[3] In April 2021, Bennett decided to stand as an independent candidate in the Senedd election of that year, unsuccessfully contesting the Cynon Valley constituency.

[7] This led to senior UKIP figures including leader Nigel Farage and immigration spokesman Steven Woolfe publicly distancing themselves from Bennett.

After Hamilton became leader of the group, Bennett was appointed as UKIP Assembly spokesman for Local Government, Housing and Sport.

In January 2018, Bennett made a partial apology in which he stated that he would accept the authority of the Presiding Officer, and he was allowed to resume his speaking duties without withdrawing his previous remarks.

[18] In August 2018, Bennett was criticised by First Minister Carwyn Jones and other Assembly members for supporting Boris Johnson's remarks about the Muslim veil.

[19] In April 2019, Bennett was again suspended for 7 days, after he published a video on YouTube in which he had edited the face of Labour MS Joyce Watson onto an image of a barmaid.

"[20][21] On 3 June 2019, Bennett announced that he would be running in the 2019 UK Independence Party leadership election[22] after Gerard Batten stood down as leader.

[24] Bennett published his 2019 UKIP Leadership Election Manifesto on his website, which includes policies such as 'National ID Cards' ,'UKIP Party Democracy', 'National Volunteer Force', 'Regular Referenda', 'Freedom of Speech', 'Regulating Mosques', 'Scrap Foreign Aid' and 'Abolishing Politicians'.

Ahead of the 2021 Senedd election, Bennett announced that he would stand as an independent candidate in Cynon Valley, rather than for Abolish the Welsh Assembly.