WRU sexism: Mark Drakeford launches probe into minister's comments

Mark Drakeford has launched an investigation into whether his sports minister breached the ministerial code.

Labour MP for Gower, Tonia Antoniazzi, accused Dawn Bowden of a "cynical attempt to rewrite history" in a BBC interview where she defended her lack of involvement in the Welsh Rugby Union sexism scandal.

The Labour first minister said Ms Bowden has requested the probe.

Mr Drakeford said a civil servant would carry out the investigation.

The ministerial code sets out the rules of conduct for ministers, requiring members of the government to observe the seven principles of public life.

That includes that holders of public office should be truthful.

It is often criticised because whether a minister should or should not be sanctioned for an offence is left to the first minister, or the prime minister in the case of the UK government.

In an interview Ms Bowden said she did not have details of complaints, but Ms Antoniazzi said she gave her details of women affected.

Ms Antoniazzi has since called for her to "seriously consider her position".

On Wednesday she said she welcomed the investigation and looks forward to co-operating with it.

Speaking in the Senedd on Tuesday, he said: "Since that interview, the minister has written to me asking that those allegations should be investigated under the ministerial code.

"So I've agreed to that. There will be an independent investigation of the allegations.

"When the investigation has taken place, the results of it will be known."

He made the comments under questioning from Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies, who asked who the investigator would be.

Mr Drakeford said the WRU "has a lot to prove still, but I think it has made a start on that journey".

He said it was "the deputy minister who regarded the allegations made against her to be so serious that she wished her name to be cleared, or not, depending on what the investigation concludes".

The investigation would be carried out in the first instance by the director of ethics, Mr Drakeford said, who is David Richards.

Mr Drakeford said he will not set a timetable for the investigation.

In a statement released after First Minister's Questions, Mr Davies said: "There is clearly some difference between the minister and the MP for Gower over what took place and when, and people in Wales deserve to know the truth of the matter."

Ms Bowden made similar comments to a Senedd committe earlier in the year.

Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth asked Mr Drakeford: "Given that the conflict in the accounts of Tonia Antoniazzi and the deputy minister are today what they were almost a year and a half ago, and that there have been requests for action to be taken to get at the truth for many, many months, why on earth has it taken until now for this to be referred in this way?"

Mr Drakeford said he did not recognise the comments and that he had acted because "there have been some fresh views expressed" by the MP for Gower.

On Sunday Ms Bowden told BBC One's Politics Wales programme she could not intervene sooner because she needed "details of their complaints" to give her "assurances that what was being said was actually real".

In a strong-worded statement posted to her website, Ms Antoniazzi said she had given contact details of women affected prior to the BBC Wales documentary's broadcast, but claimed Ms Bowden did not contact them.

Ms Antoniazzi told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast on Tuesday morning that it was "extremely upsetting" and "offensive" to learn that Ms Bowden had denied she had received the details.