Reform not ruling out scrapping Senedd, politician says

Reform is optimistic it can do well in the Welsh Parliament elections next year.

UK leader Nigel Farage told the conference that the Welsh elections, together with the Scottish Parliament elections and next month’s Caerphilly by-election were a “building block” towards the party being successful at a future Westminster vote.

Laura Anne Jones told the conference: “We need to try and make the Senedd work for the people of Wales, but if it doesn’t, we need to question whether the Senedd is really adding value to Wales.”

Speaking to BBC Wales afterwards, Jones said the Senedd was not “working for the whole of Wales” currently.

“So if it gets to a point where we, not even us, can make it work for Wales, then we have to question why it’s there.”

When it was put to her that she was questioning whether the Senedd should exist, she added: “In the future.”

She denied she was calling for a referendum, but added: “As a party we are not ruling anything out.

“If you lived in Wales would you like to see it carry on if its not working for Wales?

“We want to make the Senedd work for the people of Wales first. That’s our priority.”