Welsh Government moving away from 'radicalism', Alun Davies claims

Alun Davies: 'What we're doing is looking at the lowest common denominator'

The Labour-run Welsh Government is moving away from "radicalism" in its ambitions, a former minister has said.

Labour AM Alun Davies said: "If somebody opposes us here, or if somebody disagrees with us there, we will retreat."

He made his remarks on BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement while speaking on plans to drop the Welsh Language Bill.

The Welsh Government declined to comment beyond a statement made by the Welsh language minister on Friday.

The Blaenau Gwent AM said: "I want to support a radical reforming government.

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"I want to be proud of the Welsh Government and proud of its ambitions and proud of its commitment to realising those ambitions.

"I am absolutely terrified that we are moving away from that radicalism and that we are moving away from that commitment to reform and what we're doing is looking at the lowest common denominator."

Alun Davies: 'I want to be proud of the Welsh Government'

He said he was "profoundly disappointment" by the recent announcement that the language bill was being dropped.

However, the move was welcomed by campaigners who claimed it would have weakened protection for the language.

The former lifelong learning and Welsh language minister said that in 13 years as an AM he had never broken the Labour whip.

But he said that during a debate on criminal justice policy earlier in the week he had felt "almost compelled" to do so because "a minister wouldn't commit to sustaining and supporting the policy of the government".

On the Welsh language, Mr Davies said that the commitment of Welsh Language Minister Eluned Morgan and First Minister Mark Drakeford was unquestionable.