Civil Liberties Action · On the Record

Laura Anne Jones

Role at the time: Welsh Conservative Member of the Senedd for South Wales East. She is now a Reform UK Member of the Senedd for Sir Fynwy Torfaen.

“No chinky spies for me.”

What was said

In August 2023, Jones posted the words above in a staff WhatsApp group. The precise day was not published in the official report. The phrase contains an offensive racial slur about Chinese people.

Context and response

The Senedd Standards Commissioner found that the message followed a staff member saying they had raised TikTok at a Conservative group meeting. At the time, there was public concern that the Chinese government could use TikTok to gather information.

When the message was first reported publicly in August 2024, Jones apologised, described the word as unacceptable and said she deeply regretted using it. In the Senedd on 19 November 2025, she accepted the Commissioner’s findings and apologised again. She said she had not intended to cause offence, had reflected on her language, and that she and her staff had completed respect and conduct training. She also criticised leaks and aspects of the complaints process.

Evidence trail

Senedd Standards of Conduct Committee, November 2025 — the Commissioner’s findings of fact, context, Code findings and recommended sanction.
Welsh Parliament plenary record, 19 November 2025 — Jones’s response and the Senedd’s consideration of the 14-day exclusion.
Welsh Parliament member profile — current role, party and constituency.
Nation.Cymru, 8 August 2024 — the published screenshot, attribution and Jones’s initial apology.
ITV News Wales, 19 November 2025 — corroboration of the findings, apology and sanction.

Evidence status

The exact wording and August 2023 timing are recorded in the official Senedd committee report, which reproduces the Standards Commissioner’s findings of fact. Nation.Cymru reported that it had verified the telephone number attached to the leaked screenshot as Jones’s. Jones accepted that she posted the words and apologised.

Administrative and legal status

This is not merely an allegation. The Standards Commissioner concluded that the message breached the Respect Principle and Rules 1, 3 and 4 of the Senedd Code of Conduct, including the duty not to engage in discrimination. The Standards of Conduct Committee agreed and recommended that Jones be excluded from Senedd proceedings for 14 calendar days. On 19 November 2025, the Senedd endorsed the sanction, without pay.

The committee report separately records that South Wales Police found no evidence of fraud in an investigation concerning mileage claims. That finding did not concern the racial-slur message. CLA found no reported criminal charge or conviction concerning the message.

Last reviewed: 20 October 2026

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