Former Tory Laura Anne Jones has joined forces with Nigel Farage to become the first member of the Senedd (MS) for the party.
The Reform leader described it as a “big step forward for [the party] in Wales” while Jones said she could “no longer justify” Tory party policy on the doorstep.
Nigel Farage and former Conservative Member of the Senedd, Laura Anne Jones, at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show (Photo: Matthew Horwood/Getty)
Laura Anne Jones was first elected to the then Welsh Assembly in 2003, at the age of 24, becoming the Conservative spokeswoman on sport.
Before her election, the University of Plymouth politics graduate had been working as a waitress at a restaurant in a hotel in Usk, Gwent.
She contested seats at the 2015 and 2019 general elections but failed to win.
And in 2020, she replaced the late Mohammad Asghar as MS for South Wales East, becoming the Shadow Minister for Equalities, Children and Young People in early 2021.
Her time in office has not been without controversy.
In August last year, she used a racist slur about the Chinese in a WhatsApp group chat about TikTok. She later apologised, saying it was “unacceptable and I deeply regret using it”, adding “I sincerely apologise for any offence this has caused”.
In December 2024, she was cleared by the South Wales Police, finding “no evidence of fraudulent activity”.
Laura Anne Jones said she could no longer justify Tory policies on doorsteps (Photo: Matthew Horwood/Getty)
What has she said about defecting to Reform?
Writing about her decision in The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday 22 July, Ms Jones said, “Breakups are never easy…even when things have gone on too long, it’s hard to leave, because there are still nice moments”.
Describing herself as “a loyal member for 31 years”, she recounted how she had stuck with the party through its ups and downs.
“The party that I had fallen in love with had changed beyond recognition, in thought, in word, and deed.”
“I believe Reform is the only party committed to driving that waste out of government, putting the cash back into our frontline services and opening Wales back up for business”, she wrote.
“Wales is crying out for the common sense governance that I believe only Reform can offer.
“There is so much to undo and put right, and Reform is the only party that is able to stop Labour and Plaid getting into bed together once again.”
Speaking at the Royal Welsh Show where she announced her defection, she said: “I’ve just suddenly felt that the Conservative Party was unrecognisable to me.
“Wales is a complete mess. As you know, we’ve got the worst educational outcomes. We’ve got health statistics that are the worst in the UK.
“Farmers are getting battered, pensioners are getting battered… we can’t have this go on.”
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