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Ex-leader Andrew RT Davies off Tory frontbench

BBC Andrew RT Davies stood looking at the camera with his head and shoulders visible. He is wearing a suit and tie.BBC
Andrew RT Davies resigned as Welsh Conservative leader last week

Newly-appointed Senedd Tory leader Darren Millar has announced a slimmed-down shadow cabinet, leaving out his predecessor Andrew RT Davies.

Three other Senedd politicians have been dropped from the frontbench, including Tom Giffard - who has lost his a senior role as education spokesman and had been previously thought of as a leadership contender.

The former leader will also be nominated to replace Paul Davies as Senedd chairman of the Economy Committee.

Millar said the shadow cabinet was a "government in waiting".

Andrew RT Davies quit last week after he won a vote of confidence of the group of 16 Senedd Tories, but only narrowly.

Millar was elected unopposed days later after no other Conservatives ran against him.

While Davies was leader all 15 of his colleagues were given shadow cabinet roles.

That is reduced to 12 under Millar. The jobs are not paid but spokesmen and women speak for the party in the media and the Senedd.

Davies, who has lost his additional salary of £32,652 as group leader, will be nominated to be chair of the economy committee in the Senedd.

Presuming no one else runs against him for the post, which is allocated to the Conservatives, then Davies will earn an additional salary of £14,636 on top of the £72,057 Senedd members earn.

'Very amicable'

Millar's shadow cabinet are:

  • Paul Davies; chief whip, shadow counsel general and shadow cabinet secretary for constitution and external affairs
  • Sam Rowlands; policy director and shadow cabinet secretary for finance
  • James Evans; shadow cabinet secretary for health and social care
  • Samuel Kurtz; shadow cabinet secretary for the economy, energy and Welsh language
  • Natasha Asghar; shadow cabinet secretary for education
  • Peter Fox; shadow cabinet secretary for infrastructure, transport and rural affairs
  • Joel James; shadow cabinet secretary for children, young people, mental health and wellbeing
  • Laura Anne Jones; shadow cabinet secretary for local government, housing and the armed forces
  • Janet Finch-Saunders; shadow cabinet secretary for climate change and environment
  • Gareth Davies; shadow cabinet secretary for culture, tourism, sport and north Wales
  • Altaf Hussain; shadow cabinet secretary for equalities and social justice

There were no roles for Russell George and Mark Isherwood, who continue as committee chairs but not party spokespeople, or Giffard, who is co-chair of the Senedd Covid inquiry committee.

Giffard was one of the seven MSs who opposed Andrew RT Davies in the vote of no confidence - all the others have been given shadow cabinet jobs.

A Welsh Conservative source said: "Darren sat down and had a very amicable conversation with everyone involved. The whole group is united behind him.

"Some people preferred a shadow cabinet role and others preferred a greater level of direct scrutiny."

Darren Millar is stood in a suit on a balcony of the Senedd in Cardiff Bay, in front of the wooden funnel that stands from the centre of the building.
Darren Millar said his shadow cabinet is a "government in waiting".

Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, Darren Millar, said: "This government in waiting will be firing on all cylinders until we replace the failing Labour administration in May 2026."