Labour MS Lee Waters has called on his boss Vaughan Gething to return the controversial £200,000 donation, as questions around the sum persist for the First Minister.
Gething received the donation from a company run by a man convicted twice for environmental offences.
Addressing the topic in the Senedd, Lee Waters the Labour MS for Llanelli said he was “deeply uncomfortable with the way I’m now in effect being expected to endorse something I just think is wrong”.
“I haven’t spoken out since the donation came to light ten weeks ago. I wanted to give time for the issue to be addressed. But it hasn’t been.”
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“It would not be a sign of weakness to say it was a mistake to take the donation and now all the facts are known to give it back.
“It can still be done, and in my view should be done.”
The First Minister has always maintained that all the rules were followed.
Waters made the comments as part of a debate put forward by Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Conservatives.
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However, he is not alone in his condemnation of Gething. Alun Davies the Labour MS for Blaenau Gwent added on X “many Labour MS’ agree with Lee”.
The UK Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer was questioned on the donation row in March, and publicly backed Gething.
“The First Minister has explained his actions, he has not broken any rules and that’s the end of the matter.”
Despite some Labour MS’ calling on their boss to return the £200,000, the Labour group voted down the calls for an independent review and a cap on donations.
In the debate, Jane Hutt, the Chief Whip said that “all the rules had been complied with”.
Meanwhile, Hefin David the Labour MS for Caerphilly shut down the row as a “non-issue” adding that “the more you did the less you find”.
Westminster has focussed on the donation also, as the Prime Minister backed an independent investigation into the donation.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, the PM said it was “an incredibly important issue” and there was a need for “transparency and an investigation”.
Last month, Gething confirmed that former Labour First Minister Carwyn Jones will lead a review of donations in an investigation on behalf of Welsh Labour.
Jones admitted earlier in the year that the decision to take the donations was “unfortunate” and “lessons need to be learned”.
Source Agencies
