Reform Senedd member faces ban over racist WhatsApp remarks

📱⚖️ Reform UK’s only Senedd member Laura Anne Jones is facing a two-week suspension after making offensive racist comments in a WhatsApp chat.

In August 2023, Jones, who represents South Wales East, used a racial slur about Chinese people, saying “no chinky spies for me” during a discussion about TikTok when there were concerns about the Chinese government potentially using the app to gather information.

The Senedd’s standards committee, recommending the sanction, said “inappropriate and offensive comments have no place in our Senedd or society more widely”.

The standards commissioner also found that Jones referred to a former employee as “a wanker” and a “bitter, twisted, useless person” in a separate WhatsApp exchange. She wrote: “I tried to be so understanding. I even asked if he had ADHD or something and if he needed extra support… cos something isn’t right with him!?”

Additionally, Jones failed to reprimand a staff member who posted discriminatory comments about policing in November 2023.

The committee said Jones had broken several rules from the code of conduct and her conduct “fell far below the standards expected”, adding: “It points to an office culture where there was little respect towards others or any consideration of what may be found offensive.”

However, the committee noted Jones was “suffering with poor physical and mental health” at the time of some comments.

Jones was cleared of separate complaints relating to false expenses claims and unfair dismissal. The police found no evidence of fraud after investigating allegations she had instructed a staff member to make false mileage claims.

Responding to the report, Jones said: “I am delighted to have finally been cleared of any wrongdoing in relation to the malicious accusation of fraudulent activity. I am now looking forward to drawing a line under this after nearly two years of being hounded over it, and the detrimental impact that it has on both me and my young family. 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. I would like to thank both the police and standards commissioner for their thorough investigation, and I accept their conclusions.”

Welsh Labour said Jones’ “choice of language is unacceptable”, adding: “This sort of divisive rhetoric has no place in Wales and stands in stark contrast to the values of the Welsh public.”

Plaid Cymru called her words “vile and completely unacceptable”, whilst Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds urged Reform UK to expel Jones from the party altogether.

Jones was a Conservative MS at the time of the allegations but defected to Reform in July. The Senedd will vote on the recommended 14-day ban next week.