WELSH darts star Gerwyn Price has declared his support for Reform UK Wales ahead of the Senedd election next week.

Price, known to fans as “The Iceman”, has backed the party as voters prepare to go to the polls on Thursday, May 7.

The former world number one, who is from Markham, Caerphilly, made his views known on social media, writing: “Plaid is Labour so don’t be fooled… they will work together.”

He added: “We need change, we need Reform UK Wales.”

His comments come during a volatile election campaign in which Labour is facing pressure after more than two decades in power in Cardiff Bay, while Reform and Plaid Cymru are both hoping to make major gains.

Reform UK Wales leader Dan Thomas welcomed Price’s support, describing him as a “fellow Valleys boy”.

Mr Thomas said: “I’m chuffed to have fellow Valleys boy Gerwyn Price on board for our campaign.

“Communities like ours have been left behind by the political establishment, and now they are crying out for real change.

“Reform is the only party that can deliver that change.”

Price is one of Wales’ best-known sporting figures. He won the PDC World Championship in 2021 and has previously held the world number one ranking.

His public backing for Reform is likely to attract attention during the final days of the campaign, with all parties battling for votes under the new Senedd voting system.

Reform UK has been attempting to position itself as the party of political change in Wales, while Plaid Cymru and Labour have both strongly rejected suggestions that they represent the same politics.

Voters will elect members to the expanded 96-seat Senedd on Thursday, May 7.

ALMOST half of Welsh voters blame national or local government when a pub closes, new research has found.

Polling carried out for the Long Live the Local campaign by More in Common found that 48% of people in Wales hold government policy partly responsible when a local pub shuts its doors.

Campaigners say the findings should act as a warning to politicians ahead of the Senedd election, with voters calling for greater support for pubs and brewers.

The survey found that almost one-third of Welsh voters, 32%, believe the single most important action government could take to help the sector would be to make business rates fairer for pubs.

The figures also suggest voters feel their elected representatives are not doing enough. Only one-in-ten said their MP had spoken up for the pub sector, while just 6% said their MP had done enough to protect pubs in their constituency.

The results come despite recent support for pubs from the UK Government, with campaigners warning that many voters still believe not enough is being done to protect Britain’s locals.

According to figures from the British Beer and Pub Association, one pub a day is currently closing in England and Wales, while the UK has lost 2,000 pubs since 2020.

Industry leaders say pubs are under pressure from a combination of business rates, employment costs, energy bills, beer duty, VAT and wider inflation. However, ministers have previously pointed to support measures for hospitality businesses, including rates relief and changes announced in the Budget, while arguing that difficult decisions must be balanced against wider public spending pressures.

Changing consumer habits, the cost-of-living crisis, and the long-term impact of the pandemic have also affected many pubs, particularly in rural and town-centre communities where footfall has not fully recovered.

‘Soul of the community’

Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the Welsh Beer and Pub Association, said: “Despite recent important support from the Government and the many MPs across all political parties that champion pubs and brewers, voters clearly believe that there is still more to be done.

“Pubs are the soul of the community, create jobs, and, with a quarter of a million people joining our Long Live the Local campaign that supports the people behind the pint, including thousands in Wales, it’s no wonder people care about them so much.

“What the public want is a fair tax system for pubs, one that keeps businesses competitive and recognises their unique role as valuable spaces for communities across the country.

“With the Senedd election right around the corner, it’s key for candidates to recognise just how important pubs are for so many and to back their local.

“We’re calling on both the UK and Welsh governments to continue to work with us and deliver permanent business rates reform, lower employment costs, cut beer duty and VAT to save countless locals who are burdened with huge regulatory costs.”

‘Public really care’

Luke Tryl, executive director at More in Common, said the polling showed the strength of public concern over pub closures.

He said: “One thing comes through really strongly in this polling, the British public really care about pubs, they think they are a central part of their community and they don’t think the Government is doing enough to protect them.

“In fact, over half of British voters blame national or local government for pub closures and want to see politicians at all levels doing more to stand up for them.

“At a time when the Government already finds itself struggling with a restless electorate, a wave of further pub closures will only reinforce the frustration that those in charge are unable or unwilling to deliver for local communities across Britain.

“On the flipside, taking action on issues like rates is one way the Government can show that it gets it, recognises the value of pubs and gets the public back onside.”

The Welsh Beer and Pub Association’s Long Live the Local campaign launched in 2018 to raise awareness of the UK’s rate of pub closures. It now has more than 250,000 supporters across the country.

The campaign says almost 40,000 letters were sent to MPs last year alone as part of efforts to raise concerns about the pressure facing pubs.

More in Common’s polling, commissioned by the British Beer and Pub Association, was conducted between March 28 and March 30, 2026, and sampled 2,003 adults across Great Britain. Respondents were weighted according to age, sex, region, ethnicity, 2024 General Election vote and education level.

A HAVERFORDWEST museum has become caught up in a political row after Reform UK campaign material was photographed inside the premises.

The Welsh Spitfire Museum, based in Bridge Street, is now facing the threat of a peaceful protest after campaigners objected to what they described as political propaganda being displayed at the heritage attraction.

A photograph sent to ‘The Pembrokeshire Herald’ shows a Reform Wales poster on a wall inside the museum, alongside other aviation-related material. The poster includes the words “Wales needs Reform” and urges people to vote Reform UK.

On Wednesday morning (April 29), museum manager Ray Burgess (pictured), received a message from a woman identifying herself as Emma Flavell, who informed him that campaigners were in the process of organising a peaceful protest outside the museum.  In the message, she claimed the protest was aimed at stopping charitable organisations from being able to “openly advertise political agendas”.

She also alleged that Reform was an “extreme right wing party” and accused it of promoting division and racist policies.

Commenting on the escalating row Scott Thorley, the recently elected Reform county councillor and Haverfordwest town councillor, claimed the incident had ‘intimidated and bullied’ Mr Burgess.

“Emma Flavell called him a racist, she began filming him, and the irony is striking,” he said.  “The museum window was previously defaced with ‘Vote Plaid’ graffiti, and then 80-year-old Ray Burgess was intimidated and bullied into supporting their views.  This kind of behavior has more in common with fascism than with democracy.”

Cllr Thorley went on to say that Mr Burgess and his team at the Spitfire Museum ‘proudly support Reform’.

“They  believe it’s the party best placed to save our country,” he said. “We at Reform, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire stand firmly with him. There is no place in politics for bullying, intimidation and harassment.”

The Pembrokeshire Herald is unable to confirm whether Plaid Cymru was responsible for the alleged window defacement.

Meanwhile the incident has raised questions about whether political campaign material should be displayed in a charity-linked museum, particularly during an election period.  According to a government website, the Charity Commission states that  a charity must not support, oppose, promote or appear to promote any political party or candidate.  This applies even if the charity strongly agrees or disagrees with that party’s policies.

The Commission also says that ‘charities must be, and must be seen to be, independent from party politics’.