Two more Welsh politicians defect to Nigel Farage's Reform UK
Reform leader Nigel Farage has used a keynote speech in Wales to announced that two more Welsh councillors have defected. Speaking in Port Talbot, he announced independent councillors Andrew Barry and David Hughes, both members of Merthyr Tydfil council, have joined Reform UK.
They were welcomed to the stage during a speech that has given his first glimpses of policies ahead of the election. Mr Farage said the party would allow coal mining again in Wales and says its long term plan is to "reopen the Port Talbot steelworks".
Cllr Barry, who has had the cabinet brief for finance, says he has seen "waste" in the system during his time. He said: "The people making the decisions on those hundreds of thousands of pounds are unelected members of the council.
READ MORE: Reform UK's Nigel Farage's eight election policies for Wales
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"I see Reform as the only opposition in Wales." You can follow live updates from the speech here.
Meanwhile David Hughes, who had previously had the housing and social services brief, spoke of "waste" within councils. "I've come over to Reform because there's so much waste where money is being spent, we need to get into procurement to make sure money is being spent correctly".
"It sounds like every Welsh council needs a DOGE," Mr Farage joked. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
The most recent poll for Wales suggests Reform is in line to take its first seats in the Senedd at the election in May 2026. Its only representation in Wales at the moment is with councillors, but a YouGov/Barn Cymru poll which asked people their voting intention for the Welsh Parliament in May put Reform UK in second with 25% of the vote.
They were only behind Plaid Cymru who were projected to get 30% of the vote and ahead of Labour's 18%. You can read that here.
In an opinion piece for WalesOnline, the party leader has given his first glimpses of policies ahead of the election. Mr Farage has said the party would allow coal mining again in Wales and says its long term plan is to "reopen the Port Talbot steelworks".
The steelworks, owned by Tata, have not closed but its remaining blast furnaces were closed in 2024, with work now ongoing to build an electric arc furnace which will recycle previously-used steel. Thousands of jobs are being lost as part of the change.
The Indian-owned company said the blast furnaces were at the end of their operational lives and too expensive to replace. The Port Talbot steelworks were, the company said, losing £1m a day before the blast furnaces were turned off.
Reform UK say it would "use Welsh Development Grants to support real industry. We'll redirect economic funding from consultants and NGOs to actual factory floors, machinery, and industrial jobs in places like Llanelli, Shotton, and Ebbw Vale".
Nigel Farage has also said the party would also set up "regional technical colleges" for people to have a "path into proper trade".
The party would also, it says, stop any building being used for asylum seeker accommodation, end funding to the Welsh Refugee Council and scrap the Welsh Government's "Nation of Sanctuary".
It also vowed to set up an Elon Musk style department to cut costs. "A Reform UK Senedd will also save hundreds of millions each year by cutting bureaucracy, waste and bad management."
"The establishment of Welsh DOGE will help us uncover where there is woke and wasteful spending and we will make sure those funds are redirected to frontline services," Mr Farage pledges.
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