Reform UK’s sole Senedd Member, Laura Anne Jones - who defected to the party in the summer - has been suspended following an investigation by the Senedd after referring to “chinky spies” when talking about claims Tik Tok was spying on users. The messages were in a private WhatsApp group with staff members. Her suspension will last two weeks and ends on December 3rd.
00:00I have reflected deeply on this, and I wholly accept the need to take greater care with my language at all times.
00:08I also want to say how harrowing this nearly two-year investigation has been.
00:14Oh, sorry.
00:17That was ReformUKMS Laura Ann Jones after a 14-day suspension from the Senate was confirmed following a Standards Committee of Rules that she used racist and inappropriate language in a WhatsApp group.
00:30The message sent in August 2023 during a conversation about TikTok and its possible data breaches and spying claims with her staff used an offensive phrase for Chinese people.
00:38The committee said the remark had no place in public life and reflected in their words an office culture with little respect towards others.
00:46The suspension was confirmed in the Senate where Ms Jones became visibly emotional.
00:50She paused several times to gather herself before telling members that the investigation had taken a severe toll on her health, her family and her mental well-being.
00:58She said the pressure of the allegations, including a now-dismissed accusation of fraudulent expenses claims, led her to nearly take her own life a number of times.
01:07The Standards Committee was clear that while the language was unacceptable, there was no breach relating to the expenses, noting that both Standards Commissioner and police found no evidence of wrongdoing.
01:16Addressing the remarks directly, Ms Jones said she fully accepted the findings, apologised again for the language she used, and stressed she never intended to offend.
01:24She said the leaked private messages had been misconstrued, and that she had since engaged with members of the community affected.
01:31She added that she had reflected deeply and recognised the need to take far greater care with her words in the future.
01:37Her 14-day suspension from the Senate's debating chamber will end on the 3rd of December.
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