Andrew RT Davies wins confidence motion
Emily Price
The leader of the Senedd Conservatives Andrew RT Davies has won a motion of confidence after members of his group staged a rebellion to topple him.
A sizeable minority of seven Conservative MSs attended a meeting with Mr Davies last week where they raised concerns about his leadership and called for him to resign.
A well placed source told us that a series of controversial “gaffes” by the most senior Tory in Wales had caused some to become “nervous” about the direction he was taking the party.
Resignations
Mr Davies responded to the rebellion by calling for a vote of confidence on Tuesday morning (December 3).
It’s understood that 9 MSs voted in favour of him whilst 7 voted against.
The result includes Mr Davies’ vote for himself.
The vote was not a secret ballot despite reports that it would be. It is understood that Mr Davies “pushed through” a motion to record the vote as a show of hands instead.
The motion was seconded by Laura Anne Jones.
Tory Sources told Nation Cymru that some MSs planned to resign from the Senedd’s shadow cabinet if Mr Davies was able to survive today’s vote.
Some MSs are currently discussing whether they will hand in their letters of resignation.
Lambasted
Pressure has been mounting on the Tory leader since the summer when a number of senior Tory figures and members of his own shadow cabinet publicly lambasted his behaviour.
In August, he was accused of Islamophic race-baiting by the Muslim Council of Wales after he posted a number of incorrect claims about Halal meat in Welsh schools to his social media.
One post published to X, formerly Twitter, went viral after it was amplified by anti-Muslim activist Tommy Robinson.
The rift in the Senedd’s shadow cabinet appeared to deepen further following another social media stunt at the Vale of Glamorgan show.
Mr Davies and his team had constructed a home made ballot box to canvass the public on whether they thought the Welsh Parliament should be abolished.
Supporters and associates of the politician then began to secretly manoeuvre to change the party’s policy so it would support the abolition of the Senedd.
Davies was later pressured by some Tory MSs to make an official statement rejecting calls for the party’s stance on devolution to change.
The rumblings of a coup appeared to lose pace after the group returned to the Senedd in the autumn for a new term.
But tension began to mount again after Mr Davies made comments to the tabloids about a Welsh Government report which allegedly suggested dog-free zones could tackle racism.
He was also formally censured by the Senedd for misleading posts he published online about Wales’ 20mph default speed limit.
Incumbency rights
MSs became even more uneasy after Mr Davies’ chief aide George Carroll stood to be the next Welsh Conservative chairman.
During his campaign he promised grassroots members a ballot on whether abolishing the Senedd should become party policy.
He also planned to change the rules around incumbency rights for sitting MSs ahead of the 2026 Senedd election.
Such a move could have seen some current members deselected.
Davies threw his support behind his senior advisor while the rest of the Tory Senedd group backed the winning candidate.
He was elected the Leader of the Welsh Conservative Senedd group in 2011 but resigned from the position in 2018 when others in the party called for his removal.
Davies was re-appointed the role in January 2021 but took a short leave of absence after suffering with mental health issues.
More to follow…
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Take RT’s vote for himself out of it and it’s 8v7 in his favour, on those maths it’s hard to see how he can realistically continue in post. If almost half your own MSs don’t want you, you’re done. If they stay as they are they’re going to crash to 4th place in 2026, his antics have done nothing to nudge the needle of public opinion further in their favour; quite the opposite, in fact. Ditch the farming Trump tribute act and put someone more grounded and sensible in charge like Sam Kurtz or James Evans. Welsh politics would benefit… Read more »
I thought Welsh Nation reported last month that there were rumors that James Evans might defect from the Tory party.
Think you mean. Defecate?
This has been an interesting exercise. We now know that more than half of the Senedd Tory group are more Reformy than Tory.
Here we go, polishing his tub for a good thumping.
Can he out farage farage now, the whole Welsh Tory party is now pinned to his coat tails no matter what happens now. Every single one.
Gonna run out of popcorn.
Well well, that’s great news for Reform. 2025 will be interesting…especially in Wales
This reminds me of that 1986 melancholy song sang by EastEnders actor Nick Berry. “Every loser wins”. Never has a song been so apt. Let this now be the national anthem of the Welsh Conservative party.