REFORM UK’s only Senedd Member, Laura Anne Jones, is facing mounting pressure after being suspended for two weeks for using racist language in a WhatsApp group.

Jones, who represents South Wales East, was found by the Senedd Standards Committee to have made remarks that were “completely inappropriate and unacceptable.”

The suspension has prompted condemnation from across the political spectrum.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said: “There’s no place in Welsh politics for racism or hate. Laura Anne Jones’ comments were vile, and Reform’s willingness to welcome her says everything about their party.

“If Reform want to prove they’re a serious party in Wales, they’d go further than the Senedd standards committee and expel her altogether. Right now, they represent division and intolerance, not the Wales we believe in.”

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said: “This report seems to uphold the allegations against Laura Anne Jones. Her choice of language is unacceptable. This sort of divisive rhetoric has no place in Wales and stands in stark contrast to the values of the Welsh public.

“She made these comments when she was a Conservative, but we’ve seen in Caerphilly that the same sort of language is part of the Reform UK playbook.

“When she ditched the failing Welsh Conservatives for Nigel Farage’s rebranded Tory outfit, Farage claimed he was confident the allegations would ‘all go away.’ Well, they haven’t gone away. So what’s Farage going to do about it?”

Jones, one of the highest-profile Welsh politicians to join Reform UK, has not yet commented publicly on the suspension.

Nigel Farage previously told BBC Wales: “Let me assure you that she would not have come to us, and we wouldn’t have accepted her, if we weren’t confident that will all go away.”

TESCO customers in Milford Haven are being invited to help spread some festive cheer by donating new toys to children in need this Christmas.

From today until December 15, the Tesco Milford Haven Superstore will be collecting new and unwrapped toys on behalf of the local charity PATCH (Pembrokeshire Action To Combat Hardship). PATCH will distribute the gifts to children across Pembrokeshire as part of its annual Christmas Toy Appeal, which supports families who are struggling during the festive season.

Tesco Community Champion, Debbie Ann-Mills said: “I am delighted to support the PATCH Toy Appeal again this year. Bringing some happiness to families in Pembrokeshire who may be struggling this Christmas is so important.

“We take pride in supporting our local community throughout the year through Tesco Stronger Starts and our Community Food Connection programme, and this year’s toy donation campaign is a fantastic way for customers to help local families in need.”

Claire De Silva, Head of Communities at Tesco, added: “Our stores are committed to supporting local children and their communities year-round. Thanks to the generosity of our customers and colleagues, the annual toy donation campaign is a wonderful way to make a difference at Christmas.

“It’s great to see Tesco Milford Haven partnering with PATCH this year to ensure that every child experiences the magic of Christmas.”

More than 800 large Tesco stores across the UK will have dedicated toy donation points where customers can drop off gifts bought in-store. Last Christmas, Tesco customers donated over 125,000 toys — a figure the retailer hopes to beat this year.

Emergency services responded to one electrical pylon that was ‘destroyed by fire’

A LARGE electrical fire that caused widespread power flickers across south Pembrokeshire on Wednesday morning (Nov 12) has been confirmed as a pylon fire near Bentlass, close to Pembroke.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said that a crew from Pembroke Dock Fire Station was called to the scene at 10:45am following reports of a burning electricity pylon close to a local farm.

A spokesperson told The Herald: “The crew responded to one electrical pylon that was destroyed by fire. The fire had extinguished by the arrival of the crew. The National Grid was also in attendance and local electricity disturbance is expected as a result of the fire. The crew left the scene at 11:18am.”

The pylon involved forms part of the high-voltage transmission line that runs from Pembroke Power Station, and the incident is believed to have caused a brief but intense power surge across much of south Pembrokeshire. Offices and homes reported computers, routers, and electrical systems rebooting in Milford Haven, Neyland, Pembroke and Pembroke Dock.

Witnesses described seeing a “huge flash”, with one local resident reporting that a tree had caught fire and that the electrical arcing made it appear as if there was a major blaze.

A spokesperson for National Grid Electricity Distribution told The Herald: “We experienced a brief fault on our network in the Bentlass area of Pembroke earlier today. This was linked to damage caused by a lightning strike last week.

Our engineers responded quickly, and power was restored to the one customer affected. Safety checks have been completed, and the network is operating normally. There is no wider impact on local electricity supplies.”

The company confirmed that a conductor became loose and made contact with a pole, sparking a small fire that had already extinguished by the time emergency services arrived.

At around the same time, an alarm sounded at Valero Refinery, and some residents reported a smell of gas in parts of Milford Haven.

The Herald has contacted Valero Refinery for further information.