Leader of Reform UK Wales

Leader of Reform UK Wales

The Leader of Reform UK Wales is the most senior position within the wing of Reform UK Wales. The current leader is Helen Jenner since 21 September 2021, following the resignation of Dan Thomas on 15 September 2026. The position has previously been held by Mark Reckless and Nathan Gill.

History

Mark Reckless

From 15 May 2019 to 19 October 2020, when the party was known as the Brexit Party, its Welsh leader was Mark Reckless, a member of the Senedd (MS) for South Wales East. Reckless was initially elected in May 2016 as a member of the UK Independence Party (UKIP). He left UKIP in 2017, and was admitted to the Conservative group in the Welsh Assembly, though not to the Conservative Party itself, however for purposes of Assembly business he was treated as a Conservative member. In 2019, Reckless left the Conservative group to sit as an independent. In May, he joined the Brexit Party and became its first Welsh leader, then leaving the party and joining the Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party. He said since Brexit had been effectively achieved, the work of the Brexit Party was complete. Two weeks later, the Brexit Party was rebranded as Reform UK.

Nathan Gill

From 26 March 2021 to 8 May the office was held by Nathan Gill. Gill was a Member of the European Parliament for Wales between July 2014 until the UK left the EU in January 2021. He was elected as a member of UKIP, before leaving to serve as an independent between 2018 and 2019, and then after joining the party, he finally served as a member of the Brexit Party from 2019, being relected as a MEP in the same year for the party. He was UKIP's Welsh Leader between 2014 and 2016, and was also a member of the Senedd for UKIP representating North Wales between 2016 and 2017. In 2018, Gill subsequently left UKIP, citing much infighting and distractions. He had disagreements with his successor as UKIP's Welsh Leader, Neil Hamilton, and was opposed to the party leader Gerard Batten's links to far-right activist Tommy Robinson. He joined the new Brexit Party in February 2019, and after the party renamed itself Reform UK in January 2021, he became its Welsh leader in March 2021. Gill was a regional list candidate in the 2021 Senedd election for the North Wales electoral region but was not elected. He quit Reform UK shortly afterwards. Gill was sentenced in November 2025 to 101⁄2 years in prison for taking bribes to make pro-Russia statements while a Member of the European Parliament.

Dan Thomas

From 2021 until 2026, the leadership of Reform UK Wales remained vacant.

On 5 February 2026, Dan Thomas was appointed as Reform's Welsh Leader. Thomas was born and grew up in Wales, but moved to London when he was 18, where he served as a Conservative Party councillor on Barnet London Borough Council from 2006 to 2025, serving as leader of the council from 2019 to 2022, and as leader of the opposition Conservative group on the council following 2022. He defected to Reform UK in June 2025. He later resigned from the council on 31 December 2025, leaving a vacant seat heading into the 2026 election, before moving to back to Wales with his family.

In his announcement regarding Thomas's appointment as Welsh Leader, Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, said: "He has voluntarily left London, come back to the Valleys, living in Islwyn, come back to his home, and he's done that because he loves Wales." However, Nation.Cymru reported that a source told it that Thomas had actually moved to Bath, Somerset, England. Following speculation in the media about where Thomas lived, Reform UK said: "Dan lives in Wales. Any claim to the contrary is entirely false. He lives here in Wales, where he is raising his young family". They also confirmed that he owns a property portfolio, which included a property in Bath that is rented out and not his main residence. ITV Wales confirmed they had seen proof that Thomas was added to the electoral roll in the Caerphilly borough area in July 2025. A Reform UK spokesperson said: "Dan is on the electoral roll here in Wales".

On 1 April 2026, Thomas appointed Helen Jenner as Deputy Leader of Reform UK Wales. She has represented Bangor Conwy Môn since the 2026 Senedd election. She previously contested the Ynys Môn Parliamentary constituency at the 2019 general election for Reform UK under its previous name of the Brexit Party, where she came fourth out of four candidates, receiving 6% of the vote.

On 15 September 2026, Thomas resigned as Leader after being arrested on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviour, Thomas has disputed the charges and stated he has "done nothing wrong", and that he was "standing down [...] due to personal reasons".

Helen Jenner

Following Dan Thomas' resignation Helen Jenner, the Deputy Leader and MS for Bangor Conwy Môn, became acting leader, and the following day a meeting of Reform UK Senedd Members was held. The Chief Whip Llŷr Powell said the party would hold an internal vote of Senedd Members to decide the next leader, and said it would be concluded by the end of September. Powell did not rule himself out of standing, and Jenner is was expected to stand. James Evans, Cai Parry-Jones, and Jason O'Connell all ruled themselves out of standing, but Evans did say he had the support of the majority of members. Despite ruling himself out publically, Jenner confirmed O'Connel did stand against her during the internal vote on the 21st September, with Jenner winning in the end after she was backed by senior Reform UK figures. She was announced as leader by UK leader Nigel Farage on the same day as the internal vote on the 21st September outside the Senedd, with Farage saying the party would "carry on as if nothing has happened”. As Leader of Reform UK Wales, Jenner also serves as the Leader the Opposition in the Senedd. Farage announced that the Deputy would be elected the next day on the 22nd September 2026.

List of Leaders of Reform UK Wales

Leader of Reform UK Wales

<table><thead><tr><th>No.</th><th>Leader</th><th>Portrait</th><th>Took office</th><th>Left office</th><th>Senedd Elections</th><th>Tenure</th><th>Constituency in Senedd</th><th>Reform UK Leader</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th>1</th><td>Mark Reckless (born 1970)</td><td></td><td>15 May 2019</td><td>19 October 2020</td><td>―</td><td>1 year, 157 days</td><td>MS for South Wales East</td><td>Nigel Farage</td></tr><tr><td colspan="9">Office vacant between 19 October 2020 – 26 March 2021 (158 days)</td></tr><tr><th>2</th><td>Nathan Gill (born 1973)</td><td></td><td>26 March 2021</td><td>8 May 2021</td><td>2021 (Didn't win a seat)</td><td>43 days</td><td>Unsuccessful candidate for North Wales at the 2021 Senedd election;</td><td>Richard Tice</td></tr><tr><td colspan="9">Office vacant between 8 May 2021 – 5 February 2026 (4 years, 273 days)</td></tr><tr><th>3</th><td>Dan Thomas (born c.1981)</td><td></td><td>5 February 2026</td><td>15 September 2026</td><td>2026</td><td>136 days</td><td>MS for Casnewydd Islwyn</td><td rowspan="3">Nigel Farage</td></tr><tr><th>—</th><td rowspan="2">Helen Jenner (born 1988 or 1989)</td><td rowspan="2"></td><td>15 September 2026</td><td>21 September 2026</td><td>―</td><td>6 days</td><td rowspan="2">MS for Bangor Conwy Môn</td></tr><tr><th>4</th><td>21 September 2026</td><td>Incumbent</td><td>―</td><td>1 day</td></tr></tbody></table>

List of Deputy Leaders of Reform UK Wales

Leader of Reform UK Wales

No.	Deputy Leader	Portrait	Took office	Left office	Senedd Elections	Tenure	Constituency in Senedd	Reform UK Wales Leader	Reform UK Leader
1	Helen Jenner		1 April 2026	Incumbent	2026	174 days	MS for Bangor Conwy Môn	Dan Thomas (5 February–15 September 2026)	Nigel Farage
								Herself (15 September 2026–Incumbent)