The only Reform UK member in the Welsh Parliament, Laura Anne Jones, is set to be excluded from the Senedd's debating chamber for a fortnight after a standards investigation.
The Offensive Remark and Investigation
The proposed 14-day suspension follows a recommendation from the Senedd's standards committee, which examined a message Ms Jones sent in a private WhatsApp group in August 2023. The message, which contained a racial slur about Chinese people, was sent during a discussion about the Chinese-owned app TikTok. She wrote: "No ***** spies for me."
While the South Wales East MS had apologised for the remark previously, the cross-party committee concluded that her conduct "fell far below the standards expected" of a Member of the Senedd. In its report, the committee stated: "The committee is clear that inappropriate and offensive comments have no place in our Senedd, or society more widely."
Cleared of Expenses Allegations
The standards body also investigated separate claims that Ms Jones had submitted fraudulent expenses. However, the committee found "no breach of the code of conduct" in relation to these allegations.
In a statement released after the report's publication, Ms Jones said she was "delighted to have finally been cleared of any wrongdoing" regarding the "malicious accusation of fraudulent activity." She added: "I have apologised, and I apologise again, for the regrettable comments that I made in a private message. I never meant to cause offence to anyone."
Political Fallout and Party Reactions
The suspension is expected to be formally approved by Members of the Senedd next week. The case has prompted strong reactions from political parties in Wales.
A Reform UK Wales spokesperson criticised the decision, stating: "It is a great shame that, because of a committee made up of only Labour, Plaid and Conservative politicians, there will be no Reform voice in the Senedd now for two weeks." They also claimed there is a "serious issue with two-tier policing in this country."
In contrast, a Plaid Cymru spokesperson said: "The language used was vile and completely unacceptable... It is only right the Member faces the consequences of her actions." They added that Reform's acceptance of Ms Jones's defection from the Conservatives after the remark came to light "tells us everything you need to know about the party."
Ms Jones, who defected to Reform UK from the Welsh Conservatives earlier this year, will serve her suspension once it is ratified by the full Senedd.
