Welsh Conservative leader to call for a snap Welsh Assembly election

The new leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Paul Davies AM will demand that Carwyn Jones’ successor as First Minister of Wales calls an early Assembly election.

Speaking at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham today, he will also warn the new leader of Plaid Cymru, Adam Price, against propping up another Labour Welsh Government.

By the end of the year, all of the parties represented in the Assembly will have a different leader than at the 2016 elections – something the Welsh Conservative leader believes merits a new mandate from the people of Wales.

“Whoever emerges as the next First Minister, this much is clear,” he will say. “The people should have the opportunity to have their say.

“You will have no mandate to govern the people of Wales. Only an Assembly election will give you that.

“So I’m calling on the wannabee leaders of the Welsh Labour Party to commit to give us that election. We Welsh Conservatives are ready for the fight for the future of our precious nation.”

On the issue of the new leadership of Plaid Cymru, Mr Davies will tell the UK Party Conference: “I have a message for Adam Price. The people of Wales are crying out for a change of Government in Cardiff Bay. Prop up another Labour administration at your peril!

“The message is clear – we will never agree on everything, but where we can, let’s work together in the interests of the people of Wales to deliver the change Wales needs.”

Mr Davies will also use his speech to highlight failures of nearly two decades of Welsh Labour rule, citing falling standards on education and worst-on-record health performances despite “the reality…that for every £1 spent on hospitals and schools in England, Wales receives £1.20”.

He will also criticise Welsh Labour for their drawn-out leadership contest, labelling it a “long goodbye”, and the credentials of Carwyn Jones’ potential successors.