Welsh Nationalists End Deal With Minority Labour Government

Stuart Biggs
·3 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru ended its cooperation deal with the devolved Labour government, adding to the political turmoil that has engulfed First Minister Vaughan Gething since he took office in March.

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Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said he’s pulling his party out of the agreement seven months early because he is “determined to hold the Labour Welsh government firmly to account.” In a statement, he also linked the move to a row over donations to Gething’s leadership campaign that has contributed to a sense of political crisis around the first minister.

In response, Gething said Labour was “disappointed” Plaid Cymru chose to end the deal, but that his government would continue with joint commitments including on education and housing.

The two parties signed a three-year cooperation deal in December 2021 after Labour fell one seat short of an absolute majority in the Welsh Senedd or parliament, and formed a minority government. The deal with Plaid Cymru, which was not a formal coalition, was due to end in December.

Read more: Vaughan Gething to Become First Black Leader of European Country

Though there is no direct link between Senedd politics and the UK Parliament, developments in Wales are being shaped at least in part by parties gearing up for the nationwide general election expected later this year.

In that sense there are clear parallels with Scotland, where the ruling Scottish National Party cut short a similar cooperation deal with the Greens, who were themselves on the verge of pulling out. Their spat ultimately triggered a confidence vote that ended Humza Yousaf’s stint as Scotland’s first minister.

Polls suggest the turmoil in SNP politics has played into Labour’s hands, paving the way for the opposition party to pick up more Scottish seats in the UK election and helping Keir Starmer’s bid to become British prime minister.

Read more: Starmer’s Labour Seen as Biggest Winner From Scotland Turmoil

It’s the opposite dynamic in Wales, where Labour runs the government and any turmoil risks hurting the party’s prospects in the general election. Though it’s not clear whether Gething will face a no-confidence vote like Yousaf, the questions around his leadership are far from ideal for Starmer’s party.

Gething’s struggles date back to the leadership contest he only narrowly won to succeed former First Minister Mark Drakeford. His political opponents have zeroed in on £200,000 ($254,000) of campaign donations from a company run by an individual previously prosecuted twice for environmental offenses.

In his statement, ap Iorwerth said Gething had displayed a “lack of judgment” in accepting the contribution. The Plaid Cymru leader also referred to the controversy this week when Gething sacked his minister for social partnership, Hannah Blythyn, accusing her of leaking pandemic-era text messages to the media. Blythyn denied it, according to a BBC report.

In an interview with Sky News, ap Iorwerth did not rule out a confidence vote in Gething — though he also pointed out that his party’s deal with Welsh Labour would not have tied Plaid Cymru’s hands anyway.

Meanwhile the Welsh Conservatives said Plaid Cymru was trying to “save face” and accused them of failing with Labour to deliver on the “people’s priorities.”

--With assistance from Ailbhe Rea.

(Updates with Labour response in third paragraph, details throughout.)

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