Cardiff West Plaid Cymru urges reconciliation over McEvoy row

Cardiff West Plaid Cymru branch members have urged "reconciliation" within the party's assembly group after AM Neil McEvoy was suspended.

But a vote to back him was not unanimous, the AM confirmed at a press conference a day after his colleagues pushed him out of the group.

A statement from Cardiff West members said Mr McEvoy "has our support" to be reinstated.

The mood of the meeting where the vote was held was "heated", a source said.

They added that it was "very different to the last time he was suspended".

The statement agreed by the Cardiff West branch said it "recognises and appreciate the work of Neil McEvoy as Assembly Member for South West Central and leader of the Plaid Group at Cardiff Council.

"We urge reconciliation within the Plaid Group at the National Assembly, and that mutual respect and appreciation is shown to all members.

"Neil McEvoy has our support to be reinstated as a group member."

AMs suspended Mr McEvoy - who is a Cardiff councillor in the ward of Fairwater - from the group on Tuesday morning after he was accused of "clearly breaching" the party's rulebook.

Colleagues were said to be unhappy with his conduct around his opposition to the party's backing of the abolition of right-to-buy.

Party leader Leanne Wood accused him of causing "distraction and disruption".

The move means that, in effect, Mr McEvoy is an independent AM.

At the press conference held on Wednesday, Mr McEvoy said of the meeting: "There was a very strong feeling that we wanted to get on with holding the government to account."

"Quite often there are disagreements," he said. "The vote was very strongly supporting me."

"Two or three people were entitled to their opinion," he said, adding he was not in the room when the vote was taken.

Asked what he thought about Leanne Wood after her comments on Tuesday, he said: "I've got nothing to say about that.

"I'm on record on supporting Leanne."

"I've got nothing negative to say about anybody in Plaid Cymru," he added. "I'm very very proud of the very strong support I had yesterday."

"I would obviously like to go in the Plaid Cymru group again," Mr McEvoy added.