Senedd Member Defects From Reform UK to Plaid Cymru, Citing Lack of Focus on Wales

A member of the Senedd, Sarah Cooper-Lesadd, has left Reform UK to join Plaid Cymru, saying the party is "far more interested in division, opposition and headlines than finding solutions" and has "no interest in Wales," according to the Guardian.

The defection comes as Reform UK's leader in Wales stood down after being arrested on suspicion of assault, the report said, adding further disruption to the party's operations in the country.

Separately, the Liberal Democrats announced plans to introduce a cap on political donations by amending the representation of the people bill as it passes through the House of Lords. Lisa Smart, the Liberal Democrats' Cabinet Office spokesperson, said the move was necessary to address what she described as unprecedented sums flowing into Reform UK's coffers.

"We can't keep playing whack-a-mole with each new attempt by Farage to sell out our democracy," Smart said. She criticised both major parties for what she called years of inaction, saying "Labour's residency requirements aren't good enough and the Conservatives simply sat on their hands whilst in power. For decades governments of both colours have stood by and done nothing."

Smart argued that the scale of recent donations to Reform UK "should deeply concern anyone who cares about the health and integrity of our democracy," warning against what she termed the "Americanisation" of British politics through large-scale spending funded by cryptocurrency and corporate donors.

"These donations show clearly whose side Reform are on, with crypto billionaires, foreign and powerful corporate interests lining up to pour in eye-watering sums of money to advance their agendas," she said.

The developments form part of a broader live-blog coverage by the Guardian on UK politics, which also touched on Reform UK's funding sources, including reported donations linked to figures such as Christopher Harborne.

Reform UK has not yet publicly responded to the defection or to the criticism of its funding practices, according to the report.