Conservative Senedd politician kicked out of party for Reform talks

A prominent Welsh Conservative Party leader is being kicked out of his party for telling him he was considering switching to Reform UK.

Tory Senedd leader Darren Millar said James Evans had been removed from the shadow cabinet and his whip stood down, making him independent.

Millar said on Tuesday morning he did so “after being informed by James that he was continuing to meet with Reform representatives about the possibility of leaving the party, despite his personal assurance on Friday that he rejected an approach they had initiated last week”.

In a statement, Evans confirmed that he had been expelled from the party, which he said no longer represented his values.

“I will take some time in the coming weeks to think about my political future,” he said.

Speculation grew after Evans gave an interview to BBC Wales on Sunday that he criticized UK party leader Kemi Badenoch and refused to say whether he had spoken to Reform.

BBC Wales understands that the process to remove party membership is ongoing.