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Plan to keep Gething in office with vote of ‘sex pest’ Senedd Member

15 Jul 2024 5 minute read
Rhys ab Owen MS in the Senedd

Martin Shipton

Vaughan Gething’s team of advisers has suggested keeping him in office by offering a special Senedd role to an Independent MS who was suspended from the Senedd for groping a woman in a taxi, we have been told.

In return for chairing a body that would investigate the mechanics of devolving part of the criminal justice system, Rhys ab Owen would be expected to support the Welsh Government’s annual Budget proposals.

Following the vote of no confidence passed in Mr Gething as a result of the scandals he is embroiled in, all three opposition parties have said they will not vote for next year’s Budget if he remains First Minister. With Labour having only 30 of the Senedd’s 60 seats, it needs the vote of at leasdt one opposition MS to get a Budget passed. That has led many observers to conclude that Mr Gething’s position is untenable.

Chairmanship

However, a Labour source told us: “Vaughan Gething’s team has come up with what they think is a way of keeping him in office. It involves buying Rhys ab Owen’s vote by offering him the chairmanship of a commission that could look at the practicalities of devolving youth justice to Wales.

“That’s something that Labour has agreed in principle and that it’s thought might appeal to Rhys ab Owen, a barrister who will be leaving the Senedd at the next election in 2026. He will be wanting to rebuild his reputation so he can return to the Bar,”

In March 2024 Mr ab Owen was suspended from the Senedd for six weeks after the Senedd’s Standards Committee upheld a complaint against him.

A report from Standards Commissioner Douglas Bain stated: “On the evening of June 30 2021, prior to attending a dinner for Plaid Cymru Members of the Senedd at the Côte restaurant, the Member drank a pint of beer. Whilst there, he drank a quantity of wine. He made lewd comments about [Senedd Members and a Member of Commission staff].

“After the dinner the Member and a number of other Members moved to Wetherspoons where they met up with a number of Plaid Cymru staff who had been attending a separate event. All those present had consumed varying amounts of alcohol and were intoxicated to varying degrees. The Member was more intoxicated than the others present. The Member made disparaging comments about [a Member of the Senedd] in a voice loud enough to be heard by those at adjoining tables.

“The Member inappropriately touched the waist of Witness A.

“In the street near to Wetherspoons the Member twice called the Complainant a ‘bitch’. He touched her inappropriately by putting his arm round her [the complainant’s] waist and pulling her body close to his. Knowing that he was not welcome, the Member got into the rear seat of a taxi and sat next to the Complainant.

“In the taxi he touched the Complainant inappropriately by squeezing her upper thigh hard with his hand. When called out by Witness A, the Member called her a ‘bitch’.

“At the Boom Battle Bar, the Member, Witness A, Witness B, Witness C and the Complainant sat together for approximately three hours and consumed more alcohol some of which was paid for by the Member. Whilst there the Member made disparaging comments about [a Member of the Senedd]. He also made disparaging comments about [two Members of the Senedd]. He made a number of wholly inappropriate comments to Witness A.

“At a virtual meeting with the Chief Whip on July 2 2021 the Member was given full details of all the allegations against him. Later that day the Member sent the Chief Whip an email in which he apologised for ‘his drunken behaviour of Wednesday night.’ The same day the Member emailed Witness A and apologised to her for ‘what happened on Wednesday’.[June 30 2021]

“At about 5pm that day the Member telephoned the Complainant and, speaking in Welsh, told her repeatedly that he was sorry. The Member has admitted that his conduct caused mental pain to the Complainant and others. His conduct continues to adversely affect the Complainant.”

Mr ab Owen, a regional MS for South Wales Central, was elected as a Plaid Cymru candidate at the last Senedd election in 2021, but the party has excluded him since the complaint was made. He is not expected to be a Plaid candidate in 2026.

Sexual misconduct

A Labour insider said: “At the general election we pledged a new broom, to clean up politics. Now Vaughan’s team are talking up the possibility of Vaughan doing a deal with someone recently suspended from the Senedd for sexual misconduct. Does Keir Starmer agree this is someone Labour should be appointing to run a commission on youth justice?

“It’s easy to condemn this sort of stuff when it’s the Tories: we all remember the Labour front bench bravely condemning Tory failures on Chris Pincher. Silence on this will show how hollow that was.

“When the end is keeping Vaughan Gething in power, is it the case that any means are justified? If we gift this man a job because it suits us in the moment, we lose any right to speak with moral authority. Labour MSs and MPs now have to answer the question, is it worth that?”

Mr ab Owen told us he hadn’t been approached about such a role. He said: “It’s news to me. I’ve had no conversations or approaches from the government.”

Asked what his reaction would be should an approach be made to him, he said: “I think that’s too speculative to answer.”


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34 Comments
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westisbest
westisbest
4 months ago

Kevin Spacey of Welsh politics will effectively have the decisive vote 👐

Linda Jones
Linda Jones
4 months ago

Suits the Labour Party in Wales, no integrity, no principles and now no morals. How low can they go

John Ellis
John Ellis
4 months ago
Reply to  Linda Jones

Under Mark Drakeford I did think that Welsh Labour had both integrity and principle. But if this really does come to pass, the only conclusion which I’ll be able to reach is that in a mere matter of months their party has wholly jettisoned those virtues.

Last edited 4 months ago by John Ellis
Jon_S
Jon_S
4 months ago

And they want to expand the size of the Senedd? So we can get more of this?

John Ellis
John Ellis
4 months ago
Reply to  Jon_S

Unfortunately I think that quite a few voters might come to share that conclusion, should this actually happen.

Annibendod
Annibendod
4 months ago
Reply to  Jon_S

Try to think critically … is that really the reason to increase the number of Senedd members? Do you really think that?

Adrian
Adrian
4 months ago
Reply to  Annibendod

If you think that’s what Jon_S meant then I’d say it’s your critical analysis that needs attention.

CapM
CapM
4 months ago
Reply to  Jon_S

That logic dictates that if the Senedd were to be abolished then no “more of this” could occur.
However there’s no reason why that logic can’t also be applied to Westminster.

Unless perhaps if it’s just a thinly veiled attack on devolution per se.

Annibendod
Annibendod
4 months ago

Grubby.

Why vote
Why vote
4 months ago

A barrister, another legally trained person that should have known better and Gethings advisors want his support for the labour party to keep Gething in a position of power are these experts script writers for yes minister or what. Please keep Gething as leader untill 26 it can’t hurt the labour party in any way can it. This is briliant comedy.

Annibendod
Annibendod
4 months ago
Reply to  Why vote

Not for me. He brings our Senedd into disrepute which fans the flames of anti-Welsh sentiment.

Paul Symons
Paul Symons
4 months ago

I am finding it hard to believe that this story is true. Since Mark Drakeford (who I must confess I thought was a First Minister who was trying to make decisions according to Labour principles) stepped done to let the next generation take on the ‘Game of Thrones’ things have become more like ‘Father Ted’. If this story turns out to be correct and members of Welsh Labour sit back and say nothing then Welsh Government is contemptible.

SundanceKid
SundanceKid
4 months ago

This is precious! Welsh Labour must be desperate!!

Billy James
Billy James
4 months ago

Absolutely disgraceful if true……..

Paulie walnuts
Paulie walnuts
4 months ago

Lol you gullible loser. Can’t believe you published it AHAHAHAHAHAHA

Welsh Patriot
Welsh Patriot
4 months ago

Great, can Vaughan Gething go any lower?

Llyn
Llyn
4 months ago
Reply to  Welsh Patriot

Maybe Plaid should throw him out of the Party before they and their supporters get all sanctimonious about this matter.

John Ellis
John Ellis
4 months ago

This sort of squalid and cynical stitch-up, should it actually come to materialize in reality, is precisely the sort of thing which breeds the all too prevalent contempt and derision with which a significant number of voters now view the political class.

If it does happen, I hope Plaid Cymru will come out in full public view to condemn it without reservation.

Last edited 4 months ago by John Ellis
Paul Symons
Paul Symons
4 months ago
Reply to  John Ellis

I wonder if the decline in the standards of politicians might go some way towards answering Neil Kinnock’s comments regarding lower turnout at elections?

John Ellis
John Ellis
4 months ago
Reply to  Paul Symons

Maybe. But however that may be, in view of the events which we’ve witnessed today since I posted that comment, it seems that such speculation is already rather abstract and anachronistic!

Howie
Howie
4 months ago

This would seal the end of Labour in Wales if true, every decent person would be rightly indignant of such a move.
I cannot see Labour UK agreeing such a move given rightly the focus on safety of women in politics.
His advisors have surely lost the plot.

Bryn
Bryn
4 months ago

Enough!!
Gething must go!!

Ash P
Ash P
4 months ago

This one is straight out of House of Cards. How the hell has VG not been forced to step down!?

HarrisR
HarrisR
4 months ago

I can’t see this kite flying whatever the imaginary wind. Gething tenuously holding on to office is still the toxic Gething that’s the elephantine problem for Labour. Increasingly so in the run up to the next election.

Miles’s non commitment (“confidence”) yesterday seems far more relevant. Not long now…

SundanceKid
SundanceKid
4 months ago
Reply to  HarrisR

I wouldn’t be so sure of that. Gething has the support of Keir Starmer who has effectively warned Welsh Labour to toe the line. Having backed the wrong horse, they won’t back down now.

Adrian
Adrian
4 months ago

The Labour opposition was constantly howling for Johnson’s resignation. Gething is like Johnson on steroids yet the PLP is totally relaxed about his misdeeds: funny that!

CapM
CapM
4 months ago
Reply to  Adrian

In which way is Gething “like Johnson on steroids”?

SundanceKid
SundanceKid
4 months ago
Reply to  CapM

Acceptance of dodgy donations, lobbying NRW to “go easy” on said donor despite emitting noxious smells, sacking a minister without reasonable explanation, no contrition. Need I go on?

CapM
CapM
4 months ago
Reply to  SundanceKid

I think you do.
Gething isn’t in the same league as far as unethical behaviour goes as Johnson never mind being “like Johnson on steroids”.

Dr John Ball
Dr John Ball
4 months ago

If this is true and ab Owen accepts, then Rhun has to quickly and publicly throw him out of the party and seek ways to have him entirely removed from the Senedd.

Paul Symons
Paul Symons
4 months ago
Reply to  Dr John Ball

I think I read in the article that he is an independent after being excluded from Plaid Cymru.

Llyn
Llyn
4 months ago
Reply to  Paul Symons

He’s still a member of Plaid certainly has not been thrown out of the party. So it would be rather odd if Plaid were to take the high horse on this issue.

Paul Symons
Paul Symons
4 months ago
Reply to  Llyn

I re-read the article which starts : “ Vaughan Gething’s team of advisers has suggested keeping him in office by offering a special Senedd role to an Independent MS who was suspended from the Senedd for groping a woman in a taxi, we have been told.” If this information is incorrect then I feel that other parts of this story could be too. Perhaps Mr Shipton should confirm as this article has potential to further damage the Senedd reputation.

SundanceKid
SundanceKid
4 months ago
Reply to  Paul Symons

He is an independent MS but he is still a member of the party. He just doesn’t represent them.

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