Reform UK’s only representative in Welsh parliament suspended over racial slur
The only UK member of Reform’s Welsh parliament has been suspended for using a racial slur in a WhatsApp group.
Laura Anne Jones choked back tears after parliament’s standards committee recommended she be banned for 14 days for her remarks.
Ms. Jones, who left the Conservative Party at the beginning of this year, made offensive remarks about the Chinese in a group discussion about the Chinese-owned TikTok application in August 2023.
He wrote: “No fucking spies for me.”
Although Ms Jones had previously issued an apology for the comment, the standards committee concluded her actions “fell well below the standards expected” of a member of the Welsh parliament.
Hannah Blythyn, chair of the standards committee, welcomed Ms Jones having since received diversity training but said: “We are clear that inappropriate and offensive comments have no place in our Senedd or wider society.
“The behavior found in the commissioner’s reports falls well below expected standards and points to an office culture where there is little respect for others or any consideration of what might be found offensive.”
When the restraining order was approved on Wednesday, Ms Jones said she “fully accepted” the findings of the report, adding: “I welcome the clear and welcome conclusion from both the police and the standards commissioner which cleared me of any fraudulent activity, with the police stating there was absolutely no evidence of any wrongdoing.
“As for the language I unfortunately used in private WhatsApp messages, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize once again in this hall.
“I never meant to offend anyone and never had the intention to do so. It is extremely regrettable that the message and others in which I expressed my disappointment privately and for which I also apologized were misunderstood and leaked to the press and made public in a way that had the potential to cause unnecessary harm to someone.
“My staff and I have completed Senedd respect and behavior training and I have actively engaged with and assisted the community referred to. I have reflected on this issue and fully accept the need to always pay greater attention to my language.”
The committee also examined allegations that Ms Jones had fraudulently made false expense claims but found “there had been no breach of the code of conduct” in this regard.
Ms Jones became emotional as she addressed the room, having to compose herself before describing the “distressing” experience of being under investigation.
Encouraged to “buy” [her] Time before moving on”.
He said that the process negatively affected his family and caused great damage to his mental health. “I wouldn’t wish what I had to go through on my worst enemy,” he said.
