FORMER Labour leader brands party a “posh boys’ club”, accuses Nigel Farage of offering fantasy politics, and warns deep-rooted discontent is fuelling protest support across Welsh communities.

Lord Neil Kinnock has launched a blistering attack on Reform UK, accusing the party of feeding off frustration in Welsh communities while offering little in the way of substance.

The former Labour leader said Reform’s appeal was rooted in grievance rather than genuine answers, and dismissed the idea that the party speaks for working-class voters who feel ignored by mainstream politics.

Speaking about the rise of Reform in Wales, Lord Kinnock said the party was built on resentment and slogans rather than practical policies.

He said: “The only argument going for them is grievance and resentment. You can’t represent people on that basis.”

He reserved some of his strongest criticism for the party’s image and leadership, describing Reform as “a posh boys’ club” with no real concern for the lives of ordinary people in Wales.

“They don’t give a damn about the real wellbeing of the communities of Wales,” he said.

Lord Kinnock said Reform had been able to tap into genuine public anger, but argued it had done so without presenting any serious programme for change.

According to him, the party’s message was heavy on noise and light on detail, with promises that fell apart under scrutiny. He cited Brexit as an example, saying the economic rewards once held out to voters had failed to materialise.

He also took aim at Nigel Farage, accusing him of making grand claims about restoring industry in Wales without regard for economic reality.

In Lord Kinnock’s view, such rhetoric was designed to tell disillusioned voters what they wanted to hear, rather than confront the difficult truths facing post-industrial communities.

He said Reform’s politics were driven by fantasy and performance, not by any serious commitment to the future of Wales.

Lord Kinnock was equally dismissive of claims around immigration, which he said had been wildly distorted in public debate.

He argued that many migrants come to Britain to work, contribute to the economy and pay taxes, and said the suggestion that they are simply a drain on public services was untrue.

At the same time, he acknowledged that immigration had created pressures in some areas, particularly in the aftermath of Brexit, but insisted it had been inflated into a much bigger political issue than the facts justified.

He accused Reform of borrowing from a Trump-style playbook, making exaggerated claims, denying them when challenged, and then repeating them more forcefully when cornered.

He pointed to recent shifts in the party’s position on pensions and benefits as evidence of what he sees as an opportunistic and untrustworthy approach.

Lord Kinnock also criticised the role of the media and social media in Reform’s rise, arguing that views which might once have been dismissed as pub talk are now amplified to a national audience within minutes.

He said Reform had often been treated more generously by sections of the media than it deserved, partly because it provided easy headlines and instant controversy.

But while he was scathing about Reform itself, Lord Kinnock said the anger it is feeding on did not appear overnight.

He argued that discontent in Wales has deep roots, stretching back decades to the collapse of coal, steel and manufacturing communities from the 1980s onwards.

Those changes, he said, tore the economic heart out of many parts of Wales and were carried out without proper planning or meaningful replacement.

The result, in his view, was a lasting sense of abandonment that has never fully gone away.

He said communities hit by pit and factory closures were left feeling deserted by the political and economic system, creating conditions in which protest politics could flourish years later.

That same mood, he argued, also played a major part in Wales voting for Brexit.

Lord Kinnock said many Leave voters were not motivated by racism or ignorance, but by hope — hope that something different might finally improve their lives after years of austerity and neglect.

He said Wales had once enjoyed significant financial benefits from EU membership, and suggested that much of that support had still not been properly replaced.

Turning to Labour’s own position, Lord Kinnock admitted the party faces a difficult battle as the Senedd election approaches.

After nearly three decades in power in Cardiff Bay, he said Labour has the burden of office as well as responsibility for defending its record in a country facing deep structural problems.

He pointed to long-term underfunding, mounting pressure on the NHS, GP shortages, waiting lists, poor health outcomes and low incomes as factors driving dissatisfaction among voters.

He said Wales also faced additional challenges because of its geography, scattered population and limited number of major urban centres.

Taken together, he said, those pressures created a deeply difficult political climate.

Even so, Lord Kinnock insisted Labour still had strengths, praising the leadership of First Minister Eluned Morgan and saying there remained a clear desire within the party to deliver practical fairness.

He also warned that Plaid Cymru was benefiting from disenchantment with the status quo, presenting itself as an alternative for voters who want change but are not drawn to Reform.

Although talk of independence may no longer dominate every debate, he suggested the ambition remained at the heart of Plaid’s politics and said he believed that path would damage Wales rather than strengthen it.

In the end, Lord Kinnock’s argument was that the only lasting answer to Reform’s rise is to deal seriously with the conditions that have made voters so angry and disillusioned.

Unless insecurity, poor public services and economic decline are tackled, he suggested, parties built on protest and discontent will continue to find an audience.

He warned that a Welsh Government led by either Reform or Plaid would hold the country back at a time when stability and serious leadership were badly needed.