Reform deputy Laura Anne Jones backs fellow MS after Senedd speaking ban

REFORM’S Wales deputy leader Laura Anne Jones says her party fully backs Senedd colleague Joe Martin after he was banned from speaking in the Welsh chamber.

Caerdydd Penarth MS Martin claimed white people are being replaced in the UK by immigrants, and will be barred from speaking until he apologises.

The party boycotted part of today’s proceedings in protest, with UK leader Nigel Farage posting it was “ridiculous and outrageous that Reform's duly elected Member of the Senedd, Joe Martin, has been banned from speaking in the Welsh Parliament.

"Why is it only Reform that's targeted like this?" he asked.

Sir Fynwy Torfaen MS Jones – who lives in Monmouth – also said: “Our team stands squarely behind Joe. We were sent to the Senedd to represent the people of Wales, and that means having the freedom to ask tough questions.

“Democracy relies on open debate, not censorship. When elected representatives are silenced simply because their views cause offence, it is the public who loses out.

“If political opponents disagree with Joe, they should defeat his arguments with facts, not shut down his microphone.

“We will not play along with a democratic institution that silences dissent, and we will always stand together to defend free speech for the communities we serve.”

Imposing the speaking ban, presiding officer Huw Irranca-Davies said Martin’s comments on Tuesday asking the Welsh Government for a statement on the "demographic replacement of white British people" were clearly "discriminatory" and "offensive".

The ban follows a formal warning to the Reform MS about other comments in September.

The MS was told by the presiding officer he had repeatedly "pushed the boundaries" of Senedd rules.

His comments on Tuesday reportedly echo a far-right conspiracy theory that the white population is being deliberately replaced by the immigration of other ethnic groups.

He asked Plaid’s Welsh Government business minister Heledd Fychan: "Can I have a statement from your government on the demographic replacement of white British people taking place in the UK?

"Mass immigration and differing birth rates mean that, in just 37 years' time, in 2063, we will be a minority in our own country."

Fychan responded by saying: "We cannot differentiate between people of different religions, different sexuality, different skin colour. We are a government for everyone here in Wales."

Irranca-Davies later said after reviewing the record: "We consider that the contribution made by Martin during the Business Statement was unnecessarily provocative and deliberately offensive.

"Whilst it is always possible to raise legitimate policy matters in relation to immigration in this Siambr (chamber), the focus of the contribution on race and ethnicity was clearly discriminatory, offensive and detracted from the dignity of the Senedd.

"This is not the first time the member has pushed the boundaries in his contributions, and I have previously warned him about his conduct.

"Until I receive a clear indication that the member understands the boundaries of acceptable parliamentary conduct and apologises to the Siambr, we will not be calling him to speak."

Plaid Cymru accused Martin of dangerous rhetoric last June by claiming attacks from Sudanese asylum seekers were inevitable.

A day later, Senedd members walked out when Martin joked during a speech that Welsh students were unable to read and Indian nurses were taking Welsh jobs.

Plaid Cymru's Senedd group chair Marc Jones said of the ban: "Words have consequences. It's only right that Reform's Joe Martin apologises for the constant harm and fear he causes among our communities."