A former Conservative council leader has been unveiled by Nigel Farage as the leader of Reform UK in Wales before the Senedd elections in May.
Dan Thomas, who was born and grew up in the South Wales Valleys, led Barnet Council from 2019 until 2022 and defected to Reform from the Conservatives in June last year.
He later quit as a councillor for Finchley Church End after returning to his home country with his family.
Mr Farage told the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport that he had picked Mr Thomas – who referred to supporters as “the people’s army” – to lead the party in Wales because he is “battle hardened”.
“I picked Dan because he is decent, respectable, he tells a story of someone who had to go away and loves Wales so much he wants his own children to grow up in a similar environment to what he grew up in,” Mr Farage said.
“Above all, I picked him because he is battle hardened and he has been in the front line before of running budgets and many other things.
“I think we deserve at Reform UK here in Wales to be led by somebody who has been battle hardened, who has been there before, and will keep calm through good and bad.
“You will get both in a campaign and who knows what will happen between now and May 7.”
Supporters at the event gave Mr Farage multiple standing ovations, as well as standing and cheering for Mr Thomas and James Evans – a former Conservative member of the Senedd who announced he was defecting to Reform.
Mr Thomas said he had been “born and raised” in the Welsh Valleys before leaving for London to pursue a career in financial services, which he did while serving as a councillor and council leader.
He told the conference that after 27 years away, he was “back home” to raise his two young sons in the “same beautiful Welsh countryside” he had played in as a child.
Speaking about the upcoming Senedd elections, Mr Thomas said: “We are fighting to win, fighting for every vote because this is the last chance for Wales.
“We are at a turning point. We either settle for another four years of the same or we break the mould, start again and fulfil our potential. Wales is broken. Wales needs Reform.”
During his speech, Mr Thomas said houses in multiple occupation (HMO) were “changing the character of our community forever” and a symptom of the housing crisis mainly caused by “uncontrolled immigration”.
He claimed a fight had taken place in the street between rival barber shops, adding “just down the road there was a car wash which was the centre of a people trafficking ring”.
“When Labour and Plaid Cymru say that you are not allowed to talk about immigration, when they try to shout you down by calling you a racist, please know that they are wrong and that they are out of touch,” Mr Thomas said.
“The people of Wales can see what’s really going on and they will back Reform to nip this problem in the bud.
“I’ve seen what uncontrolled immigration has done to London over the past 20 years, the pressure on public services, schools, hospitals, the congestion and the community cohesion issues.
“I’ve seen what weak and woke policing has done to law and order in London and I don’t want to see Wales go down the same path as London.”
Mr Thomas said Reform would unveil an ambitious manifesto and candidates at a later date.
He described the upcoming election as “a once in a lifetime opportunity” to replace Welsh Labour in Cardiff Bay.
“We’re fighting to win, fighting for every vote because this is the last chance,” Mr Thomas added.
He referred to Reform’s supporters as “the people’s army”.
During questioning by journalists, Mr Thomas said he had stood for election in Wales in 2010 and 2017, had family and friends in Wales and kept updated on news in the country.
He would not comment on upcoming policy announcements but confirmed that Reform would scrap the Welsh Government’s controversial 20mph speed limit which he described as “misthought”.
In response, Welsh Labour said the defection of Mr Evans and the announcement of Mr Thomas’s leadership showed the Reform party was “led by Tories”.
“Ultimately it doesn’t matter who is named as Reform’s leader in Wales. They will just be Nigel Farage’s puppet, doing his bidding from Westminster and silencing the voices of the people of Wales,” a spokesperson said.
Plaid is the party of continued failure in Wales. pic.twitter.com/dUgl641kIG
— Reform UK (@reformparty_uk) February 5, 2026
Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, described Reform UK’s new Wales leader as Nigel Farage’s “lapdog”.
“It doesn’t matter who Farage has selected to represent him. The so-called leader’s sole responsibility will be to get Nigel Farage into No 10 Downing Street, because for Reform, Wales is nothing but a stepping stone,” he said.
“As was proven in the Caerphilly by-election and supported by opinion poll after opinion poll, only Plaid Cymru can stop Reform in the election on May 7.
“Therefore, the people of Wales face a clear choice: a party that always stands up for Wales with Plaid Cymru, or Farage’s lapdog running our NHS and schools.”
Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said: “Even Nigel Farage thinks that Reform candidates in Wales aren’t up to the job – that’s why he’s appointed a councillor from London as leader.
“Dan Thomas built his political career as a Conservative council leader in England.
“The same people who trashed our economy and hollowed out public services should not be trusted to reinvent themselves and lecture Wales about change.”
