Senior Tory renews call to abolish Senedd in vicious online attack on own party

Emily Price 

A senior Welsh Conservative politician has made renewed calls for the Senedd to be abolished after viciously attacking his own party in an online rant.

Chairman for the Newport and Islwyn Conservative Federation, Cllr David Fouweather said Welsh leader Darren Millar should “address the elephant in the room” by admitting that the party’s supporters “don’t like devolution and want a referendum”.

Speaking about the Tories in Cardiff Bay, he said: “They are obsessed with the Senedd and need to wake up.

“Darren told us that a referendum was for the birds. Well the birds are starting to peck.” 

Mr Fouweather’s remarks came after he lashed out at the Tory Senedd group on X following a key debate in Cardiff Bay on Plaid’s flagship childcare policy.

The Newport Councillor said he was “disappointed and disillusioned” by the actions of the Welsh Conservatives after the group backed an amended motion which defended Plaid’s scheme and attacked Reform UK for lacking its own childcare commitments.

The Tories voted in favour of the amendment after initially backing Reform’s motion which called for Plaid to reveal their costings and a detailed timeline for the scheme.

Conservative MS Sam Rowlands explained that his party had backed both versions because expanding early-years childcare was a core component of the Welsh Conservative manifesto.

11 of Reform’s own MSs supported the amended version that attacked their on party.

After the vote, Mr Fouweather shared and endorsed several posts from Reform politicians and activists criticising the Conservatives, prompting speculation that he may defect.

In a post tagging Darren Millar and ex-leader Andrew RT Davies, the Newport councillor wrote: “What the fuck. Why has the Welsh Conservatives supported this? Absolute madness.”

In another post tagging the Tory Senedd group’s official X account, he said: “Very disappointing from Welsh Conservatives. Opportunity missed to hold Plaid properly to account. Beginning to wonder just what is going on down there?”

In another post, he wrote: “Why did you do this Welsh Conservatives? Plaid must be held to account. I am so disillusioned and disappointed by the actions of the con group in the Senedd.”

In a further comment referring to the Welsh Parliament and tagging Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Mims Davies, Mr Fouweather wrote: “The whole place is shambolic. Time to abolish.”

Pro-devolution

Mr Fouweather’s bio on X also calls for the Senedd to be abolished and adds that if people do not like his views, they should unfollow him.

The shadow Welsh secretary and the Conservative Senedd group are understood to maintain a pro-devolution stance.

Nation.Cymru asked Mr Fouweather whether he intended to join Nigel Farage’s party, pointing out that Reform holds a pro-Senedd stance.

“No thank you. Turncoats and carpet baggers never prosper,” he replied.

We asked why he was lashing out at his own party online and why he was so anti-devolution when it was not the stance of the Conservatives.

We also asked why he was tagging the shadow secretary of state for Wales in posts calling for the abolition of the Senedd.

In response to our questions, Mr Fouweather described the Conservatives as “obsessed” and said he was “not, and never have been”.

‘Referendum’

He said he tags “all sorts of people” in his posts, adding he had “no idea” what Mims Davies’ views on the Senedd were as he had never asked her.

Mr Fouweather added: “My view is that we should have given a choice of another referendum at the Senedd election and we might have done better.

“The Conservatives are a broad church so why shouldn’t I be a member. Just because a I am anti-devolution doesn’t mean I am not a Conservative.

“The party has always had differences just look at Europe, but we get on with it.”

Calls were made in September last year for the Chairman of the Newport and Islwyn Conservative Federation to resign amid accusations he had broken the party’s social media rules.

Disgruntled federation members told Nation.Cymru that Mr Fouweather had been sharing and increasing number of pro-Reform UK posts and Abolish the Welsh Assembly propaganda online.

Among the posts was one from Reform UK which promised that Nigel Farage’s party would “always put Welsh people first”.

In another post tagging Reform UK and Senedd Member Laura Anne Jones, Mr Fouweather wrote: “I think you should have a vote to abolish the Senedd”.

‘Real opposition’

He also shared a post by a Reform councillor claiming Reform was the only real opposition in Wales, even though the Welsh Conservatives were then the official opposition in the Senedd.

Mr Fouweather later shared a post which claimed, “Only Reform UK will break the cosy Cardiff Bay consensus.”

He then shared a post by Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party that urged social media users to “vote Abolish”.

The Conservatives Code of Conduct and Associated Disciplinary Process Rules state that Party members “must not be associated with or support any other registered political party”.