A politician who quit Reform UK to join Plaid Cymru has spoken out about the party she left behind, saying she is not surprised by fresh allegations against it and that its way of handling criticism mirrors the behaviour of an abuser.
Sarah Cooper-Lesadd made the switch to Plaid Cymru after becoming disillusioned with Reform UK, and she has not held back in describing what she witnessed from the inside. She says the pattern is always the same when someone speaks up or pushes back against the party.
“It is exactly what an abuser does,” she said. “When you challenge them, they turn it around on you. They discredit you, they attack you, they make you the problem. I have seen it happen time and again.”
Cooper-Lesadd said she was not shocked when new allegations about the party surfaced, describing it as a predictable cycle that she had come to recognise during her time with Reform UK. She said anyone who dares to question the party or its leadership quickly finds themselves on the receiving end of a coordinated effort to undermine them.
Her comments carry weight given that she experienced the inner workings of the party firsthand before walking away. The decision to defect to Plaid Cymru was not taken lightly, but she says it became impossible to stay once she saw how the organisation operated.
Reform UK has been under increasing scrutiny in Wales and across the UK, with questions being raised about its internal culture and the way it treats members and candidates who step out of line. Cooper-Lesadd says the response to those questions has only reinforced her concerns.
Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party she now represents, has positioned itself as a very different kind of political force, one rooted in Welsh identity, community values and progressive politics. For Cooper-Lesadd, the contrast between the two parties could not be starker.
She described joining Plaid Cymru as a relief, saying she finally felt part of a party that engaged with criticism honestly rather than weaponising it against whoever raised it.
The timing of her comments is significant. Reform UK has been growing its presence in Wales, picking up votes from people frustrated with both Labour and the Conservatives. But voices like Cooper-Lesadd’s are starting to paint a more complicated picture of what the party is actually like behind the scenes.
For Welsh voters who have been tempted by Reform UK’s straight-talking image, her account raises serious questions. She argues that the image the party projects publicly is very different from the reality she experienced as a member.
“People see this party as being honest and direct,” she said. “But when someone inside the party is honest and direct with them, they cannot handle it. That tells you everything.”
Cooper-Lesadd has not ruled out speaking further about her experiences, and her move to Plaid Cymru appears to have given her a platform to do exactly that. Whether her words will dent Reform UK’s momentum in Wales remains to be seen, but she clearly feels a responsibility to speak out.
With Welsh politics becoming increasingly competitive and Reform UK eyeing up Senedd seats, the internal culture of the party is likely to face more scrutiny in the months ahead. Cooper-Lesadd’s testimony adds another layer to a conversation that is only just beginning.