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Disgraced Delyn MP calls for vote on the future of devolution in Wales

02 Mar 2023 2 minute read
Rob Roberts MP. Photo by David Woolfall is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Disgraced Delyn MP Rob Roberts has called for the UK Government to bring forward a vote on the future of devolution in Wales.

He described Welsh devolution as a “failed 25 year-long experiment that has delivered absolutely nothing for the people of north Wales” during a debate on Welsh affairs in the House of Commons to mark St David’s Day.

Mr Roberts lost the Conservative party whip in 2021 after an independent panel found that he had acted inappropriately after he sought to engage in a relationship with a male member of his staff.

However, he refused to resign as an MP, sitting instead as an independent.

Attacking plans to increase the number of Senedd Members, Mr Roberts added: “Now they want to expand it even further at the cost of another £100 million.

“It’s my abiding wish, that I’m sure will never come to fruition, that the UK Government looks at what’s happening in north Wales, puts aside the seeming political position of devolve and forget, and does something to help us by bringing forward measures to test the will of the Welsh people once again as to whether they want to continue with this failed experiment at all.”

Sexual advances

Mr Roberts was suspended from the Tory party for 12 weeks in August 2021 after a report by Parliament’s Independent Expert Panel found he had “made repeated and unwanted sexual advances” towards a member of his staff and had made “inappropriate comments of a sexual nature”.

He was subsequently readmitted to the Conservative Party despite having been found to have sexually harassed the staff member.

Despite regaining his party membership in November 2021, the MP still has the whip withdrawn, meaning he sits as an independent, but has continued to vote in line with the UK Government whip.

Following his suspension, the then leader of the Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, called on Mr Roberts to do the “honourable” thing and step down as an MP, triggering a by-election.


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Andrew Thomas
Andrew Thomas
1 year ago

I hope the people of Delyn return to having common sense at the next election and we can finally get rid of this pervert

Rob
Rob
1 year ago

“He described Welsh devolution as a “failed 25 year-long experiment that has delivered absolutely nothing for the people of north Wales”  This is wilfully ignorant, and divisive. The failure isn’t down to devolution its down to Welsh Labour. If he wants to campaign to get Labour voted out of Government in Wales then more power to him, but we are a nation with the right to elect its own government. Rob Roberts will no doubt tell us that we have to respect the vote to leave the EU in 2016, whilst he is not respecting the vote for greater devolution… Read more »

Last edited 1 year ago by Rob
Cathy Jones
Cathy Jones
1 year ago

I just thought this bore repetition: ““made repeated and unwanted sexual advances” towards a member of his staff and had made “inappropriate comments of a sexual nature”.
He was subsequently readmitted to the Conservative Party despite having been found to have sexually harassed the staff member.” ”

The words of sexual predators hold no value.

Dai Ponty
Dai Ponty
1 year ago

And my response can then the people who live on this ISLAND of BRITAIN have a vote on the total and utter failure of your party on the mess you have created no i thought not so just shut up and give Scotland and Wales a vote on leaving this god forsaken country called the U K

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago

Here we go again. More calls to scrap the Senedd by our democracy dolt. It’s getting boring now Deviant Rob Roberts should understand that devolution is here to stay unlike his job as MP for Delyn.

Last edited 1 year ago by Y Cymro
Leigh Richards
Leigh Richards
1 year ago

Er can we bring forward a vote on sex pests?

Rhufawn Jones
Rhufawn Jones
1 year ago

Fel un o Ddelyn yn wreiddiol, mae gweld wyneb y boi yma hyd yn oed yn fy ngwneud yn sâl

Llyn
Llyn
1 year ago

The roll call of the far-right parties and political fruitcakes who have fought against devolution and for direct rule from London is quite something – The National Front, BNP, Rob Roberts, The Voice of Wales, Neil Hamilton, the disgraced Lord Tonypandy, Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party, former MS Gareth Bennett, UKIP….

hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago
Reply to  Llyn

…..All fallen by the wayside rotting in the gutter.

Gareth
Gareth
1 year ago

It’s my abiding wish, that this pervert is removed from office at the next election and is never allowed to be in a position of authority or power, ever again.

Steve Woods
Steve Woods
1 year ago
Reply to  Gareth

Roberts only has a majority of 865, so his position is precarious.

Richard
Richard
1 year ago

Devolution has been endorsed by the people of Wales in 2 referenda since 1997. The anti devolutionists lost, they need to get over it.

R W
R W
1 year ago

Westminster has been letting the whole of Wales down for centuries, so how about having a vote to abolish the Westminster Parliament instead!!

hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago

This is what you get when perverts are allowed any kind of access to publicity or politics.He should have been removed from sight a long time ago.

Alan Jones
Alan Jones
1 year ago

Can’t comment too much on any bias towards the South Wales area over the North ( will leave that to our Gog brethren) by the Sennedd but if true then surely the AS/MPs of those areas should/could up their game to ensure some measure of parity. As for gobby Rob, well, if he spent as much time & energy actually fighting his corner for his constituents at Westminster instead of attacking all things Welsh such as devolution then who knows what dividends his constituency could reap. Seems like a ” look a dead cat over there” distraction tool commonly used… Read more »

Ernie The Smallholder
Ernie The Smallholder
1 year ago

The UK has failed the people of the British Isles throughout its whole existence.

Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England would be better without this centralised union.

Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
1 year ago

He should stand down as an MP and do something else, but if he really wants he can put himself up for a vote by standing again. Hopefully he would not be reelected

Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen
1 year ago

He should put himself up for reelection before he talks about the Senedd, I am surprised he has the nerve to talk about anything in public. I don’t usually like to be personal but being sexually l harassed by him doesn’t bear thinking about, he should not have been allowed to continue as an MP as I pity his staff. I wonder what happened to the staff he sexually harassed, I hope they didn’t lose their job while he continues in his well paid one

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