Tories quit Senedd Covid committee

Emily Price 

A co-chair of the Senedd’s Covid committee and his Tory colleague have quit their roles after accusing the Welsh Government of blocking bereaved families from getting the answers they deserve.

Tom Giffard and Sam Rowlands made the announcement in the Senedd on Wednesday (March 26) following an opposition debate led by the Welsh Conservatives.

Mr Giffard has co-chaired the Covid-19 Special Purposes Committee alongside Labour’s Joyce Watson since May 2023.

Plaid Cymru MS Mabon ap Gwynfor, Labour MSs Buffy Williams and Rhianon Passmore, and Tory MS Sam Rowlands are also members.

Wales had the highest Covid death rate in the UK during the pandemic.

The Welsh Conservatives, Plaid Cymru and families who lost loved ones say the country needs to have its own forensic and targeted investigation into decision-making by Welsh ministers.

But as a compromise, the cross-party special purposes committee was tasked with identifying any gaps in the UK Covid Inquiry.

Oath

Welsh ministers and officials are still in the process of providing evidence to the UK probe and were required to do so under oath.

But there is currently no requirement for a similar oath to be sworn by witnesses giving evidence to the Senedd’s Covid committee.

Last week, the committee was blocked by the Welsh Government’s business manager from introducing such a requirement.

The Welsh Government says the request for an oath of truth to be sworn by witnesses was rejected because the committee’s investigation is not a full scale judicial inquiry.

In Wales, oaths have never been sworn by witnesses giving evidence to any Senedd committee.

Affirmation

This afternoon, the Welsh Conservatives led a motion calling on the Welsh Government to provide the Covid committee with a discretionary power enabling it to require witnesses to take an oath or make an affirmation when giving evidence.

The Tories say this will help reinforce the public’s trust in the process.

During the debate, Mr Giffard said he would quit his co-chairmanship if the motion wasn’t voted through.

The role earns him an extra £14,636 on top of his Senedd Member salary.

Speaking in the Chamber, he said: “We entered into this committee in good faith, hoping that the Welsh Labour Government would be a good faith partner – engaging in getting to the bottom of those truths too.

“Unfortunately, it has been my repeated experience, having co-chaired this committee for some time now, that the Welsh Labour Government is not a good faith partner.

“Almost every suggestion of greater scrutiny of those decisions is met with fierce resistance by either the Welsh Government – or often, the Labour members that sit on it.

“Covid Bereaved Families feared that this committee would become a whitewash; of politicians marking their own homework.”

Truth

He added: “I initially resisted that suggestion, defending the committee as best I could. I’m afraid that I am no longer able to do that.

“I do not have confidence that this committee will be able to get the answers that families who have lost loved ones deserve.

“That’s why if this vote is defeated today, I will resign my co-chairmanship of this committee, and the Welsh Conservatives will no longer take any place on it.

“I will not allow my name and my reputation to be tarnished by the perception that this is a committee more interested in protecting the reputation of the Government than getting to the bottom of the truths behind the decisions it made.

“I am unwilling to associate myself with a committee seemingly designed to protect the very people it should be holding to account.”

Whilst announcing his intention to step down, Mr Giffard was heckled by Mark Drakeford – Wales’ First Minister throughout the pandemic.

Defeated

During the debate, Minister for Social Justice Jane Hutt said the committee’s calls for an oath had damaged “the spirit of partnership” because it implies that committee members do not believe Welsh ministers will tell the truth.

She said an affirmation requirement would “hinder the free flow” of witnesses coming forward with evidence.

Despite support from Plaid Cymru, the Tory motion was voted down by Welsh Labour – 23 votes in favour and 24 against.

Shortly after the debate, Mr Giffard announced his resignation.

He said: “It is with a heavy heart that I have resigned as Co-chair of the Senedd’s Wales-Covid 19 Inquiry Special Purpose Committee, and that the Welsh Conservatives will no longer engage with the Committee.

“The Covid-19 pandemic devastated lives, and its consequences are still being felt. Families who lost loved ones deserve honest answers, yet Labour’s decision to block oaths being taken undermines any chance of getting to the truth.

“We entered into this committee in good faith, hoping that the Welsh Labour Government would be a good faith partner.

“Unfortunately, almost every suggestion of greater scrutiny of those decisions is met with fierce resistance by either the Welsh Labour Government – or often, the Labour members that sit on it.

“Without the safeguard of requiring witnesses to speak under oath, this Committee has become a pointless talking shop. I refuse to be part of a process that fails to give the public the answers they deserve.

“The Welsh Conservatives have now withdrawn from the Committee and will continue to call for a full Wales-wide inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic.”

‘Farce’

Later on social media, Mr Giffard’s colleague Sam Rowlands also announced he will quit his role on the Senedd’s Covid committee.

Following the debate, Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru issued a statement describing the vote as “a farce”.

The group said: “This isn’t just another Senedd committee it is one that has been set up because thousands of lives were lost due to Welsh Government decisions. Established so that this never happens again.

“Yet today, Welsh Labour used their whip to block this same basic requirement. The message is clear: they do not want their actions during the pandemic scrutinised at any level.

“The UK Covid Inquiry isn’t able to fully scrutinise Wales which is why the Welsh Government committed to find the gaps. And gaps that Hutt is looking forward to debating next week. Yet she also states that the UK Inquiry is the only way to get answers.

“So many contradictions. And how dare she say her government have a proud history of transparency

“This vote is the final nail in its coffin and we thank Tom Gifford for his tenacity in trying to make this work but sticking to his principles and leaving. The Senedd Covid Committee has now been stripped of any purpose.

“Let’s not forget—Welsh Labour has repeatedly said that if the UK Covid Inquiry does not fully scrutinise Wales, they will hold a Wales Covid Inquiry. Well, the Committee has already identified major gaps in Module 1. Wait until we get to later modules where only one Welsh witness was called & no questions asked.

“We repeat our call for a Wales Covid Inquiry—an independent, judge-led process where the painful deaths of our loved ones are finally heard. We will work with the Welsh Government to ensure that it is focussed on the issues that really matter, namely why so many lives were lost.

“We don’t want hollow condolences. The voices of our lost loved ones must be heard, and their deaths must be properly examined.

“Enough is enough. Justice for Wales. Accountability for Wales. The fight is not over”.