James Evans, MS for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, has said he plans stand down at the next election, as he looks to start family.

Mr Evans, who was elected to the Senedd in 2021 as a Conservative before being sacked by the party earlier this year amid speculation he was considering a move to Reform UK, later defected and successfully stood for Reform in May’s elections.

In a recent interview with BBC Radio Wales, he spoke about ongoing political security concerns.

He said that politicians are “seen as a bit of public commodity that can be attacked”, which “spills into our family life, and I don't want to be bringing up children in that environment."

In a post on Facebook yesterday, Mr Evans called his public service an “enormous privilege”, and that he doesn’t take for granted the trust people placed in him.

“I have also always believed that politics should be part of your life, not necessarily your whole life,” he said.

“My wife Emma and I hope that, in the years ahead, we will be lucky enough to start a family of our own, and naturally that makes you think differently about the future and about the balance between public life and family life.

“Politics can place pressures on those closest to you, and I have always felt that family should come first. As I look ahead, I want to make sure that any children we may be fortunate enough to have can grow up with as normal and private a family life as possible.

“So, as things stand today, it is not my current intention to seek another term in the Senedd after this one.

“There is still a long way to go, a huge amount I want to achieve and a great deal of work still to be done! My focus remains firmly on representing my constituents, and doing everything I can to continue giving Rural Wales that voice it very much needs in Cardiff Bay!”

The next Senedd election will be 2030.

In May, Mr Evans secured one of three Reform seats in Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, alongside Iain McIntosh and David Mills, with Plaid Cymru taking two seats through Sioned Williams and Rebeca Phillips, while Jane Dodds took the Welsh Liberal Democrats’ sole seat.