Reform MS Evans named chair of Welsh climate committee
SkimNews Take
Handing the environment scrutiny chair to a party skeptical of the very climate framework it oversees transforms the committee from a check on ministerial delivery into a platform for contesting the policy itself.
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- James Evans, a former Conservative MS who defected to Reform UK in January 2024, was appointed chair of the Welsh climate change, environment, sustainability and rural affairs committee — the Senedd's sole dedicated environmental scrutiny body.
- Green Alliance senior fellow Ruth Chambers warned the appointment could "undermine the hard graft of ministerial scrutiny," adding that Wales "has come too far on climate and nature to stumble now."
- Reform UK has pledged to scrap net zero, with leader Nigel Farage calling such policies "lunacy"; Evans has said the party would ban all new onshore windfarm developments in Wales.
- Evans insisted his role as chair would be "fair, impartial and evidence-led," stating the position "is not to drive any personal agendas, but to make sure the committee scrutinises policy properly."
- Climate Cymru's Bethan Sayed questioned why a Reform MS would lead the committee, citing the party's election statements about reopening mines and the Tata Steel blast furnaces and opposing certain renewable developments.
- Wales Environment Link director Karen Whitfield said only time would tell whether Evans runs the committee without bias, noting there had already been "quite heated debates" on net zero since Reform MSs entered the Senedd.
Why it matters: For the first time, a party pledging to scrap net zero will lead the Welsh parliament's only committee scrutinising climate and environment policy — a chair that selects which inquiries proceed, meaning Reform's positions on onshore wind, mining and Tata could shape what the Welsh government is formally questioned on.
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