A FORMER Conservative Parliamentary candidate has become the second member of the party on a Gwent council to defect to Reform UK.
The Conservatives however have dismissed Nick Jones, who stood for them at the 2024 general election, and stated he produced one of the party’s worst-ever results in Newport and blasted his proposal for a motorway tunnel under the city.
The former candidate, who is also known as Nicholas, stood for the Tories in the Newport West and Islwyn constituency but was beaten into third place by Reform which claimed second spot behind Labour’s Ruth Jones.
Reform UK has now announced Mr Jones, a member of Pontypool Community Council, has joined the party and will sit on the volunteer council, which doesn’t operate along party lines, as a Reform councillor.
In a statement released by Reform UK Mr Jones said: “The Conservative Party in Wales has stopped listening and has run out of ideas.
“In order to better represent my community and the aspirations of the hard working people of this nation, I have joined Reform UK.
“To my former colleagues and to people across Wales, I ask you to join us on this journey to break up the political consensus and bring prosperity back to our left behind communities.”
His former Tory colleague Newport Conservative Party Chairman, Cllr David Fouweather said while he wished Mr Jones “all the best in his venture with Reform” he wouldn’t be missed.
The Allt-yr-yn councillor said: “Nick stood for us last year in the 2024 general election and produced one of the worst results ever seen for the Newport Conservatives, whereby finishing in third place with a drop of almost 22 per cent in the vote share.”
“I hope he abandons his suggestion to build a tunnel under Newport that could cost the taxpayer over £12 billion – twelve times more than the proposed M4 Relief Road.”
Mr Jones joins Stephen Senior, who was elected to Pontypool Community Council as a Conservative in a February by-election, in having defected to Reform. The party is also represented on Pontypool Community Council by Sarah Lang who was elected in the Trevethin ward in a by-election in July.
Mr Jones was previously a Torfaen Borough Councillor for the New Inn ward before losing his seat at the 2022 council elections when he finished in last place as Labour won all three seats in the ward.
He remained a community councillor for the New Inn Upper ward with that election uncontested.
The defection leaves the Conservatives with just two members on Pontypool Community Council which has 16 Labour councillors.