Anti-corruption organisation calls for independent probe into Blythyn sacking
Emily Price
A leading anti-corruption organisation has called for an independent probe into the sacking of junior minister Hannah Blythyn.
Transparency International UK is a global movement working to expose serious governance issues in both the UK and devolved governments through impartial, evidence-based research.
The organisation says an investigation should be launched immediately to establish the facts surrounding the ongoing confusion relating to the dismissal of the former social partnership minister.
Ms Blythyn was removed from Vaughan Gething’s cabinet in May after she was accused of being the source of a leaked iMessage screen grab published by Nation.Cymru.
The image revealed the First Minister had told a pandemic era ministerial group chat that he was deleting messages because they could be subject to Freedom of Information legislation.
Ms Blythyn denied the being the source of the leak saying her integrity remains in tact.
She returned to the Senedd on Tuesday (July 9) after several weeks spent on sick leave having been signed with acute anxiety and stress.
The Delyn MS was seen on Senedd TV cameras sharking her head and mouthing “no” whilst the First Minister told politicians in the Chamber that the screen grab could be traced to her phone.
On Thursday (July 11) Nation.Cymru took the extraordinary step of confirming Ms Blythyn was not the source of leaked messages.
The First Minister says he has “never tried to claim” she was the direct source.
It came following months of controversies surrounding the First Minister’s Labour leadership bid.
Reservations
Transparency International UK has previously expressed reservations about potential conflicts of interest around a £200,000 donation Mr Gething received in support of his campaign to lead Welsh Labour.
The huge sum had been donated by a convicted polluter who dumped toxic sludge on a sensitive wetlands site in the Gwent Levels some ministers had been fighting to protect.
The series of scandals which have overshadowed the First Minister’s tumultuous tenure led to a vote of no confidence in his leadership and the collapse of the co-operation deal between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru.
Because the non binding confidence vote was tabled in opposition time, the First Minister has been able to continue on in office.
Transparency International UK’s Nations and Regions Programme Manager, Juliet Swann says fallout from the covid message leak has “undermined trust” in the Welsh Government.
She said: “The confusion in Wales demonstrates the weakness of the current iterations of Ministerial Codes of Conduct across the UK. To be truly effective such codes need to be coupled with independent powers to investigate breaches and enforce sanctions. This is as necessary in the devolved institutions as it is at Westminster.
“As the fallout from the iMessage leak continues to undermine trust in the Welsh Government, significant concerns remain as to whether the First Minister’s behaviour conforms to the Ministerial Code of Conduct.
“To ensure a robust assessment of whether ministerial standards of integrity are being followed, Vaughan Gething should appoint an independent advisor to provide much-needed clarity over whether rules have been broken.
“To take this step would follow the precedent of Carwyn Jones being investigated by James Hamilton, an independent adviser to the Scottish Ministerial Code.”
Probe
An independent inquiry was launched into the former First Minister in 2017 after bullying allegations against the Welsh Government emerged in the wake of the death of former minister Carl Sargeant.
Juliet Swann added: “The ongoing tumult caused by these issues is bringing Welsh politics into disrepute and undermining public trust in the Senedd and the Welsh government. A self-referral from Mr Gething can address these issues and help restore that trust.”
Mr Gething is expected to face further questions on the sacking of his junior minister in the Senedd this week as the Welsh Tories prepare to use a mechanism that could compel him to reveal the evidence he used when making his decision.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “An unredacted version of the screenshot sent to the Welsh Government by a journalist identified the owner of the phone the screenshot originated from.
“The First Minister has made it repeatedly clear that he is not prepared to release the unredacted version unless all individuals identifiable through the exchanges agree to its release.”
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Well done, keep at it.
I supose the question is. which is greater: Gething’s arogance and sense of entitlement, or NC’s ability to find new ways to keep up the pressure.
Nice to see Golwg360 getting with the programme btw.
How many more have to complain before he resigns. He’s still arrogant but for me it’s the way he’s treating the electorate it’s as if we are dirt beneath his feet. The more his cabinet back him the more they will suffer because they are just looking after themselves.
Gething must get going.
When someone accepts a position like First Minister they also have to accept that they are going to be under a public microscope. Having the right acumen is part of the job and I feel that this is what is lacking in our present FM. Everyone can make mistakes and that is human. Blundering from one mis-judged episode to another is starting to look Like incompetence and is not doing the reputation of the party who are advising him any favours at all. Regarding the deleted message fiasco, if ‘leaking’ that message suggests that anyone has done something wrong and… Read more »
If Mr Gething is saying I never tried to say she was the direct sorce, then why did he sack her? Sounds like judge jury and executioner. And he seems to acknowledges he knew about his financial backers record by saying ‘ I have done nothing illegal ‘ when accepting this huge donation. When are the financial accounts of what he spent it on to be made public that should be interesting reading.
Don’t you think that If his financial accounts for his spending are made public then it’s only fair that his opponent’s are too. ?
Yes
Vaughan Gething is treating the Welsh electorate and the Senedd with contempt with his actions. He knows deep down he is on borrowed time, but refuses to act in the best interests
of the democratic process. All the smoke and mirrors cannot protect him for much longer.
Why is it OK for Gething landfill to lie to the covid enquiry?
But sackable if your phone has been used for a leak.
The crunch issue for me on this matter is Nation.Cymru’s decision to come out and unequivocally state that Ms Blythyn wasn’t in any way their source. No journalistic organization lightly abandons the usual customary reticence about offering any comment or discussion whatever about their sources.
As I see it, the ball is now in the Welsh government’s court to offer evidence to substantiate the allegation which Mr Gething has made. A failure to do so will leave the interested public to draw their own – almost certainly negative – conclusions.