WALES' first Reform Senedd member has come under fire for allegedly spreading "social media misinformation" that rival politicians endorse "children self-identifying as cats".

South Wales East member Laura Anne Jones, who lives in Monmouth and switched to Nigel Farage's party from the Conservatives last summer, made the claim in the Welsh Parliament, according to BBC Wales News, before posting the speech on Facebook and attracting more than 32,000 views.

Responding in the Senedd, Jane Hutt, minister for government business, made no direct reference to the claim about cats, apart from saying Education Secretary Lynne Neagle had said it was "really important that schools are inclusive".

But the Welsh Labour Government said in a statement later about the Reform politician's claim: "We categorically deny this.

"This is an irresponsible claim based on social media misinformation."

West Monmouth School in Pontypool, which is in the area represented by Ms Jones, was forced to deny online rumours in 2023 that it was providing litter trays for pupils who identified as cats.

It told parents in a letter it did not make "any provision for any pupils who might identify as an animal of any kind".

But the Senedd member raised the rumour again while discussing the Welsh education's system's approach to how gender is discussed in classrooms.

"Welsh Labour, cheered on by Plaid, have even entertained the idea - an utter madness - of children self-identifying as cats, treating it as completely normal," she claimed in the Senedd.

In a statement, she later told BBC Wales "she had a "strong track record of defending women and children against gender ideology in schools".

"This issue was raised with me by parents, and I know many parents would welcome a decisive statement from the Labour Party and Plaid Cymru ruling it out entirely for the future," she said.

Asked to provide examples of where Labour and Plaid had endorsed children self-identifying as cats, her office did not provide any.

Plaid Cymru declined to comment on her claims.