Reform Wales to raise full-face coverings in Senedd debate 2026

Key Points

• Reform Wales MS Jason O’Connell is set to introduce a debate in the Senedd on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, concerning the use of full-face coverings to conceal identity associated with crime.
• According to the schedule of debates, the motion has been included in the Senedd’s agenda as a Short Debate with the title, “Full-face coverings are against British values.”
• Pembrokeshire Herald reported that Mr. O’Connell has requested the debate on restricting the practice of using full-face coverings to conceal identities.
• Reform UK’s policy, as reported by Nation.Cymru, includes banning full-face coverings in public spaces, including religious outfits like the burqa as well as face masks such as balaclavas.
• Reform’s deputy leader in the Senedd Laura Anne Jones previously asked the Welsh Government for its stance and signing a UK Parliament petition requesting a ban on full-face coverings.
• The minister of Welsh Government Heledd Fychan told Ms Jones that the matter is non-devolved and therefore no statement from the Welsh Government was possible. However, Ms Fychan added that the Welsh Government “condemns all racism.”

Wales (Wales Times) October 16, 2026 – Reform Wales is preparing to bring the issue of full-face coverings back before the Senedd next week, with Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr MS Jason O’Connell leading a debate focused on their use to conceal identity in connection with crime. The intervention places Reform’s policy on face coverings at the centre of Welsh political discussion, despite the Welsh Government’s position that the underlying legal issue is not devolved.

What Is Reform Wales Proposing in the Senedd?

As reported by the Pembrokeshire Herald, Reform Wales is to use a Senedd debate next week to call for discussion of restrictions on full-face coverings where they are used to conceal identity in connection with crime. The report identifies Jason O’Connell MS as the member leading the debate, which is scheduled for 21 October 2026.

The Senedd’s official business record lists the item as a Short Debate for 21 October 2026 under the title, “Full-face coverings are against British values.” The record identifies the motion as NDM9333.

The framing of the debate is significant. Rather than presenting it solely as a question of religious dress, Reform is directing attention towards circumstances in which coverings may be used to hide a person’s identity during criminal activity. The Pembrokeshire Herald’s report says the party intends to raise restrictions in that specific context.

Why Is Jason O’Connell Leading the Debate?

Mr O’Connell is the Reform UK Member of the Senedd for Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr. He has previously led Reform business in the Chamber, including a debate on Wales’s 20mph default speed limit, and serves as chair of the Senedd’s Petitions Committee.

The forthcoming debate gives him a platform to press the issue within the Welsh Parliament. However, the Pembrokeshire Herald report does not indicate that Reform is seeking to introduce Welsh legislation; instead, it describes a call for discussion of restrictions where full-face coverings are used to conceal identity in connection with crime.

That distinction matters because criminal law, policing and many related powers sit largely with the UK Government at Westminster rather than the Welsh Government in Cardiff. The Senedd can debate the issue and seek ministerial representations, but it cannot itself determine the whole legal framework governing face coverings in public spaces.

What Has Reform Said About Full-Face Coverings?

Reform’s position on full-face coverings has already been stated publicly in the Senedd. As reported by Nation.Cymru, Reform’s deputy leader in the Senedd, Sir Fynwy Torfaen MS Laura Anne Jones, said in October that Reform’s position was clear.

As reported by Nation.Cymru, Ms Jones stated:

“We would ban the burqa and every other full face covering in public.” She also argued that showing one’s face was important to recognition, trust, communication and public safety, citing examples involving nurses, teachers and parents at school gates.

Ms Jones acknowledged that the matter fell outside the Senedd’s powers. She nevertheless asked whether the Welsh Government would make representations to the UK Government on Wales’s behalf and invited ministers to sign Reform’s petition on the issue.

Nation.Cymru also reported that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said the party would enact a complete public ban on all full-face coverings, including religious garments such as burqas and items such as balaclavas, if it won power at the next general election.

How Has the Welsh Government Responded?

The Welsh Government has not supported Reform’s call for a statement on the issue. As reported by Nation.Cymru, Trefnydd, Chief Whip and Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport Heledd Fychan told Ms Jones that there would be no statement because the matter is not devolved.

Ms Fychan also said that the Welsh Government “condemns all racism”. Her response separated the Welsh Government’s position on racism from Reform’s request for ministerial action on full-face coverings.

The exchange illustrates the constitutional limit facing the Senedd on this subject. While Members can raise concerns about public safety, community relations and policing, the Welsh Government has indicated that it does not regard the question of banning full-face coverings as within its legislative competence.

What Is the UK Government’s Position?

The UK Government’s published response to a parliamentary petition provides the clearest available statement of the legal position. As reported by Nation.Cymru, the petition, titled “Prohibit the wearing of all full-face coverings in public spaces”, collected more than 71,000 signatures before closing in November.

According to Nation.Cymru, the UK Government responded that, under the Human Rights Act 1998, everyone has the legal right to freedom of religion, including the right to express their religion. It added that this includes the right to wear religious attire except where limitations are prescribed by law for specific limited purposes.

That response indicates that any blanket prohibition would need to be assessed against human-rights protections. It also suggests that restrictions, where justified, would more likely be framed around particular settings or defined public-safety circumstances rather than an unrestricted public ban.

How Does This Fit Into Wider Senedd Politics?

The debate comes at a time when Reform Wales has been using its Senedd time to raise a series of law-and-order and public-policy issues. The party has previously initiated debates on housing access and Wales’s 20mph default speed limit, while its Members have also been involved in contentious exchanges in the Chamber.

The issue has also intersected with earlier controversies involving Reform Members. Nation.Cymru reported that Ms Jones, who called for ministerial action on the burqa petition, had previously been suspended from the Senedd for two weeks after the standards commissioner found that she had brought the parliament into disrepute by using a racial slur in a WhatsApp chat.

The forthcoming debate is therefore likely to be scrutinised not only for its stated focus on crime and identity concealment, but also for its political context. Reform’s critics are likely to examine whether the party’s language distinguishes clearly between criminal concealment and religious dress; Reform’s supporters are likely to argue that the debate concerns public safety and accountability.

What Happens Next in the Senedd?

The debate is scheduled for Wednesday, 21 October 2026. Mr O’Connell is expected to open the Short Debate and set out Reform’s case for discussing restrictions where full-face coverings are used to conceal identity in connection with crime.

Short Debates allow an individual Member to secure time in the Chamber for a subject of particular concern. They do not, by themselves, create law or bind the Welsh Government to act. Any practical outcome would depend on whether other parties support further scrutiny, whether ministers choose to respond, and whether the issue is pursued through UK-wide legislation or policing guidance.

Background of the Development

The debate follows a broader national argument over full-face coverings in public spaces. A UK Parliament petition seeking to prohibit all full-face coverings in public areas attracted more than 71,000 signatures before it closed, according to Nation.Cymru.

The UK Government’s response emphasised religious freedom under the Human Rights Act 1998, while noting that rights may be limited where restrictions are prescribed by law for specific limited purposes. Nation.Cymru reported that Reform leader Nigel Farage has advocated a complete public ban on full-face coverings, including burqas and balaclavas, if Reform wins the next general election.

In Wales, Reform’s Laura Anne Jones raised the issue with Heledd Fychan in October, asking for the Welsh Government’s position and urging ministers to support the petition. Ms Fychan responded that the matter was not devolved and that the Welsh Government condemns all racism.

Prediction: How Could This Affect Welsh Residents?

For Welsh residents, the immediate effect of the debate is likely to be political rather than legal. Because the Welsh Government has said the issue is not devolved, the Senedd debate is unlikely to change the law on face coverings by itself.

However, the discussion could influence public and political attention in Wales. Residents may see increased scrutiny of how public authorities balance public safety, identification requirements and religious freedom, particularly in settings such as policing, transport, schools, hospitals and public buildings.

For people who wear full-face coverings for religious reasons, the debate may heighten concern about future restrictions, even though the UK Government’s stated position continues to recognise the right to wear religious attire except where lawful, specific limitations apply.

For communities concerned about crime and public safety, Reform’s focus on identity concealment may increase pressure for clearer rules in defined situations, such as investigations or security-sensitive locations. Any actual change would require action at Westminster or through existing legal and policing frameworks, rather than a decision of the Senedd alone.