By Eniola Amadu
The only Reform member in the Welsh Parliament has been debarred for two weeks from the Senedd chamber, following the description of Chinese people with a racial slur.
The suspension backed by Senedd members restricts her from participating in proceedings for 14 days and imposes a reduction in her pay.
The member of Senedd (MS) chamber, Laura Anne Jones expressed her regret for violating the parliament’s ethical code tied to her behaviour, including the use of derogatory remarks in a Whatsapp chat in August 2023.
She revealed in a statement that Police and Senedd standards commissioner investigations which found no evidence of fraudulent expenses claims took a severe toll on her mental health.
Senedd standards commissioner Douglas Bain noticed that Jones had made derogatory remarks via whatsapp and not taken action when one of her staff members had made separate offensive comments on the same messaging service.
Standards committee chair, Hannah Blythn from Labour said to the Senedd that: “The committee considers a breach of the code of conduct by any member of the Senedd a serious matter, and we are clear that inappropriate and offensive comments have no place in our Senedd or society.
“More widely, the conduct found in the commissioner’s report fell far below the standards expected, and points to an office culture where there was little respect towards others or any consideration of what may be found offensive.”
