Dan Thomas has quit as Reform UK’s Welsh leader after saying he was reported to the police over the weekend and released without charge. His resignation comes after he missed First Minister's Questions earlier today, ending a brief stint that began when Nigel Farage appointed him in February.
A statement issued by the party said Thomas was standing down for personal reasons. In his own statement, he said: "Over the weekend, I was reported to the police and was released without charge. 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."
Nigel Farage in February
Farage appointed Thomas as Welsh party leader in February, giving him responsibility for the party’s work in Wales and its presence in the Senedd. That appointment makes today’s resignation a change at the top of the party’s Welsh operation, not just a personal step away from public duties.
Thomas’s absence from First Minister's Questions earlier today was the clearest sign that something had shifted before the resignation was made public. The party’s statement then described the move as a personal decision, while Thomas linked it to the police report and his desire not to distract from the Senedd team.
Senedd team in Wales
The immediate effect is on Reform UK’s Senedd team in Wales, which Thomas explicitly said he did not want to distract. His statement leaves one basic question unanswered: what he was reported to the police over. Until that is explained, the resignation stands as both a leadership change and a response to a still-unexplained allegation.
