Dan Thomas - Member of the Senedd for Casnewydd Islwyn | Reform Watch
Profile and accountability tracker for Dan Thomas, Member of the Senedd for Casnewydd Islwyn. Reform UK.
Role: Member of the Senedd for Casnewydd Islwyn
Party: Reform UK
Recorded incidents (showing 1-7 of 7)
Dan Thomas resigned as Reform UK Welsh leader after confirming he had been arrested and bailed
Category: scandal
Location: Senedd, Cardiff / Aberbargoed, Caerphilly
Dan Thomas resigned with immediate effect as leader of Reform UK in Wales on Tuesday 15 September 2026, standing down at the same time as Leader of the Opposition in the Senedd. Earlier that day he withdrew from First Minister's Questions, with Reform UK initially attributing his absence to "personal reasons". Thomas then said he had been "reported to the police" over the weekend and "released without charge". Gwent Police confirmed that a 45-year-old man from the Aberbargoed area was arrested on Sunday 13 September on suspicion of assault and engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour, and that the man had been bailed pending further inquiries. The investigation remains active. Thomas has not been charged with any offence and denies any wrongdoing. He said: "I stress that I have done nothing wrong, but I do not want the coming headlines to be a distraction from the fantastic work our Senedd team is doing in holding this government to account." He added that he would continue to serve his constituents in Casnewydd Islwyn and would back whoever the group selects as its next leader. Thomas has not resigned from the Senedd and remains the Member of the Senedd for Casnewydd Islwyn, and is reported to remain a Reform UK member. Being released on bail without charge does not mean an individual has been cleared; Gwent Police say further inquiries continue. Reform UK has not announced any suspension, disciplinary process or removal of the whip, and no successor as Welsh leader has been confirmed.
Dan Thomas accused of hypocrisy after records showed he introduced the diversity policies he now attacks
Category: factual inaccuracy
Location: Cardiff / Barnet, London
Dan Thomas has campaigned in Wales against equality, diversity and inclusion work, which Reform UK has pledged to strip out of Welsh public bodies. Records published on 26 August 2026 showed that in June 2021, while Thomas was Conservative leader of Barnet Council, the authority adopted an Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion policy committing it to go "above and beyond" its legal duties. Thomas said at the time that the borough's diversity was "without question one of our greatest strengths". Earlier reporting set out further contrasts with his current positions, including public statements backing net zero, tree planting, electric vehicle charging points and anti-racism initiatives during his time leading the council. Political opponents branded him a hypocrite and an opportunist who had discarded previously held positions after defecting to Reform UK. Thomas has said his views changed.
Dan Thomas campaigned in Clacton hours after offering "thoughts and prayers" to constituents whose homes burned down
Category: inappropriate behaviour
Location: Newbridge, Caerphilly / Clacton, Essex
On 13 August 2026, homes in Newbridge in Dan Thomas's Casnewydd Islwyn constituency were destroyed by a wildfire, as South Wales and Mid and West Wales fire services declared major incidents. Thomas posted an image of the burnt-out houses on Facebook that morning, writing: "My thoughts and prayers are with all those impacted by the fires in Newbridge. Thanks to the emergency services for tackling this." About three hours later he posted a video from Clacton in Essex, where Reform UK's Senedd group was campaigning in the by-election caused by Nigel Farage's resignation of his seat. Thomas said his focus was a "fight against the establishment" and thanked Reform supporters who had travelled to help. He faced a backlash for leaving his constituency during a major incident affecting his own constituents in order to campaign for the party leader in England.
Dan Thomas criticised for using knife attacks on two Jewish men to attack political opponents
Category: inflammatory language
Location: London / Cardiff
On 30 April 2026, Reform UK's leader in Wales, Dan Thomas, was widely criticised after posting about knife attacks on two Jewish men in Golders Green, north London. Thomas wrote on X: "My thoughts are with the victims and the Jewish community in Barnet, a community very close to my heart. In Cardiff, like London, Jews live in fear because antisemitism has been tolerated by Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Greens." The Metropolitan Police said a 45-year-old British national had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The Met Commissioner, Mark Rowley, said the suspect had a history of mental health problems, drug use and convictions for violence. No political motive had been established at the time of Thomas's post. Critics said Thomas was seeking to make political capital out of a violent attack while the investigation was at an early stage, and pointed to allegations about Nigel Farage's own past remarks as a schoolboy. Thomas did not withdraw the post.
Dan Thomas repeatedly refused to condemn a Reform UK member's post described as "outright racism"
Category: racism
Location: Cardiff
During BBC Wales' "Your Voice Live: The Leaders' Debate" on 28 April 2026, Dan Thomas was repeatedly asked to distance himself from a post by Reform UK member and donor Arron Banks. Plaid Cymru had shared a campaign video featuring Bashy, a black community organiser from Butetown in Cardiff. Banks quoted the video on X with the caption: "Welsh lad?" The post had not been deleted two days later. Asked during the debate whether he distanced himself from the comment, Thomas did not condemn it. Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth described the post as "outright racism" and Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds called it "shocking". Thomas responded by naming Plaid Cymru candidates and saying: "Condemn Keira Marshall, will you? Will you condemn Neil Roberts? We can all sling mud about our members." In the same debate Thomas said Reform UK was not a racist party.
Union report says outsourcing under Dan Thomas at Barnet Council cost £229m more than planned
Category: public expense question
Location: Barnet, London / Wales
In April 2026, UNISON published a report, "Barnet's Outsourcing Nightmare", examining Dan Thomas's record over 19 years as a Conservative councillor, deputy leader and then leader of the London Borough of Barnet. The report said the council's decade-long contracts with Capita cost £229 million more than originally planned, that around 790 jobs were transferred out of the public sector, including cleaning, IT and customer service roles, and that public scrutiny of those services was weakened. UNISON Cymru regional secretary Jess Turner said the record "should serve as a warning to Welsh voters". Barnet UNISON branch secretary John Burgess said Thomas had been "adversarial, arrogant and hostile to anyone who challenged him". Reform UK rejected the report as a politically motivated attack by a trade union.
Dan Thomas's explanation for staying on as a London councillor after moving away did not stand up to scrutiny
Category: ethics violation
Location: Barnet, London / Wales
Dan Thomas told colleagues in the summer of 2024 that he was moving away from Barnet, but did not resign his Finchley Church End council seat until December 2025, having defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK in mid-2025. He said he had been asked to stay on to avoid "an expensive and disruptive by-election" costing taxpayers around £30,000. Reporting published on 24 March 2026 found that explanation did not stack up, noting that he continued to draw the position while living outside London. In February 2026, after reports that he had bought a house near Bath, Thomas said he had "a property portfolio" but was "living and have been living in Wales", and described the reports as "smear attempts from the Welsh establishment". Candidates must live in Wales to stand for the Senedd. BBC Wales reported that one of his properties is in Bath.