For 25 years, Welsh Labour has ruled Cardiff Bay with an iron fist. But these days, the party’s grip over the Senedd is looking distinctly shaky, following the decision of Plaid Cymru on Friday to pull out of their power-sharing arrangement. Vaughan Gething is now on the ropes, ahead of a likely looming confidence vote, with some predicting he will soon break Alun Michael’s record of being the shortest serving First Minister in Welsh history.
But while Cardiff Bay is gripped by Gething’s woes, thus far remarkably little has been made of his various scandals in Westminster. Wes Streeting was out doing the media round this morning for Labour and yet was not asked by either Sky or the BBC about his sister party’s woes in the Senedd. Thus far, the Starmer army has been successfully able to make out that the little local difficulties in Wales have nothing to do with the UK-wide party in Westminster. Yet all that could now be about to change…
Gething’s troubles started after his leadership campaign received a whopping £200,000 from a business whose owner, David Neal, had twice been convicted of environmental fraud. Senior Labour figures – including Gething’s own cabinet appointee Mick Antoniw – have warned the party against taking any of the cash from Dauson Environmental Group. Yet Gething accepted the sums, which comprised 80 per cent of his total donations of £251,600.
Of that figure, £31,000 went unspent. This remaining figure is now due to be donated to UK Labour, in line with Electoral Commission rules. Given how much Labour has talked about clamping down on eco-polluters and dodgy donors, Mr S wondered whether the squeaky-clean Starmer army are happy to accept these controversial donations. Steerpike got in touch with the Labour press office but, alas, answer came there none…
Never mind: perhaps one of Labour’s Keirleaders can be asked next time they’re on the morning round whether they’ll be taking the cash or not.
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