Emily Price
A caseworker employed by a prominent Reform UK Member of the Senedd has been caught using a highly offensive racial slur during a discussion about Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch in an ITV undercover investigation.
Martin Roberts was Reform UK’s fourth-placed candidate in Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr at the May 7 Senedd election but failed to secure a seat in Wales’ Parliament.
In October 2025, when Reform was canvassing ahead of a key by-election in Caerphilly, an undercover reporter working for ITV joined party campaigners knocking on doors and handing out leaflets.
The reporter met Roberts, who was a branch treasurer for Reform in Pontypridd.
Hidden cameras showed ITV’s reporter telling Roberts he was from Leicester, which he said had changed.
“Lots of d******, is it?” Roberts replied. “Say what you want around me, man.”
When the discussion turned to the Tory Party’s prospects, the undercover reporter said he didn’t believe they would be successful with Kemi Badenoch leading.
“What, because she’s black?” asked Roberts, laughing. He then added: “I used to hear all these comments as I was growing up, you know, like ah look at that f****** four-door over there.
“I’m like, what’s a four-door? Four-door saloon, c***.”
Roberts told ITV News he was trying to be “humorous and informal” but said he accepted and regretted using language he described as “inappropriate”.
He denied being a “bigot or an extremist”.
Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar condemned the remarks made by Roberts in the footage.
He said: “I totally condemn this appalling racist language. There is no place for racism in our society or in our politics.”
In June 2026, Nation.Cymru reported how Roberts had been hired as a caseworker by Reform’s Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr MS Jason O’Connell.
At the time, we asked O’Connell if he had any concerns about Roberts’ views, but he did not respond to our questions.
Roberts was accused of misogyny during Reform’s Senedd election campaign after making offensive remarks about women during a heated exchange on Facebook with Plaid Cymru’s Heledd Fychan.
During the online row, Roberts suggested women should stay home with their babies while men “go out and provide”.
Roberts went on to claim that Plaid’s flagship childcare policy would cause abuse in nurseries to “skyrocket”, adding that “mothers will wish they’d looked after their babies themselves”.
His comments about women were later raised in the Senedd by Plaid’s Keira Marshall during a debate about her party’s free childcare proposals.
During her speech, O’Connell tried to block the new mother from raising Roberts’ remarks.
ITV’s Exposure documentary will air on Sunday at 10pm.
It will reveal undercover footage taken by reporters who canvassed with Reform UK candidates and councillors across England and Wales.
Reform UK told ITV News: “Where members, activists and councillors have clearly behaved inappropriately, investigations have commenced. In some cases, there have been suspensions and due process must be followed.
“Reform UK has improved and prioritised its vetting procedures, but from time to time, a handful of individuals who do not share our values will initially make it through vetting. This is the same for all organisations.”
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