Tory defector suspended over racial slur is named Reform Wales deputy leader after party's leadership shake-up

From the Newshound archive · first published 21 September 2026 · last updated 22 September 2026.

Laura Anne Jones, a former Conservative Senedd Member who joined Reform UK in summer 2025, has been chosen as deputy leader of the party in Wales following a vote among its Senedd members. She fills the vacancy left by Helen Jenner, who moved up to the leadership after Dan Thomas stepped down following his arrest on charges of assault and controlling or coercive behaviour. Jones called herself "honoured" and pledged to stand up for "left-behind communities" across Wales.

In November 2025, Jones was handed a two-week Senedd suspension after a racial slur targeting Chinese people turned up in a private WhatsApp message she had sent.

Dan Thomas, arrested last week, denies any wrongdoing and says he stood down purely to stop the case becoming a "distraction" from Reform's work.

Reform now heads the largest opposition group in Welsh parliamentary history, having won 34 Senedd seats at the May election.