Welsh leader Vaughan Gething dragged 'kicking and screaming' to face another crunch vote
First Minister Vaughan Gething previously insisted he is not going to resign after losing a vote of no confidence.
Vaughan Gething reveals why he sacked Hannah Blythyn
Vaughan Gething is set to face another knife-edge crunch vote a month after losing a vote of no confidence.
The Welsh Conservatives have tabled a motion for debate in the Senedd next week in which they will try to compel Mr Gething to publish the evidence he used to sack Hannah Blythyn from the Welsh Government.
This comes after Ms Blythyn made a personal statement in the Senedd claiming to have never leaked to the media about her Labour colleagues.
The first minister had alleged that she was the source of a story which revealed Mr Gething told ministers he was deleting messages from a pandemic-era group chat.
But the Labour Member of the Senedd (MS) for Delyn said she was not shown any evidence before she was sacked, was not told she was being investigated, and that the situation left her with acute anxiety and stress.
Her statement was in direct contradiction to the First Minister and his Health Minister, who claim there is evidence that Blythyn leaked communications to the media.
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Andrew RT Davies MS, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said: “Yet again, because he will not provide any answers voluntarily, the First Minister has to be dragged kicking and screaming to the Senedd.
“The First Minister expects us to take his word for it that he had evidence to sack Hannah Blythyn, but sadly, thanks to his behaviour in office, the people of Wales cannot take his word for it.
“It’s time to get answers, and I hope Members across the Senedd will join us next week in voting for transparency in government.”
Vikki Howells, Labour Senedd backbencher and one of Gething’s most loyal backers, has said she is content with the First Minister’s reasons for sacking Blythyn.
If the Welsh Tory motion passes, Gething may be forced to release any evidence.
The First Minister expects us to take his word for it that he had evidence to sack Hannah Blythyn, but sadly, thanks to his behaviour in office, the people of Wales cannot take his word for it.
“It’s time to get answers, and I hope Members across the Senedd will join us next week in voting for transparency in government.”
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Mr Gething insisted that the sacked government minister was behind leaked messages to the media.
Speaking in the Senedd on Wednesday, Mr Gething said: “It is, of course, vital for the function of government that ministers have trust in each other at all times, and that private discussions remain private. For these messages to be provided to a journalist is a breach of that trust.”
He added: “Having cross-checked the photograph with a full set of messages, it became clear that the photograph could only have been of one member’s phone.”
Mr Gething added that he would “rather not go through this detail in public”.
Ms Blythyn, who sat behind Mr Gething, shook her head as Mr Gething spoke.
The First Minister’s comments come after Ms Blythyn broke her silence about the issue for the first time since she was sacked on Tuesday.
A Senedd confidence vote was called by the Conservatives last month over donations made to Mr Gething’s leadership campaign by a company owned by a man previously convicted of environmental offences.
