Welsh election: Abolish party plans to 'turn devolution tide'

Richard Suchorzewski says his party would represent "devosceptics" in the Welsh Parliament

Plans to scrap the Senedd, devolved tax powers and a separate NHS for Wales have been unveiled by the Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party.

Launching its Senedd election policy statement, leader Richard Suchorzewski said it was time to "stop Wales sleepwalking towards independence".

The party goes into the poll on 6 May with two Senedd members, originally elected in 2016 as UKIP politicians.

However one of them is standing as an independent and not for ATWAP.

"In our policy statement we give a flavour of how we will approach representing devosceptics in the Welsh Assembly/Senedd," Mr Suchorzewski said.

"No more powers, no more politicians, no more arbitrary Welsh language targets.

"It's time to turn the tide against devolution and stop Wales sleepwalking towards independence."

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The party describes its policy statement, launched by Mr Suchorzewski at an event in Ebbw Vale, as "our road-map to save Wales and save the union by ending devolution".

It says its aim is to "abolish the Welsh Assembly (Senedd) to end devolved government in Wales".

"We should be one United Kingdom again, with one UK government."

ATWAP said the main consequences of this would be:

• Removing "a whole layer of politicians, 60 already in Cardiff Bay but soon to be up to 90, and saving the £65m+ annually needed to support them"

• Giving tax powers back to Westminster, "so we can't be made to pay more tax in a Wales made so much poorer by devolution"

• Restoring one National Health Service, "so patients in Wales can be treated equally to England, with shorter waiting times and better health outcomes"

• Allowing academies and free schools to set up in Wales [as in England] to offer a "better choice of schools, including the subjects taught and language used"

• Ending the one million Welsh speakers target, "with the public sector to communicate in Welsh on request rather than sending out everything bilingually"

Last September, Labour and Plaid members on a Welsh Parliamentary committee recommended up to 30 more Senedd members than the current 60 were needed, costing an estimated £12m more a year.

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Earlier on Friday, Mr Suchorzewski said more powers could be devolved to local authorities if the Senedd was abolished.

Giving an example, he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: "There are different parts of Wales where there's a high contingent who speak Welsh, and a much lower contingent.

"We will be arguing that local authorities should have a greater say as to how much money should be spent on the Welsh language in their particular area.

"Every local authority has a priority for their area - whatever they deem as being the most important, they can attribute their funds accordingly."

On next month's poll, Mr Suchorzewski said that if ATWAP got Senedd members elected "maybe, just maybe, we could hold the balance of power".

In that circumstance, he said the party could offer support to a government which would promise to hold a referendum "with abolition on that ticket".

• BASICS: Simple guide to the Senedd election

• POLICY GUIDE: Who should I vote for?

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