Reform UK Wales (Welsh: Diwygio DU Cymru, pronounced [dɪˈwəɡ.jɔ diː ˈkəm.rɨ]),[1] also known as just Reform Wales, is the Welsh branch of the British political party Reform UK. Founded as the branch of the Brexit Party (the former name of Reform UK) in 2019, it is currently led by Dan Thomas. It participated in the 2026 Senedd election, where it emerged as the second-largest party in Wales behind Plaid Cymru, becoming the Official Opposition party.

History

This section is an excerpt from Leader of Reform UK Wales § History.[]

From 15 May 2019 to 19 October 2020 when the party was known as the Brexit Party, its Welsh leader was Mark Reckless, a Member of the Senedd (MS) for South Wales East. Reckless was initially elected in May 2016 as a member of UKIP. He left UKIP in 2017, and was admitted to the Conservative group in the Welsh Assembly, though not to the Conservative Party itself, however for purposes of Assembly business he was treated as a Conservative AM. In 2019 Reckless left the Conservative Group to sit as an independent assembly member. Then in May 2019 he joined the Brexit Party and became its first Welsh leader.[2] He then left the party and joined the Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party.[3] He said since Brexit had been effectively achieved, the work of the Brexit Party was complete.[4] Two weeks later, the Brexit Party was rebranded as Reform UK.[5]

From 26 March 2021 to 8 May the office was held by Nathan Gill. Gill was a Member of the European Parliament for Wales between July 2014 until the UK left the EU in January 2021. He was elected as a member of UKIP, before leaving to serve as an independent between 2018 and 2019, and then after joining the party, he finally served as a member of the Brexit Party from 2019, being relected as a MEP in the same year for the party. He was UKIP's Welsh Leader between 2014 and 2016, and was also a member of the Senedd for UKIP representatiing North Wales between 2016 and 2017. In 2018, Gill subsequently left UKIP, citing much infighting and distractions. He had disagreements with his successor as UKIP's Welsh Leader, Neil Hamilton, and was opposed to the party leader Gerard Batten's links to far-right activist Tommy Robinson.[6] He joined the new Brexit Party in February 2019,[7][8] and after the party renamed itself Reform UK in January 2021, he became its Welsh leader in March 2021.[3] Gill was a regional list candidate in the 2021 Senedd election for the North Wales electoral region [9] but was not elected.[10] He quit Reform UK shortly afterwards.[11] Gill was subsequently convicted in November 2025 to 10 and a half years in prison for taking bribes to make Pro-Russia statements while a member of the European parliament.[12]

From 2021 until 2026, the leader of Reform UK Wales remained vacant.[citation needed]

On 5 February 2026, Dan Thomas was appointed as Reform's Welsh Leader.[13][14][15] Thomas was born, and grew up in Wales, but moved to London when he was 18, where he served as a Conservative Party councillor on Barnet London Borough Council from 2006 to 2025, serving as leader of the council from 2019 to 2022, and as leader of the opposition Conservative group on the council following 2022. He defected to Reform UK in June 2025.[16] He later resigned from the council on 31 December 2025, leaving a vacant seat heading into the 2026 election, before moving to back to Wales with his family.[17][18]

In his announcement regarding Thomas's appointment as Welsh Leader, Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, said: "He has voluntarily left London, come back to the Valleys, living in Islwyn, come back to his home, and he's done that because he loves Wales." However, Nation.Cymru reported that a source told it that Thomas had actually moved to Bath, Somerset, England.[19] Following speculation in the media about where Thomas lived, Reform UK said: "Dan lives in Wales. Any claim to the contrary is entirely false. He lives here in Wales, where he is raising his young family". They also confirmed that he owns a property portfolio, which included a property in Bath that is rented out and not his main residence.[20] ITV Wales confirmed they had seen proof that Thomas was added to the electoral roll in the Caerphilly borough area in July 2025. A Reform UK spokesperson said: "Dan is on the electoral roll here in Wales".[21]

On 1 April 2026, Thomas appointed Helen Jenner as Deputy Leader of Reform UK Wales. She represents Bangor Conwy Môn since the 2026 Senedd election.[22] She previously contested the Ynys Môn constituency at the 2019 general election for Reform UK under its previous name of the Brexit Party, where she came fourth out of four candidates, receiving 6% of the vote.[23]

In May 2026, a former Reform UK Senedd candidate, whose photograph was published by Nation.Cymru in which he appeared to perform a Nazi salute, became a special adviser to his party's leader, Dan Thomas.[24]

In June 2026, former Reform UK Senedd candidate, Derek Roberts, was appointed as a special advisor to Reform UK Wales Senedd member, Gaz Thomas.[25] Roberts quit as a Reform candidate after concerns were raised within the party about his Facebook account, due to Roberts social media featuring dozens of racist and anti-Muslim posts from 2022 to 2025.[25] Roberts also openly posted in support of the far-right activist, Tommy Robinson.[25]

Relationship with press and journalists

Reform UK have had a controversial relationship with press organisations and has avoided communicating with certain journalists, in Wales and other parts of the UK.[26][27][28][29][30] In Wales multiple Reform UK representatives and senior figures have refused communicating or answering inquires by specific journalists following critical reporting of those individuals.[31] The party barred independent Welsh journalist Will Hayward from attending its 2026 Senedd election manifesto.[32]

The party has also been criticised for attacks, abuse and legally threats against journalists and media organisations critical of them, the National Union of Journalists condemned these actions.[33][34][35]

Stance on devolution

Reform UK ruled out abolition of the Senedd in their 2026 manifesto, after Laura Anne Jones, the party's then sole Member of the Senedd, made comments that it would be a possibility in September 2025.[36][37]

Surveys have found that among Reform UK's voter base, about two thirds would support abolishing the Senedd and Welsh devolution, which is much higher than the general population, of which only 29% support abolishing the Senedd.[38][39]

While the party does not officially support abolition of the Senedd, it does not support any further devolution of powers. It also did not support the increase in the number of Senedd members for the 2026 election from 60 to 96.

In June 2026, Reform UK Wales' Shadow Health Minister James Evans justified his and the party's opposition to further devolution by saying "we’re not very good in Wales at being efficient in running things".[40]

Election results

Senedd

Election Votes % Seats +/– Pos. Government
2021 11,730 1.1%
0 / 60
 Steady Steady Extraparliamentary
2026 367,985 29.3%
34 / 96
 Increase 34 Increase 2nd Opposition

References

  1. ↑ Reform UK Carmarthen (4 March 2025). "Rwy'n cefnogi ar Diwygio DU Cymru oherwydd dyna'r unig blaid sy'n gallu datrys y problemau sy'n ein hwynebu ni i gyd. / #SupportReform #Wales #Cymru" [I support Reform UK Wales, because that's the only party that can sort the problems facing us all. / #SupportReform #Wales #Cymru] (in Welsh). Facebook.
  2. ↑ "Assembly members join forces with Farage". 15 May 2019. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  3. 1 2 Reform UK Wales [@reformukwales] (26 March 2021). "After almost a quarter of a century of one party rule it's time to reform Wales
    Nathan was a leading figure in the fight to ensure UK laws are created by politicians accountable to us Now it's time to reform those laws
    @NathanGillMEP
    #Senedd21 #Wales2021 #ReformUK"     (Tweet). Retrieved 27 March 2021 – via Twitter.    {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ↑ "Mark Reckless quits Brexit Party to joins Senedd abolition party". BBC News. 19 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  5. ↑ Mhaoileoin, Niamh Ní (10 May 2016). "He's linked to cash for questions and mimicked Hitler in Berlin — now he leads UKIP in the Senedd". Left Foot Forward. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  6. ↑ Gill, Nathan (6 December 2018). "I have not left UKIP, UKIP has left me. It is with regret and sadness that today I am resigning from UKIP". @NathanGillMEP. Archived from the original on 22 May 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2018 – via Twitter.
  7. ↑ "Gill set to join Farage's Brexit party". 10 February 2019. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  8. ↑ "Why I am joining The Brexit Party". Facebook. Archived from the original on 21 February 2025. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  9. ↑ "2021 Senedd Election North Wales Region Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  10. ↑ Mosalski, Ruth (7 May 2021). "Senedd election 2021 result for North Wales". WalesOnline. Archived from the original on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  11. ↑ "Reform UK Wales leader Nathan Gill stopped being a member of the party straight after the Senedd election". Nation.Cymru. 16 March 2022. Archived from the original on 28 December 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  12. ↑ "Reform UK's former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, jailed over pro-Russia bribes". The Independent. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  13. ↑ "Reform UK's Welsh leader Dan Thomas announced by Nigel Farage at rally in Newport". BBC News. 5 February 2026. Archived from the original on 5 February 2026. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  14. ↑ Browne, Adrian (5 February 2026). "Who is Reform UK's Welsh leader Dan Thomas?". BBC News. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  15. ↑ "Nigel Farage unveils leader of Reform UK in Wales plus Senedd Member defection". ITV News. 5 February 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ↑ "Former London Tory council leader latest to defect to Nigel Farage's Reform". The Standard. 30 June 2025. Archived from the original on 29 August 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  17. ↑ Floyd, David (31 December 2025). "Former council leader quits council". Barnet Post. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  18. ↑ Mosalski, Ruth (5 February 2026). "Everything we know about new Wales leader of Reform UK Dan Thomas". Wales Online. Archived from the original on 5 February 2026. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
  19. ↑ "The new leader of Reform UK Wales lives in Bath, not Wales". Nation.Cymru. 6 February 2026.
  20. ↑ Sinclair, Tom (7 February 2026). "Reform rejects questions over new Welsh Leader Dan Thomas' residency". The Pembrokeshire Herald.
  21. ↑ Mansfield, Mark (8 February 2026). "Reform UK's Welsh leader 'not on the electoral register in December 2025'". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  22. ↑ Hughes, Owen (8 May 2026). "Rhun ap Iorwerth's path to First Minister - Bangor Conwy Môn results in full". North Wales Live. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  23. ↑ "Ynys Môn - 2019 General Election". BBC News. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  24. ↑ Deans, David (26 May 2026). "Man who appeared to do Nazi salute becomes adviser to Reform's Welsh leader". BBC News. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  25. 1 2 3 Deans, David (3 June 2026). "Reform special adviser's social media featured dozens of racist and anti-Muslim posts". BBC News. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  26. ↑ "Deplatformed: Nigel Farage's Reform Bans Byline Times from their Party Conference". Byline Times. 20 September 2024.
  27. ↑ Whittaker, Anna (28 August 2025). "Reform council boss bans local newspaper's reporters". BBC News. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  28. ↑ "Reform's Decision to Ban Journalists from Conference Branded 'Shocking' by Press Freedom Watchdog". DeSmog. 4 September 2025.
  29. ↑ "Reform UK Councillors Told to Speak Only to GB News' as Party Shuns Local Press". Byline Times. 18 May 2026.
  30. ↑ "Reporter barred from Reform council leader's conduct hearing". HoldtheFrontPage. 16 July 2026.
  31. ↑ "Has Reform UK rolled out the Nottinghamshire media ban to Wales?". Nation.Cymru. 12 September 2025.
  32. ↑ "Reform UK bars award-winning journalist from manifesto launch". HoldtheFrontPage. 16 March 2026.
  33. ↑ "NUJ Wales condemns Reform UK's threats and smears against journalists". National Union of Journalists. 16 December 2025.
  34. ↑ "I don't care if Reform calls me a bad word on WhatsApp. But the story behind its gaffe is far more worrying". The Guardian. 5 December 2025.
  35. ↑ "Journalists' union condemns Reform Wales over post mocking journalist at work". Nation.Cymru. 16 July 2026.
  36. ↑ "Is abolition of the Senedd Reform party policy or not?". BBC News. 6 September 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  37. ↑ "Reform not ruling out scrapping Senedd, politician says". BBC News. 5 September 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  38. ↑ "Where does political opinion stand in Wales, ahead of the 2026 Senedd election?". YouGov. 29 April 2026.
  39. ↑ "Where do Scotland and Wales stand on devolution?". YouGov. 17 September 2024.
  40. ↑ "Senior Welsh Reform politician 'infantilises' entire Welsh nation". 8 June 2026. pp. Canary.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_UK_Wales