MP reprimanded for claiming Welsh Senedd members ‘stealing living from taxpayers’
An MP has been reprimanded for suggesting Welsh Senedd members were “stealing a living from the taxpayer”.
Rob Roberts, the independent MP for the North Wales constituency Delyn, had attempted to call for a review of Welsh devolution in the Commons, questioning “whether the people of Wales are happy with having devolution at all”.
But he was forced to row back on his words by the Commons Deputy Speaker, and instead suggested MSs “may be questionably obtaining a salary for not doing a great deal of work”.
Mr Roberts told MPs: “It will shortly be 25 years since the establishment of the Welsh Assembly, so we have had 25 years of 60 Senedd Members stealing a living from the taxpayer while delivering zero identifiable benefits for the people of Wales to explain their existence.
“At the Welsh Affairs Committee recently, the Secretary of State for Wales (David TC Davies) was unable to name even three benefits of devolution when I questioned him. In 1997, the Labour Secretary of State for Wales in this place said that devolution was ‘a process’, ‘not an event’, and should be continuously reviewed.”
‘Careful’
Deputy Speaker Dame Rosie Winterton interrupted the Delyn MP, telling him: “I think he needs to be careful with his language when he uses the word ‘stealing’. He might want to reconsider that.”
Mr Roberts replied: “I apologise, Madam Deputy Speaker. The Members of the Senedd may be questionably obtaining a salary for not doing a great deal of work. That may be a better way of putting it.
“Will the Leader of the House confirm which department should be reviewing devolution and when the last review was? Can we have a debate on whether the people of Wales are happy with having devolution at all?”
Penny Mordaunt responded: “The answer to his question is that it is the minister with responsibility for the constitution whose remit will cover such matters.
“The problems he raises relate to the performance of the Welsh Labour Government.
“I think it is the longest period of time that Labour has been in power, and we can really see, given the state of the NHS and the other things that it looks after, what a blueprint for a Labour Government looks like.”
Mr Roberts, who was elected as a Conservative MP, now sits as an independent after parliamentary authorities found he had made unwanted advances towards a member of staff.
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I can name many benefits and a shed fill of less negativesvthan the shafting Westminster performs on us.
Eh? Who pays his wages! the absolute turnip. Remind me what he has done for Wales. He has been on 80k give or take since 2019. He needs the tin tac.
https://www.theipsa.org.uk/mp-staffing-business-costs/your-mp/rob-roberts/4810
Such a lovely human that even the tories don’t want him
One Tory can’t get a satisfactory answer out of another Tory and it’s somehow the Welsh Labour government’s fault?
Why doesn’t deviant Rob Roberts crawl back under his bridge like the Tory troll he is. This creature shouldn’t even be an MP let alone have the oxygen of publicity. All I can say is this. Enjoy your time in the limelight Rob. Soon you will receive your just deserts. I will savour that moment. Karma is on its way.
The nerve of this sex pest to even hint that somebody is stealing a living, after what he has been up to is beyond a joke, and yet another anti devolutionist, who is hell bent on ignoring several referendums affirming devolution and wanting more powers, while spouting ” the will of the people” after one non binding ballot on Brexit, had us leaving the EU. This obnoxious oaf, should concentrate on Westminster, and keep quiet about things that do not concern him.
We had a general election to sort out Brexit once and for all. Labour said they’d cancel it. Tories said they’d get it done. Labour suffered the worst defeat in history and the Tories actually stuck to their mandate. A sore point for some but what happened happend. This however is a completely separate issue relating to the many sweeping changes imposed on Wales by the Welsh Senedd government without the consent of voters but at their cost and the chronic mismanagement that’s resulted in us having the worst preforming services and economy in the UK. He may very well… Read more »
Actually the Labour Party didn’t say they would cancel the results of the Brexit referendum but said they would hold a second referendum.
Firstly, taxes are not under the control of the Senedd so you’re blaming the wrong institution there.
And what exactly are the “sweeping changes imposed on Wales…without the consent of voters”? The Senedd, may I remind you, is an elected body, and a far more representative one than Westminster.
If anyone is a waste of space it’s himself. A talking Toby jug.
Quote: “The problems he raises relate to the performance of the Welsh Labour Government.” Exactly!! It is deeply irresponsible for an elected representative to blame the institution as a whole for the failings of the current administration. Notice how he still refers to it as the Welsh Assembly and not the Senedd. This strategy actually gets Welsh Labour off the hook, it also implies that anyone who opposes their policies could be perceived as anti-devolution. The late Ann Clwyd did this, knowing full well that the state of the Welsh NHS was because of policies implemented by HER party. This… Read more »
Scrap the Senedd and give all money made to the Steel works, hopefully to save it.
And who governs Wales? A minister from London that we didn’t vote for? A better idea would be to scrap Westminster.
Tata owns Land rover or JLR, the plant sits on land in Solihull worth billions, the fake carbon issue is being used to force thousands out of work, soon as they close port Talbot the plant in Solihull will have to move off shore,you won’t need an electric arc plant,you won’t have any customers, It’s in the plan for delivery,it’s the de industrialisation of the UK.Europe even for that matter,legacy media is blind,it’s a fantastic storey to be told some time in the distant future. It’s a cenario that’s been playing out since the 70s , the high street banks… Read more »
Watched a news story about the state of the NI health service yesterday, English and Scottish NHS is a mess just the same as Wales’. There is only one government that can affect the outcomes of all four health services, and it isn’t the Labour Welsh Government.
That is simply incorrect. The NHS is a devolved matter, only 1 government CAN be responsible and it’s the Welsh Senedd. Westminster gives them funding, how they use said funding is up to them. Note we’re at the bottom of the table, not just in the NHS but across all services. £155m was returned, unspent. £33m was spent on the 20mph rollout. £18m is going towards 36 more leeches in the Senedd. Just off my head, £206m that COULD have funded the NHS, not even covering wasted money or vanity projects that hold no value whatsoever to tax payers. Or… Read more »
Well said.
Its not the Senedd, its Labour.
On reflection, coming from a disowned sexual predator, I’d take his comments as a compliment
Oh, we love being lectured to, by a sexual deviant like Roberts!!!!
Reading between the lines, this is a pathetic, grovelling and very nasty begging letter to the nasty Tories asking them to let him back in to their nastyfest fold because he’s lonely out there in Independent land. Mordaunt in her reply to him sounded quite moderate by comparison. Maybe he’s just too nasty even for them.
The worst performing NHS region in the UK, the worst educational results in the UK, no new roads (including the much needed M4 relief), the disastrous 20mph roll out, etc etc. Yes, devolution and Labour/Plaid have really been great for Wales haven’t they….
Labour supporters seem not to realise they’ve had exactly what they claim to want for 20 years.
Still under the delusion that Westminster is responsible for our laws and services.
And the Senedd is happy to let them continue to be, never take responsibility for their failings.
Labour is failing Wales, NOT devolution.
He’s not wrong though. Welsh labour have been systematically attacking or dismantling every working sector in Wales. Closing the coal mine. Banning the usage of blast furnaces in Port Talbot. Holiday tax, booz tax, ruining the seanery with pylons, and removing English sign translations all to discourage tourism. The farcical blanket 20mph limit putting more pressure on all businesses and comuters. Allowing all public sector/services to sink to the lowest standard in the whole UK while raising all taxes. And now they’re coming after farmers. We are now paying more for less, realistically the worst of nation in the UK… Read more »
Clearly and eloquently put; some here are under the delusion that the Senedd serves the people. Action speak louder than words, mediocrity and wholesale failure is what has come out of Devolution for Wales. Welsh MPs need to be speaking up for Wales and the whole of the Uk where it counts and that is in the House of Commons. Let’s save millions of taxpayers money and be spared the
pain of more year of decline and deterioration
The biggest thieves and liars are in the houses of parliament in westminster!
He and David D will soon 🔜 be not doubt competing in the open jobs market for failed and x MPs . The Westminster gravy train 🚂 is leaving the Delyn station …🫰🏼
You watch they will be standing for election an in expanded Senedd come 2026, an institution they want to abolish.
Rob Roberts should apologise the money wasn’t stolen it has been wasted.
The Welsh government intend to increase the parasites from 60 to 96. At the same time nobody is going to have an elected representative. The parties will have a list from which the parasites will be drawn.
A referendum on whether to move to Labour’s proposed farce or even to keep devolution might be timely.