Nigel Farage announced on Sunday that Helen Jenner has been appointed as Reform UK’s new leader in Wales. The move comes just days after the party’s previous Welsh leader, Dan Thomas, stood down following his arrest.
Jenner, who previously served as Reform’s deputy leader in Wales, joined Farage on the steps of the Senedd in Cardiff. Farage characterized Thomas’s departure as merely a “bump in the road” for the party, insisting they would continue operations as if no disruption had occurred.
“We could have done without this bump in the road. But it has happened. We are making the best of it,” Farage told supporters at the event.
Thomas, a former Conservative councillor, had been appointed as Reform’s Welsh leader only in February of this year. He recently announced his resignation after being arrested and bailed on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behavior.
Jenner is a Welsh speaker from Neath, located near Port Talbot in south Wales. She currently serves as the Member for Bangor Conwy Môn in the Senedd. Farage praised her commitment to the cause, stating, “I have known Helen for many, many years. She is a determined campaigner and I think she is going to do a very, very good job.”
Wow, replacing the leader just days after an arrest is intense. How does the campaign stay on track like that?
Hope Jenner brings fresh energy to Welsh politics. The party needs stability after this abrupt change.