Ex-Welsh secretary could work for under-fire Tory

Former cabinet member David TC Davies is in talks to work as an aide for a Senedd politician who is currently under police investigation over her expenses.

He is seeking a senior role with Tory MS Laura Anne Jones, who earlier this month also apologised for using a racial slur in a text message.

The ex-Conservative Welsh secretary was an MP from 2005 to earlier this year, losing his seat in Monmouthshire in the summer general election.

BBC Wales was told Mr Davies will not be commenting about the move, while Ms Jones was also asked to comment.

Mr Davies had served as an member of the Welsh Assembly, as it was known at the time, for the seat of Monmouth from 1999 to 2007.

He was also Welsh secretary - the UK government's main ministerial spokesperson for Wales - in Rishi Sunak's cabinet before the general election.

It is understood Mr Davies, who was defeated by Labour candidate Catherine Fookes in July, is looking for work in an area he is familiar with.

Laura Anne Jones is being investigated by police over allegations about her expenses, after she was referred to the police by Senedd Standards Commissioner Douglas Bain.

Earlier in the summer BBC Wales published texts about expenses from the phone of Ms Jones, where a staff member was asked: "When doing petrol thing - always make more than I did – add in stuff please OK."

The context for the WhatsApp messages regarding her expenses was not evident.

A solicitor on her behalf said at the time: "Ms Jones is satisfied that any allegations in relation to impropriety surrounding expenses are entirely misconceived".

Police say the investigation is still ongoing.

In a separate story, she apologised for using a racist slur about Chinese people in a WhatsApp group chat.

She used the term in an exchange about the Chinese-owned video app TikTok.

In a statement, Ms Jones said the word was "unacceptable and I deeply regret using it".