Reform man aims to lead a democratic revolution and end Labour Welsh | Politics | News

express.co.uk · Mar 1, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Reform UK's leader in Wales talks to David Williamson about his ambitions for the Senedd election (Image: Stuart Mitchell)Self-described “Valleys boy” Dan Thomas wants to lead a democratic revolution in Wales and oust Labour from power for the first time since the birth of the Welsh Parliament. The father-of-two was born in Blackwood, a centre of the 19th century Chartist uprising, and was picked by Nigel Farage to take the helm of Reform UK in Wales ahead of the May elections.The party leader said he chose him because he is “battle hardened”, having led a major London council. Mr Thomas, who will be 45 when the Welsh nation goes to the polls, aspires to be the first non-Labour First Minister since the start of self-government in 1999.“I would absolutely love to have the opportunity to turn Wales around,” he says.Labour has been the biggest party in Wales in every general election for more than a century but polls signal it’s heading for disaster. Recent polling by Beaufort Research put pro-independence Plaid Cymru in first place, at 29%, with Reform in touching distance at 27%. Labour languished on 20% with the Conservatives on 10%. Mr Thomas predicts “huge consequences” for the Prime Minister if Labour loses its grip on Wales.Describing such a result as a “catastrophe” for Labour, he says: “I'm not sure Keir Starmer would be able to survive losing Wales and losing councils in England.”When Tony Blair delivered his 1997 New Labour landslide, Mr Thomas stood as the Conservative candidate in the mock election at Blackwood Comprehensive School. After university in Exeter, he won a place as a graduate trainee with a building society and threw himself in local politics.This grandson and great-grandson of miners led Barnet council from 2019 to 2022, having stood for the Tories in the South Wales constituency of Islwyn in 2010 and 2017, but a disillusionment with the Conservatives took root.“When I was a council leader, the Conservative government at the time was pushing the green agenda on to councils,” he says. “It was implied that if we didn't accept funding for bus lanes and cycle lanes, for instance, that we would be at the bottom of the list when it came to further infrastructure funding.“We've had uncontrolled immigration and don't forget the small boats issue started under the Conservative government. There just seemed to be a complete lack of focus, lack of discipline, lack of action to tackle the issues that the people were saying for many years they wanted solved.”In Mr Farage, he says, “you see a very confident leader and a confident party that knows what to do”.He wants a “Reform government in Cardiff Bay to undo the 27 years of failure and lack of ambition from Labour”.Dan Thomas has led Barnet council and now wants to take the reins of the Welsh Government (Image: John Myers)The polls suggest Wales is ready for change and Mr Thomas aspires to bring major improvements to education and health.Wales’ children lag behind counterparts across the UK when it comes to maths, reading and science. A damning analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies found “lower scores in Wales cannot be explained by higher levels of poverty”, because disadvantaged children in England score “about 30 points higher” than those in Wales.“We want to see a greater focus on giving teachers the powers they need to bring back discipline in schools,” he says, adding: “We need to be able to compare schools and give schools the freedom if they want to go to academy status.”The BMA reported that in May last year “ the number of people waiting over 36 weeks for treatment was 22.2 times higher than it was pre-pandemic”.This is despite public spending per head in Wales in 2024-25 being £15,155 – considerably more than the £13,134 figure for England.“The NHS in Wales is broken but it's not broken beyond repair,” he insists: “There need to be consequences for poor performance and that's what Reform will bring. We will bring a laser-sharp focus on those people who are running these services, who are being paid handsomely, but not getting the results that we need.”There has long been a convivial atmosphere in the Welsh parliament’s Senedd building in Cardiff Bay, but Mr Thomas takes pride in not being part of “the blob”.“There are too many vested interests and too much cosiness going on and just not being part of that, I think, is our huge strength,” he says.Nigel Farage on the campaign trail in Caerphilly (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)In last year’s Senedd by-election in the traditional Labour heartland seat of Caerphilly, Sir Keir’s party was pushed into third place but Plaid Cymru beat Reform and finished first with a majority of 3,848.Mr Thomas has attack lines ready against the rival party, claiming “Plaid Cymru will divide Cymru”.“I don't think there is an appetite for independence and that’s the reason (Plaid Cymru) exist and they would spend all their time focusing on that,” he adds.But a further obstacle in the way of winning an overall majority is the Senedd’s new electoral system, which will see six members each elected from 16 constituencies under controversial “closed proportional list” arrangements.Plaid and Labour, he claims, are “one and the same thing and they've created this system to help either one of them stay in power with the help of the other”.But he refuses to give up hope on a Reform-led government.“It's a challenge, absolutely,” he says. “But I'm fighting for every vote and I'm fighting to win.”The expanded Senedd 'siambr' which has seats for 96 members - up from 60 (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne)Dan Thomas has stood for election and run a council but is biggest challenge lies ahead (Image: PA)The first decades of Welsh politics have been marked by wrangling for greater law-making powers. The original National Assembly lacked much of the autonomy granted to the Scottish parliament.Mr Thomas promises a different agenda if he becomes First Minister.“We won't be picking fights with the Government,” he says. “Of course, we will stand up for Wales. Of course if we need cash for infrastructure and all that kind of thing, we will be asking for help.“But what we won't be doing is spending our time debating and fighting constitutional arguments.”A priority is putting money “back into people's pockets” and attracting major companies to Wales.“I had to leave Wales to improve my career chances and I don't want my children and the children of Wales to have to feel they have to do the same,” he says. “We want to make sure that we have those opportunities here in Wales.”While full-time employees in England earned a median average gross wage last year of £770.70 a week, the figure for Wales was just £704.30. This compares starkly with £1,278.50 for the City of London.Mr Thomas’s old stomping ground of Blackwood is fabled as the hometown of the rock band The Manic Street Preachers, the creators of the iconic album Everything Must Go. While he may have little in common with the band’s Left-leaning politics, he yearns to shake up the establishment.He argues the country, both in Wales and the UK, is “at a turning point,” needing a Government that won’t be “entangled” in the “historic way of doing things.” For Mr Thomas, it comes down to one word: Ambition. The latest politics news - straight from our team in Westminster Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy“I really, seriously believe that the Welsh government, Welsh Labour, just lack any ambition.” he says.Policies which will be at the heart of Reform’s upcoming Welsh manifesto are now being costed. If this prescription for change wins the confidence of Wales’ electorate the party will deliver an electorate earthquake which will send shockwaves through the entirety of the UK.