EditorCARMARTHEN: Reform MS vows to visit shop that ‘excluded’ his wife to seek ‘respectful dialogue’
A Reform UK MS has vowed to personally visit a Carmarthen shop that allegedly excluded his wife during the Senedd election campaign — after claiming she was barred from the business, chased in the street and verbally abused because of her political beliefs.
Gareth Beer MS, who represents the Sir Gaerfyrddin constituency covering Carmarthenshire, published a lengthy statement on Facebook on Tuesday paying tribute to his wife, Cllr Michelle Beer — before detailing what he described as a series of deeply troubling incidents she had experienced in the run-up to the May 7 vote.
“She has been excluded from shops in Carmarthen, verbally abused in the street, chased, and called vile names, simply because she believes in standing up for her country and representing Reform UK,” Beer wrote.
He said she had also faced exclusion from “local organisations (publicly funded)” — though he gave no details of which organisations he was referring to.
Later in the same post, Beer appeared to refer to a single shop rather than multiple businesses. He said he intended to visit it personally — not to escalate matters, but to seek dialogue.
“I will personally visit the shop in Carmarthen where this occurred and introduce myself,” he wrote. “Not to escalate tensions, but to ensure that respectful dialogue replaces hostility. Politics should never descend into personal harassment.”
The shop has not been named.
Beer acknowledged the broader political charge his statement was likely to attract. “We are repeatedly told that Reform is ‘divisive,’” he wrote. “Yet it was she who faced hostility and exclusion. It was she who was treated unfairly because of her political beliefs. That contradiction speaks volumes.”
“In a democratic society, no one should face intimidation or discrimination because of the party they support, whether that is Reform, Labour, Plaid Cymru, the Conservatives, or any other political movement,” he added.
Gareth Beer knows Carmarthenshire politics intimately. At the 2024 general election he came within 1,504 votes of taking the Llanelli parliamentary seat for Reform — the party’s strongest performance anywhere in Wales at that contest.
On 7 May he went one better. Beer topped Reform’s Sir Gaerfyrddin list and was the second MS declared in the constituency — becoming the first Reform UK MS ever elected in west Wales. The party took three of the six seats, with Carmelo Colasanto and Sarah Edwards also elected.
Cllr Michelle Beer made her own political history in May 2025, winning Llanelli’s Lliedi ward to become the first ever Reform UK member on Carmarthenshire County Council. She also stood as the sixth candidate on Reform’s Sir Gaerfyrddin Senedd list on 7 May — just missing out on a seat as the party’s vote was sufficient to elect only three of its six candidates.
Her ward borders the former Stradey Park Hotel — the site that became a flashpoint for protests in 2023 after the Home Office announced plans to house asylum seekers there. Both she and Gareth Beer were active in the campaign against those plans.
The protests attracted far-right groups and figures from across the UK, including Tommy Robinson, before the Home Office dropped its plans in October 2023. Dyfed Powys Police spent more than £1 million policing the demonstrations — three times the initial estimate.
Gareth Beer’s Facebook post was shared and endorsed by Reform UK leader Dan Thomas MS and chief whip Llŷr Powell MS — signalling that the party regards the incident as a broader political issue, not just a personal grievance.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
Reform UK and Plaid Cymru take three seats each in Sir Gaerfyrddin as Welsh Labour wiped out
The May 7 result that saw Gareth Beer become the first Reform UK MS elected in west Wales.
Reform UK names full Carmarthenshire Senedd slate
Our coverage of Reform’s Sir Gaerfyrddin candidate list, including Michelle Beer as sixth on the list.
Stradey Park boss hits out at ‘nuisance’ far-right group in explosive video
The latest in our coverage of the ongoing Stradey Park Hotel saga in Llanelli.
