‘Marking own homework!’ Ex-Labour First Minister drafted in to review Welsh Labour donations amid scandal
The First Minister is under renewed pressure over refusing to launch an independent investigation after accepting a £200,000 donation during his election campaign from a man twice convicted of environmental offences.
The donation was made by Dauson Environmental Group.
Atlantic Recycling – which is connected to Dauson Environmental Group and controlled by David Neal donated £200,000 to Gething’s leadership campaign.
Neal was given a suspended prison sentence in 2013 for illegally dumping waste and prosecuted again in 2017 for not removing it.
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 last month that the decision to take the donations were ‘unfortunate’ and lessons need to be learned’.
Andrew RT Davies MS, the Leader of the Welsh Conservatives accused Welsh Labour of “marking their own homework”.
He added: “There are direct questions to be answered about the perception of a conflict of interest over Gething’s donations that relate to the Ministerial Code, and they are not just questions for the Labour Party.
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“Gething must now accept that a full, independent investigation is the only way to address the widely held concerns over his campaign finances.”
The decision to take the six figure sum has even been criticised by Gething’s own frontbench.
Jeremy Miles, Gething’s leadership opponent and currently the Minister for the Economy and Welsh Language said on Sunday that he would not have accepted the donation.
In an interview with ITV Wales’ Sharp End, Gething said: “As the leader of Welsh Labour, I’ve attended a very harmonious and positive meeting of the Welsh executive just this weekend gone, at which we have honoured my commitment to have a proper review of the elections process.
“Campaign finances is one of the issues to be agreed.
“Carwyn Jones, at my request, has agreed to chair that review, and it will report back to the Welsh Executive of Welsh Labour in September.”