Cemlyn DaviesWales political correspondent
Reform’s only Senedd member faces a two-week suspension over offensive comments she made in a WhatsApp chat.
In August 2023 Laura Anne Jones used a racial slur to describe Chinese people. She has since apologised.
Recommending the sanction, in a report leaked to BBC Wales hours before its official publication, the Senedd’s standards committee said “inappropriate and offensive comments have no place in our Senedd or society more widely”.
Jones was cleared of complaints relating to making false expenses claims and unfair dismissal. Reform UK has been asked to comment.
Warning: This story contains strong racist language and swearing
The Senedd’s standards committee has made its recommendation of a two-week suspension following a lengthy investigation by the Senedd’s standards commissioner, Douglas Bain.
He was asked to consider three sets of allegations against Laura Anne Jones, including a complaint that she had made a racist comment and failed to address discriminatory behaviour.
Jones, who represents South Wales East in Cardiff Bay, was a Conservative Member of the Senedd (MS) at the time of the allegations.
She defected to Reform in July.
Mr Bain found that in August 2023 Jones said “no chinky spies for me”, in a WhatsApp group in which both she and the complainant were members.
The committee’s report noted that the comment was made in response to a discussion about TikTok at a time when there was public concern that the Chinese government was able to use the app to gather information.
The committee also said Jones “has accepted that her post was ‘completely inappropriate and unacceptable’ and has apologised for it”.
Mr Bain also found that in a WhatsApp exchange with a former employee in August 2023, Jones referred to an ex-staffer as “a wanker” and a “bitter, twisted, useless person”.
“I tried to be so understanding,” she wrote.
“I even asked if he had ADHD or something and if he needed extra support… cos something isn’t right with him!?”
The former employee involved in the conversation also called the individual the politician had criticised a “Grade A prick”.
In a message on 13 November 2023 the same employee Jones had spoken to in the above message posted in a WhatsApp exchange: “Suella [Braverman, former home secretary] was correct in what she said too. We have two-tier policing. It was clear over the weekend if you’re white working class you get hammered, if you’re an Islamist it’s all fine, spew all the hate you want.”
The standards committee said Jones had accepted that the post was “unacceptable” but she had failed to reprimand the member of staff.
In light of the commissioner’s findings, the committee said Jones had broken several rules from the code of conduct for Senedd members and said her conduct “fell far below the standards expected”.
“It points to an office culture where there was little respect towards others or any consideration of what may be found offensive.”
The Senedd will vote on the recommendation of a 14-day ban next week.
A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said the language used by Jones was “vile and completely unacceptable, and should never be used by anyone, especially those elected to represent our communities in our national parliament”.
“It is only right the member faces the consequences of her actions,” the spokesperson added.
Mr Bain also investigated an allegation that Jones had instructed a staff member to make false expenses claims for mileage.
The complaints were passed onto the police who found no evidence of fraud.
The politician said she had “instructed the complainant to use all available records to ensure that she included in the claim all journeys for which a claim could properly be made”.
The committee noted that “on balance [Mr Bain] was satisfied that the member’s version of events was ‘more likely than not to be the correct one'” and so he did not find that Jones had made fraudulent claims.
Jones has repaid the money that was incorrectly claimed on her behalf, the report said.
Mr Bain’s findings, which were leaked to BBC Wales in September, sparked a row after he said he was “not impressed” by the complainant’s “demeanour when interviewed”.
He also said the complainant had raised concerns out of “revenge” following her dismissal from Laura Anne Jones’ employment.
That was rejected by the complainant who criticised the way Mr Bain had handled the complaint.
In its report the standards committee said it had noted “representations from the complainant regarding the commissioner’s approach to neurodiversity”.
The committee added that it had raised these concerns with the commissioner.
