Reform politician’s ‘racial slur’ brought Senedd into disrepute

A REFORM politician brought the Senedd into disrepute by using a racial slur about Chinese people in a WhatsApp chat, according to a leaked report by the Senedd’s standards commissioner.

- CONOR GOGARTY

Laura Anne Jones, the party’s only MS, was also investigated over claims of expenses fraud but was cleared of those allegations by commissioner Douglas Bain.

The BBC has obtained a copy of Mr Bain’s report, which is yet to be formally released, on allegations against the South Wales East MS, who defected to Reform from the Tories in July.

Ms Jones issued an apology last year for using the slur and has now told the broadcaster she will provide “a full response” to the report once it is published.

In August 2023 Ms Jones wrote “no c***y spies for me” in a WhatsApp group. According to the BBC, Mr Bain’s report found the message was sent in response to her senior adviser saying he had raised concerns about Chinese-owned video platform Tik-Tok at a Conservative Senedd group meeting.

Mr Bain reportedly found the comment breached Senedd rules against not engaging in discrimination, bringing the Senedd into disrepute, and failing to uphold “the leadership principle”.

In a WhatsApp exchange with a former employee, also from August 2023, Ms Jones reportedly called one ex-staff member “a w****r” and a “bitter, twisted, useless person”.

She failed to challenge a message that referred to the same ex-staffer as a “Grade A p***k’ according to the report.