Senior councillor warns Labour off waste donations

Welsh Labour will receive leftover money from Vaughan Gething's campaign

Welsh Labour's most senior council leader says it would "probably be better" if his party did not accept leftover donations to Vaughan Gething from a controversial waste company.

The first minister will have to hand over any unspent leadership campaign donations, including £200,000 from Dauson Environmental Group, to his party.

Andrew Morgan suggested that might not be a good idea "because of the huge public and media storm".

Welsh Labour has been asked to comment.

Andrew Morgan is leader of the Welsh Local Government Association and Rhondda Cynon Taf council.

It is not yet clear how much cash is unspent from Mr Gething's campaign, and how much of that might be from Dauson Environmental Group.

The £200,000 donation was controversial because the owner of the group, David John Neal, has twice been convicted of environmental offences.

Mr Gething raised more than £250,000.

Andrew Morgan, who was a significant supporter of Vaughan Gething's rival Jeremy Miles during the leadership campaign, told the BBC Walescast podcast that if he had been in Mr Gething's position he "probably" would not have taken the money.

"I don't think anything untoward would happen, in terms of having preferential treatment etc, because there's too many safeguards for that."

He said the real issue was "public perception".

"From my point of view... probably I would have just have said no, and looked for funding elsewhere."

He added: "Because of the huge public and media kind of storm around this, my own gut feeling would be, [it would] probably be better if maybe the party didn't accept it - but that's not for me to decide.

"I'm not sure if it goes to Welsh Labour or if it actually will go to the national [UK] party."

Last weekend Jeremy Miles told BBC Politics Wales he would not have accepted the money.

Motions

Opposition parties will force at least two Senedd votes over the donations issue next Wednesday.

The Conservatives will hold a debate calling for an independent investigation into the donations, so far refused by the Welsh government.

Meanwhile Plaid Cymru will call for a cap on the annual donations that politicians can receive via a change to Senedd rules.

Andrew RT Davies, Welsh Conservative Senedd leader, said: “It’s time to put this issue to bed once and for all."

He added: “In order to get on with the job of tackling Labour’s soaring waiting lists, the cancer crisis and poor educational attainment, we need to see a full, independent investigation into Gething’s campaign finances.”

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said: "The corrosive effect of unchecked campaign funding undermines the integrity of democracy. As a first step Vaughan Gething should repay the money but the least he can now do is support measures that ensure six figure donations to individual politicians are a thing of the past.”

The Welsh government declined to comment ahead of the debates.