Reform UK stages partial Senedd boycott over Joe Martin speaking ban

Reform UK has partially boycotted the Senedd in protest at a decision to prevent one of its politicians from speaking in the chamber until he apologises for claiming white people are being “replaced”.

The party's Welsh leader, Helen Jenner, said the restriction on Caerdydd Penarth MS Joe Martin was an infringement of freedom of speech and accused the governing Plaid Cymru party of putting undue pressure on the parliament.

Reform members withdrew from most of Wednesday's proceedings, although they returned to take part in an evening vote.

The dispute follows comments made by Martin during Tuesday's Senedd business questions, when he asked for a Welsh Government statement on what he described as the “demographic replacement of white British people”.

Presiding officer demands an apology

The Senedd's Presiding Officer, Huw Irranca-Davies, ruled that Martin would not be called to speak in the chamber until he demonstrated that he understood the boundaries of acceptable parliamentary conduct and apologised.

He described the remarks as “unnecessarily provocative and deliberately offensive”.

Senedd standing orders give the presiding officer discretion over contributions that use discriminatory or offensive language.

Officials confirmed that any apology would need to be made in the chamber during a plenary session. The restriction does not apply to committee meetings, meaning Martin can continue his work on the Equality, Human Rights and Social Justice Committee.

Irranca-Davies also pointed out that this was not the first time he had rebuked Martin. In September, he criticised remarks made by the politician about surgeons working in the Welsh NHS gender service.

Martin has refused to apologise, arguing that his constituents elected him to speak on their behalf.

Asked by BBC Wales whether he genuinely believed white people were being replaced in the UK, Martin replied: “That's obviously a fact.”

Reform leaders accuse Senedd of silencing voters

Announcing the boycott on the steps of the Senedd, Jenner said the decision meant Martin's constituents were being silenced.

She said Reform members would not attend that day's plenary session but would continue working from their Senedd offices.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also criticised the ruling, describing it as “ridiculous and outrageous” and questioning why his party was being targeted.

Martin received support from Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe, who called for the Senedd to be shut down if it prevented what he described as legitimate debate about immigration and demographic change.

Concerns over divisive language

The remarks have also attracted criticism from organisations working to promote racial equality.

Aliya Mohammed, chief executive of Race Equality First, said the idea that white people are being “replaced” was linked to a conspiracy theory that creates division and wrongly portrays people from minority ethnic backgrounds as a threat.

She said immigration could and should be debated, but language that fuels fear and hostility had no place in public discussion.

Mohammed added that being Welsh or British was not defined by race or skin colour, describing Wales's diversity as one of its greatest strengths.

Martin's Caerdydd Penarth constituency includes some of Wales's most ethnically diverse communities.

Other parties condemn Reform's boycott

Plaid Cymru MS Carrie Harper described the boycott as a “pathetic tantrum” and accused Reform of prioritising political stunts and headlines over representing their constituents.

Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates also criticised the decision, expressing astonishment that Reform had chosen Remembrance Day to stage its protest.

He accused the party of being disrespectful to the Armed Forces community by withdrawing from proceedings rather than speaking on behalf of the people it represents.

What do the figures show?

The debate comes against the background of changing population figures in Wales.

According to the 2021 census, 93.8% of people in Wales identified as white, compared with 95.6% in 2011.

The country's overall population increased by 1.4% over the decade to 3,107,500.

The proportion identifying as Asian, Asian Welsh or Asian British rose from 2.3% to 2.9%. Those identifying with mixed or multiple ethnic groups increased from 1% to 1.6%, while the proportion identifying as Black, Black Welsh, Black British, Caribbean or African rose from 0.6% to 0.9%.

These figures record changes in how people identified their ethnicity in the census. They do not, by themselves, establish the claims made by Martin.

What happens next?

Martin remains unable to speak during Senedd plenary sessions unless he apologises in the chamber and satisfies the presiding officer that he understands the standards expected of members.

The restriction does not prevent him from participating in committee work.

Reform has not indicated that its partial boycott will become a permanent withdrawal from Senedd proceedings. The dispute has, however, raised wider questions about freedom of speech, parliamentary standards and the responsibility of elected representatives when discussing immigration and ethnicity.

Real Terryo Daily Round Up

Reporting the stories that matter, with context and perspective.