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Reform MS to Be Suspended over Racial Slur in WhatsApp Conversation

Laura Anne Jones faces a recommended 14-day suspension from the Senedd standards committee for a racial slur made in August 2023, with Members of the Senedd set to vote next week.
The messages appeared in an office WhatsApp group chat, but the Code of Conduct applies to members at all times; Laura Anne Jones apologised, calling the word 'unacceptable' and deeply regretting it.
Douglas Bain, Standards Commissioner, upheld the complaint, finding breaches of five Code of Conduct provisions, while the committee accepted mitigation including Jones' poor physical and mental health and adverse publicity from leaks.
The Senedd will vote on the report at a later date, with suspension approval pending; Westminster recall petition rules after 14 days do not apply in the Welsh Parliament, and Plaid Cymru said Reform UK will have no Senedd voice for two weeks.
The committee warned the conduct fell far below expected standards and said offensive comments have no place in the Senedd, with Natasha Asghar calling the language 'positively livid' and 'embarrassed', while Reform UK spokesperson thanked investigators and alleged two-tier policing.

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Reform Senedd member to be suspended over racial slur

Reform’s only member of the Welsh Senedd, Laura Anne Jones, is set to be suspended for two weeks for using a racist slur and making other inappropriate comments in WhatsApp chat. The Welsh Parliament’s standards committee has proposed the ban after Jones used a racial slur to describe Chinese people in a chat with members of her team back in 2023. In one message, Jones, who recently defected from the Tories to Reform, said “No ch***** spies for …

24 days ago

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