Stephen Crabb rejects pause for 'scrap' on devolution powers

Stephen Crabb said the assembly needed 'a sense of purpose' when he addressed AMs in June

Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb has denied new plans for devolution will weaken the assembly's powers and has refused to delay the process.

A draft Wales Bill offering more powers to Wales is to be published on Tuesday.

Mr Crabb claimed some politicians were looking for "a great big scrap" ahead of the 2016 assembly election.

Labour AM Mick Antoniw said his party may oppose a bill which did not give "constitutional clarity" on power-sharing between Wales and Westminster.

The UK government is proposing a "reserved powers" model where powers are assumed to be devolved unless they are listed as Westminster responsibilities.

The Welsh government is in favour of the principle but First Minister Carwyn Jones has claimed the current proposals could "restrict the powers of the people of Wales".

'No weight'

Mr Crabb denied this, promising the assembly's additional powers over energy, transport, and "to call itself a Parliament and to be a Parliament if it wants".

"In what sense can anyone possible argue that this is actually reducing the powers of the Welsh government and the Welsh Assembly? That charge simply carries no weight whatsoever," he told Sunday Politics Wales.

First Minister Carwyn Jones has called for a pause to allow more cross-party talks on the bill

The Welsh secretary also rejected a call by the first minister to delay the bill in order to "get this right rather than rush it".

"What we're not going to do is suddenly pause the whole thing because it suits the political interests of some of those in Cardiff Bay, who basically want to have a great big scrap over this in the run up to the Welsh elections in May," he said.

Mr Antoniw told the programme he had fundamental concerns whether the bill would provide "constitutional clarity" and may not be "fit for purpose".

"We might end up having to oppose an inadequate bill if that situation was to arise," he said.

The draft Wales Bill will be open to consultation before a final version is due to be presented in February.

Sunday Politics Wales is on BBC One Wales on Sunday, 18 October, at 11:00 BST.