Monmouth AM Nick Ramsay kept suspended by Conservatives

Nick Ramsay has been suspended from his party and the Conservative assembly group

A senior assembly member arrested on New Year's Day but released without charge remains suspended from the Conservatives as the party continues its investigations.

Nick Ramsay is thought to be taking legal advice over the arrest.

Party sources claim there have been several occasions when his behaviour after drinking led to complaints.

Friends reject claims he has been spoken to about allegations relating to alcohol.

They say the suspension process may be open to legal challenge.

• Welsh Tory AM released without charge by police

Mr Ramsay's friends also defended him and suggested he was the victim of a campaign against him by some in his local party in Monmouth.

That claim is denied by the local party chairman, Nick Hackett-Pain.

The Welsh Conservatives say an "investigation is underway". The party did not explain what the investigation is looking into.

Mr Ramsay, a frontbench Tory spokesman in the assembly and chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, was suspended from his party and Conservative group in the Senedd following the arrest.

The AM was released without charge by Gwent Police, but his suspension from both the Conservatives and the Tory Welsh Assembly group was not lifted.

He has not been seen at the assembly since his release. His colleague, party whip Darren Millar, has deputised for him at every public accounts committee meeting this year.

One Conservative AM told BBC Wales discussions with Mr Ramsay were at a "bit of a stalemate" and they had "no idea" when he is due to return to the assembly.

Jacob Rees-Mogg was at a dinner where Mr Ramsay is alleged to have made an inappropriate remark

BBC Wales has also learned Mr Ramsay was the subject of complaints by some of his own local members about a speech he made at Monmouth Conservative Association's spring dinner in 2018.

Senior Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg was guest of honour.

Several sources say complaints were made to the assembly's standards commissioner about an allegedly "inappropriate" remark during his speech at the end of the event at Chepstow Racecourse.

One person present claimed Mr Ramsay had had "slightly more to drink than he should have".

BBC Wales has been told the commissioner decided Mr Ramsay had not broken the members' code of conduct. The commissioner's office declined to comment.

Friends of Nick Ramsay have defended the Monmouth AM's conduct.

A source told BBC Wales: "A lot of the allegations being made aren't new.

"There are members of the local party who've been bullying and attempting to intimidate Nick and his family for some time now. The party has been aware of these issues.

"Hopefully they can be addressed and Nick and his family can get the support they need. They've been through a difficult time - Nick just wants things to get back to normal."

'No campaign'

One friend of Mr Ramsay said: "I have been in Nick's company and that of his wife many times and I've seen no evidence that he drinks to excess, or has any behaviour problems when he drinks."

The allegations of a smear campaign were rejected as "entirely untrue" by Monmouth Conservative Association chairman Nick Hackett-Pain.

"I have been an active member of this association for a quarter of a century," he told BBC Wales.

"There's no campaign within the association to discredit Nick, cause him problems or difficulties for his family."

Mr Hackett-Pain says he has written to Mr Ramsay and "offered him what help we are able to give him at this time".

Mr Ramsay has been involved in several controversies since being elected AM for Monmouth in 2007:

• In June 2014 he was investigated by the assembly's presiding officer over a claim he was drunk in the Senedd chamber, a claim he denied. Assembly authorities took no further action

• In 2012 he twice failed to turn up on time for committees he was chairing. The party assembly group apologised

• In 2011 he was barred from a Monmouthshire pub

On the question of when Mr Ramsay might return to the assembly, one source close to him told BBC Wales: "Nick was elected as a Conservative AM, he respects the party and its approach, and he's waiting for this to resolved by the party before returning."

A Welsh Conservative spokesman said: "Nick Ramsay remains suspended. An investigation is underway and we won't be commenting further."