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Abolishing the Senedd ‘a distraction’ Welsh Tory leader says as he rules out referendum

29 Mar 2021 2 minute read
The Senedd. Picture by Senedd Cymru. Inset: Andrew RT Davies.

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives has said that any referendum to abolish the Welsh parliament would be “a distraction”.

Speaking at the party’s conference in Wales today, he said that it was “not the time for constitutional reform that will lead to chaos”. He also condemned any plan for an independence referendum.

His comments about an abolish referendum come after two of his fellow candidates on the South Wales Central regional list set out their preference for abolishing the Senedd.

Councillors Joel James and Calum Davies were selected in second and third place in South Wales Central and all set out their opposition to the Senedd in their candidate CV’s.

Chris Thorne, who said that he would “vote to abolish the institution,” was originally selected in fourth place on the list but has now been replaced by Adrian Robson, the Leader of the Cardiff council Conservative group.

Speaking today, Andrew RT Davies criticised the Welsh Government’s approach of “always doing things differently” under devolution but stopped short of calling for the transfer of powers back to Westminster.

“I don’t just believe in a joined-up approach across the UK for the sake of it, or from some abstract constitutional perspective,” he said.

“Don’t worry I’m not going to go on and on and on about the constitution like some others but I will just say this.

“Now is not the time for constitutional reform that will lead to chaos. “An independence or abolish referendum would be a distraction to the job in hand. “


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