Tory Welsh Secretary accused of ministerial code breach with social media video
A Conservative cabinet minister has been accused of breaching the ministerial code after appearing to use his Government office in Whitehall to film an anti-Labour video he then posted on social media.
Welsh Secretary David TC Davies appears in a short film which was shared on X, formerly Twitter, last week.
In it he speaks about plans to expand the size of the Welsh Senedd and highlights the Welsh Conservative Party’s opposition to such a move.
In the video dated May 8, Mr Davies said the Welsh Labour government had to decide whether it wanted to spend £120 million of taxpayers’ money on more Senedd members or increase the number of nurses, doctors, dentists and teachers, as the Conservatives would do instead.
He adds: “I know which side I am on.”
Today political parties will vote on the Labour Welsh Government’s £120-million plan to create more politicians.
The @WelshConserv are against spending taxpayers’ money on this needless scheme.
Wales needs more nurses, teachers, doctors and dentists, not more politicians. pic.twitter.com/UJHmyfTJeZ
— David TC Davies MP 🏴🇬🇧 (@DavidTCDavies) May 8, 2024
Labour believe the location of the filming is a breach of the ministerial code, which states: “Ministers are provided with facilities at Government expense to enable them to carry out their official duties. These facilities should not generally be used for party or constituency activities.”
Shadow Welsh secretary Jo Stevens said: “This behaviour needs to be swept away along with this clapped-out Conservative Government.
“Under Labour, the Wales Office will once again focus on and deliver for people across Wales.”
In 2023, MP Lee Anderson was rebuked for using a parliamentary rooftop to film a promotion video for his £100,000-a-year GB News show.
The Serjeant at Arms, who is responsible for upholding order in the Commons, contacted Mr Anderson, who was the Conservative Party deputy chairman at the time but now sits as Reform UK MP, over his Twitter clip to remind him of the rules.
A UK Government source said: “A 30-second video Was recorded inside for security reasons.”
It is understood there are concerns relating to the behaviour of Steve Bray, the anti-Brexit campaigner who has targetted Mr Davies for attention in and around Whitehall.
Because of this, Mr Davies will not be interviewed on Palace Green, opposite the Houses of Parliament, where ministers and MPs are often spoken to for TV.
Also, a UK Government source pointed out that the Ministerial Code says government premises should not “generally” be used for party activities rather than not in any circumstances.
Mr Davies, the Conservative Party and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards have been contacted for a response.
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“spend £120 million of taxpayers’ money on more Senedd members or increase the number of nurses, doctors, dentists and teachers, as the Conservatives would do instead”
Indeed, that’s certainly no less than what the conservatives would do, and I would know as I live to the east of the border and over our cup simply runneth over with teachers and dentists.
The doctors and nurses will be able to staff the 40 new hospitals his party built, sorry, a friend tells me they were never started let alone built. What a sad little man he is.
The hypocrisy is breathtaking from gypsy hating David TC Davies. He’s not only a self hating xenophobic bigot, but he also forgets that it was his party who in 2017 devolved the power enabling the Welsh Government to change of name from Welsh Assembly to Senedd Cymru ( Welsh Parliament) which also included the ability to change the voting system and expansion after many hours of debating , public consultation that last a year, and a vote to increase the size of the Senedd from 60 to 96 MSs with the cost coming from the existing Welsh block not from… Read more »
Typical Labour reply can you please reply WITHOUT referring to Parliament or any references outside of the Senedd . The money being used by Welsh Government to fund all these new members has come from some Welsh budget in other words which budget or budget’s has it been creamed off you say the “cost coming from the existing Welsh block Yes secretly taken from other things I for one know how far that bill would go towards education or even health budgets.
I Really Hate Tories but this excuse for a human being i hate him most
How much do all those new members of the Lords cost?
They cost £325.a day PLUS subsidizes food and Drink, Can also claim £100 a night if there is a late sitting,
What a two-faced pillock. Whilst Tory England packs the House of Lords with unelected pals and donors, we in Wales have been deprived of 20% of our MPs and 100% of our MEPs.
The biggest amount of new comers in the lords have been put there by Labour do your research first
If I recall correctly this Government has reduced Wales representatives by 8 MPS.
Yet they’ve increased the Lordship chamber by dozens.
Even after the increased AM’s Wales will still have the lowest number of members in the UK.
We have the smallest population in the UK that’s why and if it goes ahead it means 3 people doing one persons Job
Sorry to disappoint you but I believe that Northern Ireland have approx half the population of Wales’, yet they have double the number of elected representatives.
And,of course we don’t have an Upper House.