Nigel Farage criticised for calling Welsh people 'foreign speakers'

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been criticised by rival parties for describing Welsh people as "foreign speakers" in a paid-for video message.

Farage was reportedly asked to follow a script which requested he refer to Welsh people attending a wedding as "foreigners".

Welsh Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Liberal Democrats all criticised Farage's video, which was supplied via the Cameo video platform through which celebrities record messages for a fee.

A spokesperson for Farage said the videos "should not be treated as political statements or campaign activity".

The video was found by the Guardian, with seven weeks to go before Wales' Senedd election in which Reform is vying to lead the next Welsh government.

Users of Cameo write a short prompt for their chosen celebrity, and pay a fee for a clip that usually lasts less than a minute.

According to the Guardian a Cameo user asked Farage to record a wedding message for "Toby and Sam" in July 2025, and to follow a script that said: "I really wanted to come, but when I heard that half the guests were Welsh, I thought: 'That's far too many foreigners for me'."

In the clip Farage recorded, the Reform leader said: "Gutted I couldn't attend the wedding. I wanted to come, but I heard that half the guests were Welsh and, I don't know. Who knows what would have happened with all those foreign speakers there. I don't know."

Rival political parties criticised the video when it emerged on Thursday.

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said: "Here we have it clear as day - Farage's disdain for the people of Wales and the Welsh language."

In a post on X, Plaid Cymru said Reform "was not fit to be anywhere near power in Wales".

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds described Farage's comment as "disgraceful", saying it showed a "sneering ignorance".

James Evans, a Reform Member of the Senedd (MS), told BBC Wales that while it was for Farage to answer for his own words, the Welsh language was "very important" to the party.

He added: "But Wales, let me be very clear, is a bilingual nation. We speak English and Welsh, and whatever language you speak, you should feel welcome in our country."

A spokesperson for Farage said: "A Cameo is a short personalised message requested by members of the public and should not be treated as political statements or campaign activity."

Recent polling suggests that Plaid Cymru and Reform are vying for top spot in May's Senedd election as Labour fights to hold on to power in Cardiff Bay.