Andrew RT Davies accused of misleading constituents with ‘deceitful’ newsletter

Emily Price

Former Tory Senedd group leader Andrew RT Davies has been accused of misleading his constituents with a “deceitful” party propaganda newsletter.

The screen grabbed pages of the spoof publication were posted to X by the South Wales Central MS on Monday (December 16).

Mr Davies said he wanted to do something different with his Christmas newsletter this year after an eventful few weeks which saw him ousted by members of his own group.

Several shadow cabinet members threatened to resign from their roles after concerns were raised about the direction their leader was taking the party. Mr Davies stepped down despite narrowly winning a confidence vote.

Musli

He told the press that some of his MSs wanted croissants and musli – whilst he was offering a full Welsh breakfast with extra black pudding.

The former leader’s new newsletter, titled “South Wales Living”, is presented much like a legitimate magazine and includes a “no-holds barred” feature length interview by a “political reporter” who allegedly sat down with Mr Davies in the Senedd’s cafe.

The small print on the back of the magazine reveals that the publication was the work of the MS’s aide, Vale of Glamorgan Councillor George Carroll.

Doing something different for my Christmas newsletter this year.

It’s been a very eventful few weeks, so the only way I could cover everything was with a feature length piece … (1) 🧵 pic.twitter.com/USGtHARewk

— Andrew RT Davies (@AndrewRTDavies) December 16, 2024

A Welsh Conservative insider branded the newsletter an “outright lie”.

Speaking to Nation.Cymru, they said: “This is utterly bizarre, especially when you consider this is a Tory leaflet and the agent is George Carroll.

“It’s also very deceitful – a shameless attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of constituents.

“Andrew and George would have designed and printed it themselves. Pretending it’s an independent magazine when in actual fact it’s a Tory leaflet written by a staff member is just odd.

“George has never been a political reporter. This spoof magazine they are trying to present is an outright lie.”

‘Unhinged’

Another Welsh Conservative insider branded the content of the newsletter as “unhinged”.

The magazine includes sections on subjects usually amplified by the former Welsh Conservative group leader on his social media channels.

The opening page explains that the farmer come politician is different to other MSs because he doesn’t meet with charities or lobby groups in the Senedd’s cafe.

Instead, Mr Davies favours an ice cream parlour on Mermaid Quay, foregoing coffee for a “rum and raisin cone” even in December because he is made of “stern stuff”.

Offering advice to fellow politicians Mr Davies tells the reporter that MSs should “stop talking to lobbyists and the third sector”.

In a section about the details of his downfall, Mr Davies says he was cornered by seven MSs who threatened to resign unless he agreed to step down as leader – making his position untenable.

‘Honest’

He tells the magazine that the public is “rightly fed up” and would prefer politicians who are “honest, challenge bad policy and speak out.”

In a section about X owner Elon Musk and President Trump, Mr Davies says he believes the public is “waking up to how government works”.

He said: “There’s a backlash coming. Politicians need to get out on the front foot. Accept the system is broken beyond repair. Don’t bother trying to fix it, replace it. As leader, that’s what I was trying to do.

“After 25 years of devolution, it’s clear public satisfaction with the Senedd is at an all time low. The poor performance of public services in Wales, happening at the same
time resources are spent on the ‘ideologically motivated’ policies.”

The publication also touches on comments Mr Davies made to the English tabloids about a Welsh Government report which allegedly suggested dog-free zones could tackle racism.

The ethnic minority group at the heart of the viral news story said the Tory politician had “cherrypicked” lines from the report “out of context, misrepresented and used as clickbait to drive engagement.”

‘Divisive’

In the imitation magazine, Mr Davies said: “If it wasn’t for the fact it got so much
media coverage, you’d think I was making it up.

“But it was all done as part of Labour’s so-called Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan. To me, it’s divisive, ideological nonsense. How on earth can the countryside be racist? The entire thing should be scrapped.”

The publication also includes a section criticising Wales’ controversial 20mph default speed limit.

Mr Davies was recently judged to have brought the Welsh Parliament into disrepute for misleading comments he made about the 20mph policy on social media.

In the newsletter, he criticised the former transport minister Lee Waters, referring to him as “churn” because he previously served as director of the cycling charity Sustrans.

He said: “People go from one lobbying or third sector organisation to another. Then they become special advisers, Senedd members or ministers. And then they go back again. It’s a conveyor belt.”

‘Sneering’

Mr Waters suffered a barrage of online abuse as a result of his policy which was rolled out on Welsh roads last year.

Commenting on Mr Davies’ newsletter he said: “This is more of the sneering, personalised, culture-war politics that we’ve come to expect from the Welsh Tories.

“You’d have thought the fact that 90% of people under 65 didn’t vote for them in this year’s elections would give them pause for thought, it seems not.”

A Welsh Conservative spokesperson said the publication of the spoof magazine had nothing to do with the Tory Senedd group office.

Andrew RT Davies was contacted for comment but did not respond.