Tories will outlast Farage's Reform, party's ex-Welsh leader claims

A former Welsh Conservatives' leader in the Senedd has admitted his party has had a bruising year after a series of high profile defections to Nigel Farage's Reform.

In a speech to his party's conference in Llandudno, Paul Davies said it was more important than ever for the Tories to unify for the Senedd election in May.

He accused Nigel Farage's party of being "obsessed with destroying the Conservative party more than anything else" and predicted Reform would be gone "in five to ten years' time".

It comes days after the defections of two senior members of Conservative staff in Cardiff Bay, and a week after a former Tory MS joined Reform, the second to do so.

The party has used the conference to set out its pitch for the Senedd election in May, promising to set up a reserve bank of retired doctors if the Tories form the next Welsh government.

But the Conservatives have struggled since they lost all their Welsh MPs in the 2024 general election, and opinion polls have suggested the party could come fourth.

The Tories formed the largest opposition group at the last Senedd election in 2021.

Deputy Senedd Tory leader Paul Davies told the event at Venue Cymru: "I'm not going to pretend that everything has been great.

"It's been a bruising year. We've seen politicians ditch the party to chase their personal ambition, because they care more about their own careers than the future of our party.

"In this election, the need for unity has never been more important. Divided parties do not win elections."

He said the Conservatives became the "formidable political force that it is because it has been able to adapt itself to meet the circumstances it has found itself in the last 200 years" and "it will continue to do just that".

"Defections, divisions and drama are a distraction that this party will not tolerate. It feeds our opposition and dents the trust that we have been rebuilding in Wales with the electorate."

Davies told those Conservatives who have left: "The party will be here long after you have all gone."

Two MSs elected as Tories have joined Reform - Laura Anne Jones and James Evans.

Evans was sacked in January after he told Davies and Senedd Tory leader Darren Millar he had been speaking to Reform, which he joined last week.

Despite their public criticism, the Welsh Conservatives have not ruled out working with Farage's party should it be in a position to form a government after the May election.

No party has ever won a majority in the Senedd and the Welsh government has also relied on the help of the opposition.

In her speech to conference, education spokesperson Natasha Asghar said a Conservative government could scrap the new Welsh curriculum if it could not be improved.

The new curriculum is being gradually rolled out, and currently covers primary school and secondary education up to Year 10.

Asghar said the curriculum was "incredibly flawed" and a "disaster", with teachers implementing "a vague set of principles and huge gaps in interpretation".

She said it meant young people "are not getting the education they need through knowledge-based learning".

Asghar accused Labour of digging its heels in despite concerns from schools and experts.

She promised a "full root and branch review" and said if robust changes could not be made, she would "not hesitate in scrapping the curriculum for Wales".