Welsh rugby: Politicians knew about WRU sexism claims - MP

Tonia Antoniazzi

Tonia Antoniazzi says the Welsh government should be asked to explain what action it took when the claims first came to light last year

By Paul Martin
Wales Live

Sexism and misogyny claims about the Welsh Rugby Union were known by the Welsh government after they were raised in the Commons last year, an MP said.

Labour's Tonia Antoniazzi said the ministers should be asked what action they took over the allegations.

The Senedd's sports committee will question the WRU and the Welsh government Deputy Minister for Sport Dawn Bowden later.

The Welsh government said it would not comment ahead of the committee hearing.

Ms Antoniazzi, the Gower MP, said she also raised the concerns directly with the Labour Welsh government after her speech in Parliament last March.

The committee will take evidence from WRU chairman Ieuan Evans and acting chief executive Nigel Walker, followed by a session with Ms Bowden and two Welsh government civil servants.

Ms Antoniazzi said the committee needed to consider "when this news came out in the public arena".

She added: "I first raised my concerns over sexism and misogyny at the WRU in a St David's Day debate in the House of Commons last March.

'Were flags raised then?'

"There was then an article in the Daily Mail which raised the same concerns.

"The Senedd members need to ask what happened next. Were flags raised at the WRU and was the deputy minister involved in any discussions with them then?"

Tonia Antoniazzi says the chairman of the investigating taskforce should be from outside Wales, for "clarity and transparency"

Speaking in the Senedd last Wednesday, Ms Bowden said she had met the WRU twice following the BBC Wales Investigates programme on 23 January.

She said she had been engaging with the union on the "immediate actions that it must take to address these allegations and how it is providing a safe environment for its staff and wider stakeholders that is free from harassment and abuse of all kinds".

The UK government's Wales Office confirmed that, following the Commons debate, then Welsh secretary Simon Hart met the WRU on 24 March to discuss the concerns.

WRU chief executive Steve Phillips resigned at the weekend and the union has announced an "external taskforce" will be created to review accusations of sexism, misogyny and racism.

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Ms Antoniazzi said the head of the taskforce should come from outside Wales "purely because we need clarity, we need transparency".

She added: "It needs to be somebody who's not part of the old boys' network or seen as being part of the Cardiff bubble.

"Let's get a fresh pair of eyes on the WRU and let's move this forward."

Cardiff West MP Kevin Brennan told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast the Senedd's committee's involvement was "better late than never".

Welsh rugby has to "sort itself out" says Cardiff West MP Kevin Brennan

"Tonia's been warning about this for some time," he said. "It did take [the BBC Wales Investigates] programme to break that dam, to make people realise that action needed to be taken."

But he said the Welsh government should not be running Welsh rugby.

"Welsh rugby has to sort itself out and can be helped to do that," he said. "But it's got to find a way to run the game that doesn't involve this misogynistic culture… and the financial basket case that it's become."

In response, the WRU said: "We welcome Tonia's comments and look forward to Sport Wales identifying the taskforce's independent chair and confirming its composition.

"The Welsh Rugby Union will fully embrace these urgent next steps, we will open all quarters of the WRU up for the investigation that will follow and seek to carefully implement its recommendations upon its completion."

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