Welsh Conservative chief Andrew RT Davies resigns

The Conservative chief within the Welsh Parliament, Andrew RT Davies, has resigned after narrowly surviving a vote of confidence of his social gathering colleagues.

In a letter Davies mentioned he did so with remorse after a few of his Members of the Senedd (MSs) had threatened to resign from his frontbench final week if he didn’t stop.

He gained a vote of Tory Senedd members on Tuesday morning, with 9 in assist – together with Davies’ personal vote – and 7 in opposition to.

Davies described his place as “untenable” following the vote and mentioned in his resignation assertion that “it was clear from the outcome {that a} substantial minority of the group don’t assist our method”.

Davies had been chief of the Tories within the Senedd for many of the previous 13 years.

It’s the first vital resignation of a senior Conservative since Kemi Badenoch turned social gathering chief.

In a letter to his Welsh Tory chair Bernard Gentry, he accused social gathering colleagues within the Senedd of undermining him.

He mentioned he wouldn’t stand within the forthcoming management contest.

In current months Davies has confronted criticism from some Westminster Conservatives concerning the course of the social gathering, and whether or not they have been giving voters another imaginative and prescient.

Supporters of Davies say he was trying to sort out the specter of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, taking the social gathering in a extra right-leaning course, whereas opponents are involved the social gathering will not be making an attempt to broaden its assist.

The Member of the Senedd (MS) for South Wales Central has courted controversy along with his social media account – In the summertime feedback about halal meat led to accusations from a Muslim group of “race-baiting”.

Former Welsh Tory Senedd chief Lord Bourne additionally criticised a message on X which confirmed Davies asking constituents in the event that they thought the Senedd ought to be abolished.

It comes after a ballot on the weekend instructed the Conservatives have been in fourth place in Wales, behind Plaid Cymru, Reform and Labour.

Final week, Davies wrote: “A bunch of Senedd members approached me, threatening to resign their positions in shadow cupboard if I didn’t comply with step down as chief.

“I subsequently requested a movement of confidence in my management to be held at a gathering this morning.

“This vote has now taken place. It was clear from the outcome {that a} substantial minority of the group don’t assist our method, regardless of it being the one viable technique obtainable.

“Whereas I’d have been honoured to proceed as chief, my place is consequently untenable.”

Davies wrote his method would have “united the centre proper” in Wales and “gained over new assist to the Conservative Celebration”.

He warned with the brand new fully proportional electoral system for the Senedd in 2026: “Some other method, notably one which ends in obfuscation and failure to confront controversial topics the general public calls for we sort out, dangers electoral oblivion.

“Over current months, it has turn out to be more and more troublesome to take this crucial method, because of resistance from some members throughout the Senedd group,” he mentioned.

“In lots of instances, it was inconceivable to supply readability of message, with statements contradicted publicly by sure members. This made it unclear to the general public precisely what the Conservative Celebration in Wales stands for.”

Nigel Huddleston MP, Co-Chairman of the Conservative Celebration, thanked Davies “for his dedication and management of the Welsh Conservatives”.

“Over 10 years he has performed an awesome job in holding the Welsh Labour authorities to account – by no means lacking a possibility to spotlight their mishandling of the NHS, roads and the financial system.

“The entire Conservative Celebration is united in renewing the Celebration for the longer term and I do know that Andrew will assist us with that mission as he continues in his function as an Meeting Member,” he mentioned, utilizing an previous title for Senedd politicians abolished in 2020.