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A senior Welsh Conservative Senedd Member has been kicked off his party’s front bench and had the whip removed amid speculation linking him with a switch to Reform UK.

Brecon and Radnorshire MS James Evans was serving as the shadow secretary for health and social care before his dismissal on Tuesday January 20.

Appearing on BBC Wales’s Sunday Politics programme over the weekend, Mr Evans did not dismiss rumours linking him with Reform, having recently said the Conservative Party needed to change.

It comes following the defection of high-ranking Tory MP Robert Jenrick – once seen as a potential Conservative leader – to Nigel Farage’s party.

Mr Jenrick had the party whip removed by UK Tory leader Kemi Badenoch last week after she claimed she had evidence he was planning to join Reform.

Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar said: “This morning, I took the decision to remove James Evans from the Welsh Conservative shadow cabinet and withdraw the Conservative whip.

“I did so after being informed by James that he was continuing to engage with Reform representatives about the possibility of defecting to the party, in spite of his personal assurances on Friday that he had rejected an approach they initiated last week.”

Mr Millar continued: “Understandably, I expect all Welsh Conservative MSs and candidates to be 100% committed to our party and our plan to fix Wales. Regrettably, James was unable to give me that commitment.”

If Mr Evans does join Reform, he would become the party’s second representative in Cardiff Bay, following in the footsteps of South Wales East MS Laura Anne Jones, who defected from the Tories last summer.

Mr Evans’s removal from the party leaves the Welsh Conservatives – the current main opposition party – with just 13 seats in Cardiff Bay, the same as Plaid Cymru.

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said: “Just this weekend, James Evans was talking about ‘his friend’ Robert Jenrick and now it looks like he’s jumping ship too. Wales is proud of its recycling record, but Reform really are proving themselves to be the biggest recycler of Tories.

“With no Welsh leader, and no Welsh policies, the people of Wales need to ask themselves, is Reform worth the risk?”