I did not maximise my expenses, says Reform MS

Laura Anne Jones defected to Reform in the summer

A Reform Senedd politician, who has been under investigation by a Senedd behaviour watchdog, has denied trying to maximise her expenses in an interview with BBC Wales.

Text messages published by BBC Wales last year from the phone of Laura Anne Jones appeared to show a staff member being asked: "When doing petrol thing - always make more than I did - add in stuff please ok."

The context of the message was not evident. Speaking at Reform's conference in Birmingham, Jones declined to explain what she meant but said the context would be in the watchdog's report.

A police investigation into Jones was dropped at the end of 2024, after it found "no evidence of fraudulent activity".

Jones had been a Conservative Member of the Senedd when the story broke - she defected to Reform during the summer - she is the party's only Senedd member.

It is understood that Douglas Bain, the standards commissioner for the Senedd, has completed his investigation into Jones which is yet to be published.

It is expected to be considered by the Senedd's standards committee when it meets after recess.

Jones has previously hinted that she expected to be cleared, saying when she defected to Reform that she had seen Bain's report and was confident "with the outcome".

Last year BBC Wales obtained messages sent to a member of staff about expenses from the phone of Laura Anne Jones.

One message said: "When doing petrol thing - always make more than I did - add in stuff please ok". It was followed by a thumbs up and a folded hands emoji.

When the staff member asks "like visits to constituency office?", a response says: "Yes - stuff like that [folded hands emoji]."

Asked, in her first full interview with BBC Wales since the story was published, what she meant by the message, she said: "I've been cleared by police because I never did anything wrong."

She said she had been going through "absolute hell" and she was "looking forward to the standards commissioner report coming out and finally laying this to rest".

Asked again what it meant, she said: "It's very easy if I took your phone now to read something without any context or anything else, isn't it?"

Pressed on what the context was, she said: "There's a report coming out soon isn't there?"

She said she "would have thought" it will be in the report.

When it was put to her that it looked like she was trying to maximise her expenses, she added: "I'm not and I never have done.

"I can 100% guarantee you that is what will come out."