James Evans MS said he will not stand in 2030, telling Radio Wales Breakfast he will step down at the next election because of the threat environment facing people in public office. The Member of the Senedd for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd said he has a wife and wants to start a family, but does not want to raise children in that environment.
He said, “as things stand today, I won't be standing in 2030,” and described the period ahead as “a long goodbye.” He also said it would be “a lovely four years for me to go” and that he already expects to serve only two terms.
James Evans on Radio Wales Breakfast
Evans said politicians are seen as “a bit of public commodity that can be attacked,” adding: “We're seen as a bit of public commodity that can be attacked and then obviously, that spills into our family life, and I don't want to be bringing up children in that environment.” His comments link his personal decision to the wider threat environment rather than to a single vote or policy dispute.
He was first elected to the Senedd in 2021 as a Conservative, was sacked earlier this year after rumours he was talking to Reform, and later defected to Reform before successfully standing for them in May's elections. He now serves as Reform's spokesperson on the NHS in the Senedd.
Cai Parry Jones threat inquiry
The timing of Evans's remarks also follows police action around a separate threat. South Wales Police said a threat against Reform MS Cai Parry Jones was reported on 2 June, and officers have continued to investigate with no arrests made. Last week, police said they were investigating death threats against him.
Parry Jones said the alleged threat was made against him and his family, and that threats of violence against politicians were a “direct attack on democracy and needs the toughest response.” Reform has called for full security for politicians that want it following the murder of its spokeswoman and former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe.
Reform and Senedd security
Evans's decision leaves him in office until the next election, but not beyond 2030. That means the immediate question is not whether he will keep working before then — he said he still has “a huge amount to do” — but what protection politicians who want it will actually receive.
Reform's call for full security points to a practical question for the Senedd and police: whether support for politicians can move beyond case-by-case reaction and into a clearer system for those under threat.
