Since my last column, Wales has had a new First Minister - Vaughan Gething, and his election by the Welsh Labour Party has already brought so much controversy to the Senedd, with the taking of a £200,000 donation from a company run by a man who has twice been convicted for environmental offences.
With this generous donation from Dauson Environmental Group Ltd- a company which has previously received a £400,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales and has been convicted of illegally dumping waste on the Gwent Levels – it is not surprising that there has been so much cross-party anger from Senedd Members.
This anger has been further inflamed by the First Minister hiding from accountability- not turning up to Welsh Conservative and Plaid Cymru debates on campaign donations and the ministerial code- something that is not only within the First Minister’s designated portfolio but is something that offered the perfect opportunity for him to set the record straight – ultimately, the question needs to be asked whether or not Mr Gething is the right person to lead Wales?
I fully agree with my Welsh Conservative Group Leader and fellow Regional Senedd Member, Andrew RT Davies, on this. Whether or not the First Minister’s campaign donations are correctly identified and declared, and there is no rule-breaking, the optics and public perception of this substantial amount of money in a campaign for our next First Minister causes public disquiet and distracts from the issues that affect our constituents.
We enter dangerous territory when vast sums of money are donated, with cause for concern about the power of securing influence. Even if no rule-breaking has occurred, this does not stop the accusations and serious questions that will no doubt arise.
As the Welsh Conservatives have called for, we need an independent review into campaign donations and as I have previously called for, we need a register of lobbyists to provide the accountability and transparency that is currently missing in Welsh politics. I will continue to call for this in the Senedd Chamber and stand up against Ministers who refuse to be accountable for their actions.
ENDS
