The leader of Reform UK in Wales has announced he is standing down following his arrest on suspicion of assault.
Over the weekend, Dan Thomas was arrested on suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviour. He was released without charge.
In a statement, Thomas said he was resigning from his position as leader of Reform in Wales but would continue as a member of the Senedd.
READ NEXT: Reform accused of ‘sickening new low’ with small boats mobile game
He said: “It has been the honour of my life to have been the leader of Reform Wales and see this party go from zero to 34 elected members and become the largest opposition group in Welsh history.
“With deep regret, I am now standing down from this position due to personal reasons.
“Over the weekend, I was reported to the police and was released without charge.
“I stress that I have done nothing wrong, but I do not want the coming headlines to be a distraction from the fantastic work our Senedd team is doing in holding this government to account.
“I will continue to serve my constituents in Casnewydd Islwyn and will fully back whoever the group selects as its next leader.”
In a statement, Gwent Police said: “On Sunday 13 September a 45-year-old man, from the Aberbargoed area, was arrested on suspicion of assault and engaging in controlling/coercive behaviour.
“He has been bailed pending further enquiries.”
Thomas became the leader of Reform UK Wales in February this year. In May, he was one of 33 Reform members elected to the Senedd in the Welsh elections.
With Reform being the second biggest party in the Senedd, Thomas became leader of the opposition.
Thomas’s resignation came at almost exactly the same time as Reform Senedd member Sarah Cooper-Lesadd announced she was defecting to Plaid Cymru.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, Cooper-Lesadd said Reform are “not serious about governing Wales.”
“They are far more interested in division, opposition and headlines than in finding solutions,” she added.
It seems bad news comes in threes for Reform as well, with Sky News reporting on Tuesday that three councillors had resigned from the party on Reform-run Durham County Council.