Tory contest: 'PM's successor will resolve status of Welsh leader'

The status of the Conservatives' leader in Wales will be sorted out under Theresa May's successor, the party's assembly group leader has said.

Paul Davies was elected by party members last year to head the Senedd group, but there is no official leader of the Welsh Conservatives.

He met some of the leadership contest's candidates in Westminster last week.

Mr Davies said he was "very confident" the issue "will be resolved in the very near future".

When he was elected last year, the party made it clear members were choosing a leader of the Welsh Conservative group in the National Assembly.

Mr Davies and his predecessors have regularly been called Welsh Conservative leader, even though the job technically does not exist.

His status is different to his Scottish counterpart Ruth Davidson. The Scottish Tories have different rules, making Ms Davidson their formal leader.

There has been a long-running debate about whether things should change in Wales. Welsh Tory chairman Byron Davies said earlier this year that it was time for a rule change, but that members should have the final say.

However, Monmouth Tory MP David Davies has said it is "a row not worth having".

Paul Davies has not named a favourite candidate in the race for 10 Downing Street.

He voted Remain in 2016 and backed Theresa May's withdrawal deal.

Asked whether he could support a leader who wanted a no-deal Brexit, he said: "I can understand why candidates would actually want to put that on the table when negotiating - that's obviously very, very important.

"But you will know that I made it absolutely clear that I supported the Prime Minister's deal, the deal she negotiated with the European Union, which would have meant that we would have left the European Union in an orderly manner."