reform councillors in Wales are defectors., with all of them having previously been “Independents” or failed Tories.
I wonder if her attendance will improve under her new banner?
That shows 99% attendance though? All meetings attended bar one.
17 out of 18 attended gives her a 94.4% attendance rate actually, which is still pretty high to be fair.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/aug/16/nigel-farage-adviser-uk-would-be-better-off-if-it-had-not-fought-nazi-germany
Wow. And you wonder why so many on the far right are sweet on putin.
Reform, where IQ’s go to die.
The level of idiocy in that fellows comments is astounding. And he wants to invade nations again. He really is thick especially if he thinks that not fighting in WWII would have done anything for, history would tear him a new one if he bothered to defend that with credible historians.
If Nigel Farage wore a red nose and renamed his party. The Conservative Clown Collective party. You’d have the likes of Tory Cllr Francesa O’Brien and others on the far-right fringe defect and join. Am I surprised? Not really. The Tories in the Senedd and Westminster are facing electoral wipeout under Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar and English Conservative Kemi Badenoch. In the past the same mindset like O’Brien scampered from one ship to another, be it Ukip then Brexit Party. And look where both are now? Political oblivion. No Farage no party. You are electing and ego. That’s all.… Read more »
It does not surprise me Swansea football supporters have Union Flags saying Wales for the U K and they have a lot of union flags at their football matches along with the Welsh flag
OK. But have the courage to resign your seat and stand in a by election – the real test.
The tory party is dead, long live the tories? Since everyone has jumped ship and it seems to be more Tory members than anyone else is it still worth calling them Reform?
If Reform was genuinely a party of reform they’d put a stop to defections. Turns out they’re just as happy to benefit from the status quo as the rest of the establishment.
Reform in Wales echoes its disgraceful previous actions in the EU Parliament. Getting rid of devolution and the Senedd. Take the money and undermine the institution.
It’s just not being in Reform. that makes people think the same. There is the Abolish Party and the many thousands who feel totally ignored by the closed shop of the Labour run Senedd ,who say they listen to the public , but obviously don’t on so many levels including the way they spend our money on some bizarre projects.
Where Reform has taken control of councils in England – or been the largest party – the result has often been chaos Brian. I accept that there are people in Wales who feel disenchanted with the status quo in the Senedd – and the politicians in Cardiff Bay certainly need to up their game – but the chaos that Reform will bring is not the answer.
Aahh! The sweet smell of reform, for when the Tories are not extreme enough for you.
Wonder what she has to say about recent reports that violent neo nazi thugs have been campaigning for Reform in Swansea
New member of Reform UK in Wales Francesca O’Brien wants people on benefits to be put down . How’s Reform UK’s vetting going? https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/claimants-need-putting-down-tory-candidate-should-still-stand-says-dwp-secretary-of-state