Welsh Reform councillor appeared in far-right extremism guide

Emily Price 

One of Reform's recent Welsh defections has previously appeared in an annual report detailing the state of far-right extremism in the UK.

Former planning committee chairman Cllr Karl Lewis left the Conservative group at Powys council to join Nigel Farage’s party in March.

He was one of four councillors in the county to make the switch.

The new recruits appeared at a key note speech in Port Talbot earlier this month where Farage pledged to reopen Tata Steel's decommissioned blast furnaces.

We found that Mr Lewis had previously appeared two reports by the leading anti-fascist organisation - Hope not Hate.

The Powys councillor for the Llandinam Ward joined figures such as anti-Islam campaigner Tommy Robinson and controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate in Hope not Hate's 2023 'State of HATE' dossier.

The report serves as an annual comprehensive review of far-right activity in the UK.

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Investigation

The 2023 annual guide states: "Most damning of all our findings is the Conservative party’s unwillingness to take meaningful action against extreme councillors, even after being presented with evidence.

"As part of an investigation for our State of HATE 2020 report, we submitted a dossier of 20 councillors and activists to the party who had made anti-Muslim comments.

"Responding to our submission, the party issued a statement announcing that all 20 had been suspended pending investigation, adding that 'the swift action we take on not just anti-Muslim discrimination, but discrimination of any kind is testament to the seriousness with which we take such issues'.

"One such councillor is Karl Lewis, who sits on Powys County Council. He had shared a video called 'Sweden Raped To Death By Muslim Migrants' from the odious conspiracy channel InfoWars, as well as greeting the 2016 election of Donald Trump by declaring that 'all the immigrants are shitting themselves', which he said made it 'another brilliant political night'.

"It is unclear whether Cllr Lewis was ever suspended, but it clearly did not harm his prospects in the party. He was selected to stand again in the 2022 elections and won his seat.

"Nor does the experience appear to have moderated his social media usage: he has recently 'liked' two tweets from the toxic misogynist Andrew Tate, including one which celebrated Kanye West in the aftermath of his antisemitic outbursts."

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Islamophobia

We also found that the Powys councillor had previously featured in evidence submitted to a Conservative Party inquiry into Islamophobia and all forms of racism.

An evidence pack submitted by Hope not Hate in 2020 stated: "Powys County Councillor Karl Lewis was also included in this year’s State of Hate dossier for comments that included celebrating the idea that 'all the immigrants are shitting themselves' after Donald Trump’s election win, which made it 'another brilliant political night'. He also posted a video titled 'Sweden is being raped to death by Muslim migrants'.

"Despite this, Lewis remains a Conservative councillor for Llandinam and it is unclear what investigation or disciplinary procedures he faced, if any."

Hot water

We asked Mr Lewis if he still stands by the online posts - or if he had changed his views since joining Reform UK after reflecting on his appearance in the two far-right reports.

He did not respond.

A Welsh Liberal Democrats spokesperson said: "We are appalled to read these reports about Cllr Karl Lewis. Extreme views have no place in Powys or on our Council.

"The Welsh Liberal Democrats will always stand for a society based on tolerance and respect, not division and hate."

Glyn Preston, the Welsh Liberal Democrats' Lead Candidate for Gwynedd Maldwyn said: "The Welsh Conservatives in Powys should feel ashamed to be associated with this kind of message and they must answer questions around why Cllr Lewis was selected following the publication of this report in 2020."

'Division'

A spokesperson for Powys County Council said: "All county councillors are expected to comply with the Code of Conduct during their term of office.

"Alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct are referred to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales for independent investigation."

Mr Lewis has found himself in hot water in recent weeks after Powys Council's standards committee called on him to explain why he has failed to attend the threshold number of meetings during the last year.

Reform's new recruit was one of two councillors that did not reach the 60 per cent threshold of meetings between May 16, 2024, and May 14 2025.

The committee was told that letters asking for an explanation had been sent to Cllr Lewis on June 3.

He had also been asked during a phone-call conversation with democratic services officer Carol Johnson on June 12.

A further email reminder was sent on June 17 - all of which did not receive a response.

Reform UK was invited to comment but did not respond.