Reform Wales appoints deputy leader as Senedd campaign threatens to stall 

Emily Price

Reform UK has appointed a deputy Wales leader as the party attempts to recover from a shaky start to its Senedd election campaign.

Welsh leader Dan Thomas announced on Wednesday (April 1) that Helen Jenner - a Welsh speaker and long-time supporter of Nigel Farage - would take up the role of his deputy.

In a post to social media, Thomas said: "Reform Wales is a team. And like every team, we need to draw on the skills and attributes of all of our members to get results.

"That’s why I’m excited to announce that Helen Jenner will join me in leading Reform into the Senedd election in May."

Born in Neath and raised in Ynys Môn, Mrs Jenner is the party's top candidate for the Bangor Conwy Môn constituency.

She previously stood for the Brexit Party in 2019 general election gaining 2,184 and losing to Conservative MP Virginia Crosby.

She said: "Wales is at a crossroads, and Reform is the only party offering ambitious, credible solutions to the problems the people of Wales face.

"As a proud Welsh woman, I believe the only party prepared to put our country first is Reform.

"I’m honoured to join Dan and our hard working members in this fight for a fairer, more prosperous Wales."

Mrs Jenner is the wife of disgraced general election candidate Emmett Jenner.

In 2024, he featured in a BBC probe into Reform UK candidates who had made offensive comments about women online.

Mr Jenner shared a post from Conservative Party Headquarters which read: "PM: I want girls who are growing up today to know that they can achieve anything they want."

He commented on the post: "Like fertilising eggs & providing Y chromosomes."

Mr Jenner later argued that the post was from a parody account "taking the Michael out of the Conservatives".

"I wouldn't take anything on there at face value, it's all deliberately provocative windups meant to elicit embarrassing responses," he said.

His wife's appointment as deputy leader of Reform in Wales comes amid infighting over the vetting process used to select candidates.

Five of Reform's Senedd hopefuls have quit the party so far - three of them from the same constituency.

Merthyr Tydfil Councillor Andrew Barry was the first to go – citing anger over "parachuting" individuals into seats from outside his local area.

Gŵyr Abertawe candidate Patrick Benham-Crosswell also jumped ship after accusing Reform of "betraying" its own members.

Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg hopeful Corey Edwards also stepped down after Nation.Cymru published a photograph of him performing a Nazi salute.

Councillor Owain Clatworthy was selected to stand at the bottom of Reform’s list for the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency but quit the party on Tuesday (March 31) after raising concerns about the selection process.

Shortly after Clatworthy's announcement, Derek Roberts, who was the party's second on the list in Pen-y-Bont Bro Morgannwg, also stood down citing "personal reasons".

A new Senedd election poll undertaken by Beaufort Research and published by Nation.Cymru on Wednesday (April 1) saw Plaid Cymru lead Reform UK by three percentage points.

The latest results show a slight increase in support for Plaid Cymru (up to 30% of the vote, from 29% in Beaufort’s last poll completed in February 2026), while Reform UK is unchanged on 27%, followed by Labour on 17% (down from 20%).