Reform Member of the Senedd (MS) Laura Anne Jones, the sole representative of the Reform party in the Welsh Parliament, has been found to have breached parliamentary rules after using a racial slur in a WhatsApp message and failing to challenge offensive remarks made by a staff member, according to an unpublished report obtained by BBC Wales. However, she has been cleared of any deliberate wrongdoing concerning her parliamentary expenses, following both an internal and a police investigation.
The controversy centers on a series of WhatsApp exchanges dating back to August 2023, when Jones, then still a Conservative MS for South Wales East, participated in a group chat about the Chinese-owned video app TikTok. During this discussion, she wrote, "no chinky spies for me," a comment that the Senedd's standards commissioner, Douglas Bain, determined breached rules against discrimination and brought the institution into disrepute. The WhatsApp group included both Jones and the complainant, a former staff member who was later dismissed in February 2024.
According to BBC Wales, Jones had previously apologized for her use of the slur, which was made in response to her senior adviser raising concerns about TikTok during a Conservative Senedd group meeting. The standards commissioner's report noted that the comment violated the Senedd's code of conduct, specifically the requirement to avoid discriminatory language and to uphold the "leadership principle."
The commissioner's report, which has yet to be published officially, also found that Jones failed to challenge other offensive remarks made within her team. In one instance, a former employee referred to another individual as a "Grade A prick," and in a separate message sent on November 13, 2023, the same staffer wrote: "Suella [Braverman, former home secretary] was correct in what she said too. We have two tier policing. It was clear over the weekend if you're white working class you get hammered, if you're an Islamist it's all fine, spew all the hate you want." Bain described this comment as "offensive and unacceptable." Jones, as the employer and group leader, was found to have breached the code by not intervening or challenging these remarks.
Jones herself was also found to have crossed the line in a separate WhatsApp conversation from August 2023, in which she called a different ex-staffer "a wanker" and "a bitter, twisted, useless person." She further speculated about the individual's mental health, writing, "I even asked if he had ADHD or something and if he needed extra support… cos something isn't right with him!?" The standards commissioner determined that this constituted an excessive or abusive attack, another breach of Senedd rules.
Amid these findings, Jones was also subject to scrutiny over her parliamentary expenses. The commissioner's investigation, which followed an earlier police inquiry, found no evidence of fraudulent activity. The expenses controversy revolved around WhatsApp messages in which Jones appeared to instruct a staffer to exaggerate mileage claims, with one message reading: "When doing petrol thing - always make more than I did – add in stuff please OK." However, the commissioner's report concluded that the staff member had misinterpreted Jones' instructions, and Jones' account—that she had simply asked for all legitimate journeys to be included—was accepted. Jones had "identified a number of claims for journeys she had not made and has reimbursed the Senedd the amount she received," the report stated.
The standards commissioner, however, did note a procedural failing: Jones had not provided training on the code of conduct or the rules and guidance on the use of Senedd resources to her staff, a breach of her responsibilities as an employer. Yet, Bain emphasized that this lack of training would not have prevented the misinterpretation that led to the erroneous expenses submissions.
The investigation has not been without controversy itself. Bain criticized the complainant, suggesting that the complaint was lodged out of "revenge" following her dismissal. In his report, Bain wrote, "She took no action in relation to that alleged conduct until a month after her dismissal and then only after her attempts to obtain either re-employment or compensation had failed. That is not the conduct of an honest and trustworthy person." He added, "I suspected the complaint against the member was made in revenge for what the complainant had convinced herself was her unfair dismissal."
The complainant, for her part, has strongly rejected this characterization. In a letter to the Senedd's standards committee, she accused Bain of "serious shortcomings in the commissioner's approach, which in my view denied me a fair and reasonable process." She further claimed that Bain "failed to properly investigate my claims of bullying, which were central to my complaint," and said she felt "mocked and humiliated" by the process. The complainant also cited her autism and the "toxic and bullying environment" she experienced as factors that impaired her ability to raise concerns earlier, insisting, "This has never been anything more than trying to do the right thing."
Jones, constrained by parliamentary rules, has declined to comment substantively on the leaked findings. In a statement provided to BBC Wales, she said: "It's disappointing that, following several other leaks over the past 18 months, the investigation process once again hasn't been respected and adhered to. This whole ordeal has taken a significant toll on my own health and my family. I cannot respond to leaked reports, without being in breach of the rules. I look forward to making a full response once the report is published in line with the standards process."
With the report now referred to the Senedd's standards committee, the next steps will involve recommendations on whether and how to reprimand Laura Anne Jones. While the committee could suggest a suspension, it does not have the authority to remove her from office. The final decision will rest with the Welsh Parliament itself.
For now, the case has exposed not only the challenges of maintaining standards and accountability in public office but also the personal and institutional strains that can arise from internal disputes. As the Senedd prepares to consider the findings, all eyes will be on how it navigates the complex intersection of personal conduct, party politics, and public trust.
