Richard Tice said Helen Jenner is the favourite to become Reform's Welsh leader next week after Thomas resigned this week. Jenner, Reform UK's deputy leader in Wales, is now the name most closely tied to the succession after the party's Welsh leadership changed abruptly.
The handover follows Thomas's resignation after he was arrested on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviour. He stood down saying he had done nothing wrong but did not want to be a distraction to the party, and he was released on bail after the arrest.
Richard Tice on
On Sunday, Tice said whoever takes the role will get the seal of approval from him and Nigel Farage. He also said Reform Senedd Members were focusing on the housing of illegal migrants, small boats crossing the English Channel and the 20mph speed limit.
Tice added: "Life moves at different paces, and you have sometimes good days, you have sometimes bad days." He also said: "Life is work in progress. But the bottom line is that we've got a group of 33 elected representatives, and they're the second largest party by a considerable margin, and we're raising issues that are absolutely vital to the residents of Wales."
Sarah Cooper-Lesadd and Plaid Cymru
Tice also turned to Sarah Cooper-Lesadd, saying she lied to Reform UK about her political beliefs before defecting to Plaid Cymru. He said: "If someone deliberately misleads you, and fibs to you, and lies to you, then it doesn't matter how much vetting you do." He also said: "So, why don't you ask her that question? How can you turn from being a unionist to a separatist?"
Cooper-Lesadd was elected to the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency. She said Reform UK was "far more interested in division, opposition and headlines than in finding solutions," said she was now a supporter of Welsh independence, and said she had voted to Remain in the EU referendum a decade ago.
Reform in Wales
Tice said: "I'm not in charge of vetting. Look, we make lots of brilliant, fast-moving decisions and judgements." He also said: "That's why we've grown to be the second-largest party in Wales so quickly from a standing start. We never claim that we're perfect. You know, we're real people."
The immediate question is whether Jenner is formally selected to replace Thomas as Reform's Welsh leader. For now, Tice has put her at the front of the queue, and he has tied that choice to the party's need to keep its Welsh operation moving while the leadership change plays out.
