Reform by-election victor tried to defect to Labour weeks after his election

Martin Shipton

A newly elected Reform UK councillor tried to join the council’s ruling Labour group, saying he couldn’t stand Nigel Farage and that Reform was full of people with big egos.

Owain Clatworthy made headlines across the UK when he won a by-election on May 1 to become a member of Bridgend County Borough Council. He defeated the second-placed Labour candidate by 30 votes.

His main campaign theme was the need to oust Labour from the Welsh Government in next year’s Senedd election and from power in Bridgend council in 2027.

But five weeks after his by-election victory in Pyle, Kenfig Hill and Cefn Cribwr, Cllr Clatworthy was on the phone to John Spanswick, the council’s Labour leader, asking to join his party group.

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Socialist

Cllr Spanswick told Nation.Cymru: “I found it very strange. His call came out of the blue and didn’t seem to make sense. He’d spent the by-election campaign attacking Labour, and here he was trying to join the party.

"He told me he’d already tried to join the Labour Party online, but that his application was under review. He’d come to the conclusion that as a Christian and a Socialist, his values were more in line with Labour than with Reform.

“He said he was fed up with Reform, that he couldn’t stand Farage and didn’t want to share a platform with him, and that Reform was full of people with big egos. At first, before he mentioned Labour, I asked him whether he was intending to quit Reform and become an Independent, but he then said he wanted to join Labour.

“After calling me, he rang Jane Gebbie, the deputy leader, and said much the same to her. He also tried to get hold of Huw David, the former leader.

“It didn’t go anywhere, because he got persuaded by Reform to stay with them. Four days after his calls to us he was on the stage when Farage went to Port Talbot.”

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In-fighting

An opposition councillor who didn’t want to be named said: “I don’t understand why he was trying to join Labour - it doesn’t make sense. Reform is the party on the up and Labour is very likely to lose control of the council in 2027.

“He does seem rather odd. I’ve also heard he’s trying to block Caroline Jones [a former UKIP Assembly Member now with Reform] from standing as a candidate in next year’s Senedd election. There seems to be a lot of in-fighting.”

We contacted Ms Jones, but she didn’t wish to comment.

When he was elected, Cllr Clatworthy became the youngest ever member of Bridgend council at the age of 20. He spoke about having spent more than 10 years of his life in the care system, and how he wanted to make a difference by representing them.

On social media he is strongly critical of Labour, and on his most recently posted video he states: “Let’s be honest. Labour have had their chance here in Bridgend - and they’ve blown it. Our roads are crumbling, town centres are dying, services are being slashed. But your council tax - well, that just keeps going up.

“It’s the same story right across Wales. Welsh Labour have been running the show for over 25 years. Our NHS is on its knees, schools are slipping behind and they waste millions on vanity projects like 20mph zones.

“People are fed up - and who can blame them? In 2026 we kick Labour out of Cardiff Bay and in 2027 we take back Bridgend council for the people,”

We called Cllr Clatworthy to ask him how he reconciled such comments with his attempt, since being elected as a Reform councillor, to join the Labour Party.

He refused to comment and referred us to Reform’s press officer.

Isolating

Later we were sent a statement from Cllr Clatworthy via Reform that said: “I did have conversations with councillors.

"At the time, I was new to the role, and being the only Reform councillor on the council felt quite isolating. But after speaking with them, it became obvious that Labour would never deliver the real change that Bridgend needs.

“Today, I am more determined than ever to fight for our community and win the next council elections with Reform UK.”