I can’t remember the last time I saw a group of journalists in Cwmbran. You know I love the place and feel it should be in the news a lot more but 99 times out of 100, I’m the only media at events in the town.
Today was very different. Last night I had an invite to go to the Greenhouse pub at midday today where Reform UK would be announcing their first councillors in Wales.
I also can’t remember the last time I got three videos out of one event- scroll down this story to watch them.
There hadn’t been an election. The three councillors, David Thomas, Alan Slade and Jason O’Connell were the Independent representatives for Llantarnam Ward until around 11am this morning when they handed in paperwork to the civic centre in Pontypool to confirm they had formed a new group called Reform UK Wales.
The trio were elected as Independent councillors at their last elections (Cllr Thomas and Cllr Slade in 2022 and Cllr O’Connell in 2023).
Lee Anderson MP, Reform UK
Lee Anderson, Reform UK’s first MP who switched from the Conservatives in March 2024, was at the event. He arrived with the three councillors at around 12.30pm and addressed the group of around 40 people in the pub.
Cllr Thomas said that he was the new leader, Cllr Slade the deputy leader, and Cllr O’Connell a group member.
The three new Reform UK councillors then went outside the pub to talk to the media.
Twm Owen, Torfaen’s Local Democracy Reporter, asked if they felt a by-election should be held as Llantarnam residents had elected them as Independents.
Cllr Slade said: “One of our key messages during the last election was to vote for the person not the party. They’ve still got the same people, with the same energy and the same commitment so we don’t feel nothing has changed in a way.”
Cllr Thomas said: “We don’t need a by-election. The people of Llantarnam voted for us as individuals. So we’re not joining Reform to shove Reform down the necks of the people of Llantarnam.
“They’re still getting the same councillors. We’ll still fight hard for you. We’ll still do everything that we normally do. There will be no constraints put on us.”
Senedd 2026 elections
A journalist asked if the move was about “building that predictable base” for a challenge to the 2026 Senedd elections?
Cllr Thomas said: “You’ll still get the hard-working councillor or elected Senedd members, if we were lucky enough to be elected, if we’re even candidates to face the people of Wales.”
He said he wanted to see “common sense” return to decision-making and “strip out all the bureaucracy, totally reform the way local councils work, local government works.”
Cllr O’Connell was asked what national Reform UK policies he supported and said: “I do like the idea of NHS reform. I do like the idea of improving transportation and links throughout the Welsh infrastructure. I do like the local government reform.”
He said he’d like the NHS in Wales to “make more effective use of the budget they receive from Westminster.”
Twm asked Cllr Thomas about a comment he gave in 2019 after resigning from the Labour party. He had said the party didn’t tolerate alternative views and those presenting them were “made to feel like an outsider or someone not deemed to be a socialist which is deeply upsetting.”
Twm said: “Are you still a socialist?” and Cllr Thomas replied: “Yeah, I would say I’ve still got socialist values, yes, but I’ve got more experience in local government. I know what I’m looking for and at. You adapt and change and move forward.”
Twm asked him “You’re a socialist I guess, Kier Starmer is a socialist. So are you and Nigel Farage not at odds in the same party?”
Cllr Thomas replied: “No, not at all. I started off like that. I was brought up that way. I’ve learned so much more so my views have changed, I’ve adapted to the way things work in local government.
“Hey, this is a day of celebration. We should be celebrating, not panicking about what’s going on in Westminster. This is all about local politics and the people.
“And that’s what we stand for and that’s what we’ve worked hard for the last seven years. And if you ask the people of Llantarnam, ‘are we effective?’ the answer would be ‘yes’.”
I pointed out that the three were very active on social media about their work and how proud they were to be Independent and “free” of any political party so “how would you explain to people in the street that you’ve changed to a Party?”
Cllr Slade said: “We were independent but I suppose in my case anyway, we were politically homeless in a way and we were able to pursue our own agenda. But Reform, I don’t think offers a strict agenda.
“We can get in on the ground floor and influence policies and I find that quite exciting.”
‘Look at the candidate not the party’
Cllr Thomas said: “I think what’s very important as well is for politicians, if that’s what you want to call us, to do, is you need to let the people understand that they must be looking at the candidate. We’ve always said that, ‘look at the candidate not the party’.
“In 2027 [the year of the next local government elections in Wales], when we stand for election again we won’t be saying ‘vote for Reform’, we’ll be saying ‘look at what the candidate can do for you. See what they offer.”
Immigration
He was asked if “immigration has been harmful for the community of Torfaen?” and replied, “I mean I’d have to see the stats on that.”
Cllr Thomas said there would be no “constraints on us so we can take the party down the route of community and community focus and values which is what we value the most, and is what Reform values as well.”
Cllr Slade said:” Immigration is a Westminster issue, it’s not a Welsh issue, it’s not a Torfaen issue.”
Riots
Twm asked if Nigel Farage’s suggestion that the police were withholding information added “fuel to the fire of the riots” seen in a number of places across the UK following the killing of three girls in Southport.
Cllr Thomas said: “I think it was much worse when the Labour councillor came out and asked to slice the throats of what he deemed as far-right thugs. That’s what you want to be concerning yourself with, not Nigel Farage who was asking about ‘is it true or not?’, he was just asking a question. A councillor standing and demanding in front of a cheering crowd, ‘let’s slice the throats of far-right thugs’, I think that’s a little bit worse wouldn’t you say?”