Pressure piles on Wales’ FM as Plaid ends deal

Plaid Cymru has ended its co-operation deal with Labour in Wales immediately, piling more pressure on First Minister Vaughan Gething.

Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said he was proud of what the agreement had achieved, but had “deep concern” about matters, including the circumstances surrounding the first minister’s £200,000 leadership campaign donation.

It will make life more difficult for Mr Gething, as Labour will have to rely on other parties in the Senedd to push through legislation.

It comes after a turbulent week in the Senedd when Mr Gething sacked one of his ministers, and he said he was “disappointed Plaid Cymru has decided to walk away from their opportunity to deliver for the people of Wales”.

Labour Members of the Senedd (MSs) will meet at 17:00 BST to discuss Plaid pulling out of the deal.

The three-year deal between the two parties was agreed in December 2021 under Mr Gething’s predecessor Mark Drakeford, after the Senedd election where Labour secured 30 seats – one short of an outright majority.

Labour minister Jeremy Miles said at the time the result allowed the Welsh government to work with parties on a “case-by-case basis”, and Mr Drakeford said Labour had governed successfully on 30 seats before.

But with Labour requiring votes from opposition parties before it could pass any laws or get spending plans through the Senedd, it later entered the agreement with Plaid.

It was not a formal coalition, but meant Labour and Plaid worked together on 46 policy areas.

Crucially, the deal meant that Plaid supported Welsh Labour ministers in getting their budget through the Senedd – essential for the functioning of any government.

Mr Gething has come under scrutiny since it emerged during his campaign to be elected first minister that he received a £200,000 donation from a company owned by a man previously convicted of environmental offences.

He narrowly beat Jeremy Miles – now his economy minister – to the Welsh Labour leadership on 16 March, and formally became first minister on 20 March.

On Thursday, he sacked his minister for social partnership, Hannah Blythyn, alleging that she leaked text messages to the media.

It followed a story, originally published by Nation.Cymru, which revealed Mr Gething told ministers he was deleting messages from a pandemic-era group chat.

Mr Gething has since announced that Ms Blythyn will be replaced by Bridgend MS Sarah Murphy.

Conservatives have suggested they would look to table a no-confidence motion in the Senedd, to try to force his resignation.

Mr ap Iorwerth said he was “proud” of the co-operation agreement’s achievements in policy areas such as free school meals, free childcare, housing, energy and the Welsh language.

“At the same time, since becoming leader, I’ve been determined to hold the Labour Welsh government firmly to account,” he said.

“I remain deeply concerned that the first minister has failed to pay back the £200,000 donation to his leadership campaign from a company convicted of environmental offences, and believe it demonstrates a significant lack of judgement.

“Money left over has now been passed on to Keir Starmer’s Labour Party.

“I am worried by the circumstances around the decision to sack a member of the government this week relating to matters that should be in the public domain already.”

He said Plaid would continue its “commitment to scrutinising Labour’s record”.

In response, Mr Gething described the co-operation agreement as “mature politics”.

“While it was always a time limited agreement, we are disappointed Plaid Cymru has decided to walk away from their opportunity to deliver for the people of Wales,” he said.

He added the Welsh government would look at how it could still progress commitments attached to the agreement, including on Welsh language education and fair housing.

This is unhelpful for a government that, since Vaughan Gething became first minister in March, has been under fire week after week.

The agreement was likely to end soon anyway – Plaid had strongly suggested it would end by the summer at its spring conference.

But the timing is crucial. Ending it at this moment is more politically damaging to the first minister as he faces the potential of a vote of no confidence in the Senedd.

It frees up Rhun ap Iorwerth to go on the attack, without having to worry about complicated relations with the governing party.

It also means that Labour will perhaps need to find another way to get it next budget through the Senedd – maybe through Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds.