Vale of Clwyd MS told to ‘calm down’ after angry Senedd outburst

A North Wales Senedd member had to be told to “calm down” after an angry outburst in the Senedd.

Gareth Davies, Conservative MS for the Vale of Clwyd, was cautioned over his behaviour during a debate on post-Brexit funding streams in the Welsh Parliament yesterday afternoon.

The discussion cropped up after Arfon MS Siân Gwenllian tabled a motion in which she said that Wales had been left worse £1bn worse off after the UK left the EU due to unreplaced funding.

The Plaid Cymru MS said that new arrangements run directly by the UK Government had undermined the Welsh Government’s ability to strategically plan spending for the benefit of Wales.

Conservative members were opposed to the motion and put forward an amendment in which they said Westminster had given “repeated confirmation” that Wales will not lose out on post-EU funding.

Mr Davies appeared animated during his response to the debate as he read from a sheet of paper.

He said: “I do take issue with Plaid’s motion this afternoon and the stance of their puppet masters in the Welsh Government.

“Wales will not be £1 billion worse off in unreplaced funding over the next three years, nor has the UK Government undermined the Welsh Government’s ability to strategically plan spending for the benefit of Wales and its communities.

“This blatant Welsh nationalist propaganda has to be treated with the contempt it deserves.

“The double accounting, fanciful figures and the revisionist history that has been used to come up with Wales’s imaginary losses—it would be funny if it wasn’t so dangerous.

“Its only purpose is to undermine the United Kingdom and further a nationalist agenda of dragging a so-called independent Wales kicking and screaming back into the European Union.”

Mr Davies refused to take interventions during his speech as opponents could be heard commenting in disagreement.

His anger appeared to grow as he continued, stating: “What Plaid like to gloss over is the fact that these funds could only be spent on terms set by the EU.

“This institution had no say, no sway, so it’s little wonder that what emerged was a string of broken promises, failed projects and a stagnant economy.

“The UK Government’s replacement schemes are in stark contrast.

“They are designed to deliver maximum benefit to local communities, designed to give local residents the final say in projects to improve their areas, yet this is unacceptable to Plaid and Labour politicians.”

His voice then grew into a shout as he said: “They don’t care about local communities, they only care about holding power onto them. I urge members to reject this motion.”

It was at that point that he was interrupted by the Llywydd (Presiding Officer) of the Senedd.

Elin Jones said: “Hold on. Hold on. I think you’re too angry, and I would consider just calming down in your contribution.”

Mr Davies claimed he was simply being passionate but Ms Jones responded: “No, no, that was anger. That was too much. I ask you to reflect on that for your future contributions. Yes, that was a bit of a shock there, actually.”