Reform UK, the official opposition in the Welsh Senedd since May 2026, has a record marked by absenteeism, secrecy, and an obsession with disruption, according to an investigation by Guardian columnist Will Hayward and colleagues. The findings raise questions about what a Reform government might look like, given leader Nigel Farage's stated ambition to lead the UK government.
Absenteeism and a 'banned list'
The investigation, published on Hayward's newsletter, found that out of 100 Senedd committee meetings held between 8 May and 21 October, there were 31 times when at least one Reform MS was absent. For context, Plaid had eight absences, Labour nine, the Tories nine, the Greens six, and the Lib Dems one. Committee meetings are a key way for MSs to hold the Welsh government to account.
Sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed a "banned list" of organisations and journalists whom Reform Senedd members are forbidden to talk to, including Oxfam and the Books Trust charity. Hayward noted with professional pride that he had made the list, recounting an incident where a Reform MS panicked upon recognizing him in the Senedd canteen and moved to another table.
Leader worship and paranoia
Sources told the investigation that a large picture of Farage hangs on the back of the Reform group's office door in the Senedd. The Welsh Reform constitution states that Farage must give permission for the Reform group to work with any other party. The party's higher-ups are reportedly obsessed with countering Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain party, with one MS saying, "Everything the party is doing is about countering Restore. HQ are obsessed."
This drive to defend their right flank manifested in the Senedd when Reform MS Joe Martin made claims that white British people were being "replaced" and would be a minority in the UK by 2063. The speaker told Martin he would not be called to speak again until he apologised. Reform's leader in Wales, Helen Jenner, then said the rest of the party would boycott the Senedd in solidarity.
A party of disruption, not opposition
Jenner also posted a WhatsApp message about attending a group established to tackle issues affecting women in parliament, writing, "Sort of makes me feel like we should go along and disrupt." The investigation's findings contradict the claim by Reform UK Wales deputy leader to be the "most effective, professional and united opposition the Senedd has ever seen."
Hayward put the findings to Reform UK, which said, "These claims are blatantly outlandish, ridiculous and unsubstantiated." They did not reply to a request for clarification on which of the 13 points they were referring to. The investigation concludes that Wales is left with "disruption for disruption's sake," quoting Succession's Logan Roy: "These are not serious people."
