A member of the Senedd who defected from Reform UK to Plaid Cymru following the resignation of the party’s leader in Wales has said Nigel Farage’s party is “falling apart at the seams”.
Sarah Cooper-Lesadd quit Reform UK on the same day it was revealed its Welsh leader, Dan Thomas, had been arrested on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviour.
She said the party “just completely did not chime with the type of person that I am and the values that I have”.
She told the BBC: “There were several other things. The party's completely chaotic, it's falling apart at the seams, it really, really is."
Dan Thomas, who was named the party’s Welsh leader in February and led Reform to become the second-largest in the Senedd in May, stood down on Tuesday after he was arrested on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviour.
He said he was was released without charge over the weekend, and standing down from his role for “personal reasons”, but would continue as a member of the Senedd.
Following the announcement of Mr Thomas’ resignation, Plaid Cymru said Sarah Cooper-Lesadd, who was elected as a Reform Member of the Senedd in May, had defected to join the governing party.
In a statement issued by Plaid Cymru, she said Reform UK centrally has “no interest in Wales” and was using the Senedd group as a “staging post in the effort to get Nigel Farage into Downing Street”.
“Reform has no interest in the work I came here to do. They are not serious about governing Wales,” she said.
“They are far more interested in division, opposition and headlines than in finding solutions.”
She later told the BBC the party is “completely chaotic” and was “falling apart at the seams”.
“When I came into Reform, I did think that there was a certain element of being a broad church, and that's what I believed,” she said.
“It has become extremely narrow, whereas Plaid has a set of values that is values-based, and that's what I believe in.”
She also told the broadcaster she would back Welsh independence if a vote were held and that she voted Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Mr Thomas said on Tuesday he would be standing down as Reform UK’s leader in Wales after being reported to the police.
“With deep regret, I am now standing down from this position due to personal reasons,” he said.
“Over the weekend, I was reported to the police and was released without charge.
“I stress that I have done nothing wrong, but I do not want the coming headlines to be a distraction from the fantastic work our Senedd team is doing in holding this government to account.”
In a statement, Gwent Police said: “On Sunday 13 September a 45-year-old man, from the Aberbargoed area, was arrested on suspicion of assault and engaging in controlling/coercive behaviour. He has been bailed pending further enquiries.”
Reacting to Mr Thomas’ announcement, Ken Skates, leader of Welsh Labour, told the Press Association: “This is quite incredible news and many questions will need to be answered.
“Dan Thomas was a personal pick by Nigel Farage and this will surely demonstrate the appalling judgment of the Reform UK leader.”
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