Reform is a one-man personality cult, says Welsh Tory leader

Nigel Farage's Reform UK is a "one-man personality cult" with no serious solutions for Wales, Tory Senedd leader Darren Millar will say on Saturday.

The politician will use a speech at Welsh Conservative conference in Llangollen to put "clear blue water" between his party and Reform.

Millar will claim that Reform UK have "utterly failed" to offer any "real, serious, costed or deliverable solutions".

Reform has performed better than the Conservatives in recent polling for the next Senedd election in May 2026, competing for first place with Plaid Cymru and Labour.

Opinion polls have suggested a four way split among most voters, with the latest poll indicating that Plaid Cymru had the most support at 30%, with Reform on 25%, Labour 18% and the Tories 13%.

Reform came second in 13 Welsh seats at the last general election but failed to win any MPs.

It has yet to pick someone to be the party's main spokesperson or leader, and has not announced who might stand for the party.

In his second speech to the conference in Llangollen, Millar is expected to "address the idea that the answer to Labour is to vote Reform".

He will say: "I share many of your concerns about unsustainable levels of immigration, the impact of net zero on energy bills and jobs and the woke agenda.

"But wagging a finger and shouting about these things from the side-lines is easy.

"Reform have utterly failed to offer any real, serious, costed or deliverable solutions for the problems they spout about.

"Nor have they been honest about the public about the limitations of the Senedd's powers to address some of these issues."

There is "clear blue water between the Welsh Conservatives and Reform", he will say, in a reference to the phrase "clear red water" used to explain the difference between Welsh and Westminster Labour under the late first minister Rhodri Morgan.

"They are a one-man personality cult – we Welsh Conservatives are a united team.

"They are a limited company – we are a professional political party.

"And where they offer slogans – we offer serious solutions."

Millar will attack Plaid Cymru, saying the party has been "joined at the hip" with Labour for years.

"Labour failures are Plaid failures," he's expected to say, calling Labour "clapped out".

As the second party in the Senedd, the Conservatives are keen to present themselves as a government in waiting ahead of the next election.

But the party has polled in fourth place in recent opinion polls.

The next Senedd will introduce a new system that will better reflect how people voted in the result.

That means that, without a surprise result, it is likely that two or more parties would need to work together to help form the next Welsh government.

That could be either through a coalition or a more informal agreement.

On Friday Millar said he would be willing to work with "anyone" to get Labour out of power, not ruling out working with Plaid Cymru or Reform.

He laid out a series of policies including a promise to bring down NHS waiting times and reinstate home economics in schools.