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Reform UK Senedd candidate failed to declare Freemasonry membership on council register

A Reform UK candidate who could be elected to represent parts of Swansea and Neath Port Talbot has admitted failing to declare his Freemasonry membership on his council register of interests, saying he did not realise he was required to do so.

Iain McIntosh, who runs a carpet business in Brecon and defected from the Conservatives last year, is a member of Powys County Council and is number two on Reform UK’s list for the Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd constituency in next month’s Senedd election — a position that gives him a realistic chance of being elected. The large regional seat covers Powys as well as parts of Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. Nation Cymru reports that a political source provided lodge minutes showing McIntosh had been initiated as a Freemason on 26 February 2020 and passed in November 2021.

Powys County Council’s Register of Members’ Interests asks councillors to declare membership of any company, industrial and provident society, charity or body directed to charitable purposes. The Freemasons make regular charity donations. Under that category, McIntosh had declared “None.”

When approached, McIntosh immediately confirmed he was the individual named in the lodge minutes. “I didn’t realise I was supposed to declare my membership in the Register of Interests, because I didn’t see any conflict. Powys County Council has no contracts with the Lodge I am a member of,” he said.

He added that he had joined to make charity donations and socialise, and had not attended a lodge meeting for a year or 18 months. “I’m a very transparent person and it’s not in my nature to be secretive. If it was up to me, I’d be quite happy to let people know what goes on at meetings — there’s nothing dodgy,” he said. He added that Freemasons could be found across all parties and that if elected to the Senedd he would be happy to declare his membership if required.

The political source said the issue was one of openness and transparency rather than a debate on the merits of Freemasonry itself. “If he is serving constituents, some may be comfortable with his freemasonry, others may not be. So it is important that he is open, transparent and straightforward by telling them what oaths he has sworn to certain clubs and societies,” the source said.

The disclosure comes at a turbulent time for Reform UK in Wales with the Senedd election weeks away. Former Senedd MS Caroline Jones resigned from the party last week, citing candidate parachuting and a “wall of silence” in response to formal complaints.

Three of Reform’s six candidates for the Bridgend and Vale of Glamorgan constituency quit in the space of days — including its top two — while a Swansea candidate resigned in a furious “betrayal” rant, saying the party had “sunk deep into the sewer.”

The Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd constituency, which takes in parts of the Brecon Beacons, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, is one of the more keenly contested regional seats in next month’s Senedd election. With McIntosh second on the list, the question of what he has or hasn’t declared to his current council — and what he would declare as a Senedd member — is now a live one ahead of polling day on 7 May.

McIntosh said he remained committed to transparency. “If I get elected to the Senedd and they want me to declare I am a Freemason, I’ll be happy to do so,” he said.

#BrycheiniogTaweNedd #Freemasons #IainMcIntosh #PowysCountyCouncil #ReformUK #SeneddElection #SeneddElection2026 #SeneddElections2026