Key Gething backer 'had nothing to do with donation'

Ken Skates was co-chair of Vaughan Gething's campaign

The co-chair of Vaughan Gething's leadership campaign has said he had nothing to do with a controversial donation from a waste firm owned by a man previously convicted of waste offences.

Ken Skates was a key organiser in Mr Gething's successful bid to become first minister.

The transport secretary and Clwyd South MS said he had asked questions about the convictions during the campaign.

But he said everyone on the campaign team was "assured" that it would not affect future decisions by Mr Gething.

He said he did not "necessarily" see an issue with any leftover funds from the campaign going to Welsh Labour, as per the rules.

Meanwhile the Conservative Welsh Secretary David TC Davies said an independent inquiry - so far refused by Mr Gething - needed to be held into the cash.

He has written to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer asking whether it was wrong for Mr Gething to take the money.

Mr Gething's campaign was overshadowed by his decision to take £200,000 from Dauson Environment Group, which is owned by a man convicted for waste offences.

David John Neal was given a suspended sentence of three months in 2013 for illegally dumping waste and one of 18 months in 2017 for not cleaning it up.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Mr Skates said: "I didn't have anything to do with the donation."

He said Mr Gething had answered questions "comprehensively again this week".

Asked if the campaign was aware of the past convictions, he said: "I can't recall a timeframe precisely but over time... the convictions were raised with me.

"But when they did come to light, obviously, I asked questions about the convictions."

"I asked questions because I wanted to know the details of the donation, where it came from and so forth.

"I was assured and I think everybody on the campaign team has been assured that... the donation will have no bearing whatsoever on any decisions that might come."

He added the Labour government and Senedd group was "focused on the future, and we've moved on".

Mr Gething was questioned on the donations for a second week running in first minister's questions on Tuesday.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said: "This is an extraordinary revelation from the most senior member of Vaughan Gething's campaign and Labour Welsh government. Yesterday I asked the first minister whether he was aware of the donor's previous convictions and now we have the answer - yes he was."

"If this is the moral bar which Vaughan Gething sets himself before becoming first minister what is the bar he is setting for Wales?"

The Welsh government declined to comment.

Bank loan

A Welsh government owned agency that has lent Dauson Environmental Group money defended its integrity and independence from ministers in the Welsh Parliament on Wednesday.

In a session of the Economy Committee politicians asked the Development Bank of Wales (DBW) a series of co-ordinated questions about a loan of £400,000 given to a subsidiary of the company.

Chief Executive Giles Thorley said he was unable to tell the committee how much information was provided in that case.

“But, as a customer, they have borrowed money from the development bank and the predecessor Finance Wales in the past. Those funds have been repaid in full."

Sam Kurtz, Welsh Conservative for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, asked whether the DBW chief executive was confident that the due diligence was up to scratch.

“It's a perfectly valid point that we do reasonably extensive due diligence.

“There are some limitations on what we're allowed to find. We don't do [criminal record] checks on the individual in most cases.”

Mr Thorley said they had a "long consideration" within DBW on to what extent it could check whether businesses had made political donations in the past, and to what extent "we could restrict the use of the money".

“But in the case of this specific instance the use of the money was very specific."

Mr Thorley added: “I’ve been at the organisation, for eight years, I’ve never been contacted [by ministers] or had any pressure put on in relation to a loan or any form of investment we’ve made.”

The Conservative UK government's Welsh Secretary, David TC Davies, said he disagreed with Mr Gething's decision to reject calls for an independent inquiry.

"A lot of people have raised serious concerns about this and they have the right to see an inquiry take place.

"I also think there's a very important question that hasn't been answered yet, and that is when did the first minister become aware of the fact that the company had put in an application for funding from DBW?

"And, if and when he became aware of that, what discussion was there between the current first minister - then the minister responsible for DBW - and the management of DBW about a potential conflict of interest?"

In his Radio Wales interview Mr Skates also failed to back the man commissioned by his predecessor to lead a review of the 20mph policy.