Reform UK chair of Welsh environment committee may undermine scrutiny, says thinktank

A green thinktank has warned that appointing a member of the Reform UK party to lead an important Welsh environmental committee could weaken the government’s accountability process. The thinktank believes this appointment might 'undermine the hard graft of ministerial scrutiny'.

James Evans, who was previously a member of the Conservative party but joined Reform UK in January last year, has now been appointed as the chair of the Welsh climate change, environment, sustainability and rural affairs committee. This committee’s job is to review new laws and question the Welsh government about its spending, how it manages things, and its policies on climate change and environmental issues.

The committee also investigates important topics and suggests changes to the government. The main responsibility of the chair is to ensure that all committee members have a fair chance to ask questions and that expert witnesses can provide answers. This is the only committee in the Senedd, the Welsh parliament, that focuses on environmental scrutiny. Therefore, who leads it is very important because it is the main way to hold the Welsh government accountable, according to Ruth Chambers, a senior fellow at the Green Alliance thinktank.

Reform UK has stated its intention to cancel policies aimed at achieving net zero carbon emissions. The party's leader, Nigel Farage, has called net zero policies foolish and has promised to cancel government contracts for renewable energy projects. James Evans has previously stated that rural Wales is under threat from large green energy projects and that Reform UK would ban all new onshore windfarms in Wales if elected.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that pollution from fossil fuels is the main cause of the climate crisis. They also report that global greenhouse gas emissions must be cut in half by 2030, compared to 2010 levels, to avoid terrible climate impacts. Ruth Chambers expressed concern, saying Wales has made too much progress on climate and nature to stop now. She hopes the new environment committee will work together instead of causing conflict.

James Evans, who has a farming background, stated that his role as chair would be to be fair, impartial, and base decisions on evidence. He believes that scrutiny is strongest when it includes different viewpoints. He also clarified that a committee chair's job is not to pursue personal goals but to ensure the committee properly examines policies.

Karen Whitfield, director of Wales Environment Link, mentioned that there have already been some intense debates about net zero policies following the recent Welsh elections, which saw many Reform UK members elected to the Senedd. She added that it remains to be seen how Evans will manage the committee, and members will be watching closely to ensure fairness in how committee inquiries are chosen.

The selection of chairs for these committees is a non-transparent process where political parties collectively decide which party will lead which committee. Bethan Sayed, head of politics and advocacy at Climate Cymru, questioned why a Reform UK member would want to lead this specific committee. She suggested it could be to promote controversial ideas or to work constructively. However, she noted concerns about Reform UK's stated aims, such as reopening mines and opposing renewable energy developments, which appear to contradict climate goals.