Jason O'Connell - Member of the Senedd for Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr | Reform Watch
Profile and accountability tracker for Jason O'Connell, Member of the Senedd for Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr. Reform UK.
Role: Member of the Senedd for Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr
Party: Reform UK
Recorded incidents (showing 1-3 of 3)
Jason O'Connell accused of using smart glasses to read speech in Senedd
Category: inappropriate behaviour
Jason O'Connell was accused by other Senedd Members of using smart glasses with a teleprompter function to deliver a speech in the Chamber. Several Members said they saw text moving across his lenses and unusual eye movements consistent with reading prompts. He did not respond to requests for comment. Other Members warned the glasses could be used for covert recording and called for the Senedd to review rules and security around electronic devices. Formal concerns had previously been raised with Manon Antoniazzi after a surreptitious photograph of journalist Will Hayward in the Senedd canteen was posted on social media and reposted by Dan Thomas, Francesca O'Brien and Claire Archibald, before being deleted. A Senedd Commission spokesperson said the Llywydd would expect any Member intending to use this technology to discuss it with him and that permission is required for filming in non-public spaces.
Jason O'Connell claimed vandalism was politically motivated
Category: social media conduct
Jason O'Connell said his constituency office had been attacked and suggested the vandalism was politically motivated. He posted a photograph taken from inside the office showing damage to the front door's window and said the police and Senedd had been notified. South Wales Police said they were investigating damage to multiple premises in Pontypridd. A political source provided an image of the damaged window from outside showing the premises had no signage identifying it as a politician's office, and a Reform UK source accused O'Connell of "playing the victim". O'Connell did not respond to questions about why he had not shared exterior images.
Jason O'Connell accused fellow MS of fraud and questioned party‑switching legality in Senedd
Category: inflammatory language
Jason O'Connell (ms, Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr) used a Senedd appearance to question the legality of elected members switching parties and to suggest that a member who leaves the party they were elected for could be guilty of fraud by misrepresentation. His remarks interrupted proceedings and prompted shouting and heated exchanges across the Siambr as he pressed the counsel general on whether voters have legal protection when an elected representative departs from the party and manifesto on which they stood. The counsel general, Elfyn Llwyd, declined to rule on the political question and said he would not get involved in the politics of the matter, noting that members have switched parties during the currency of elections. The member named in Mr O'Connell's question, Pen-y-Bont Bro Morgannwg MS Sarah Cooper-Lesadd, had recently defected from Reform UK to Plaid Cymru and also raised separate concerns about AI‑generated content and online abuse; there was no immediate sanction or formal complaint reported arising from the exchange.