Vaughan Gething: Probe call over Labour hopeful's £200k donations

The Conservative Senedd leader has urged the first minister to launch an investigation into donations received by the economy minister as part of his Welsh Labour leadership campaign.

It emerged on Wednesday that Vaughan Gething had accepted £200,000 from a company run by a man who has twice been convicted for environmental offences.

Andrew RT Davies said it raised questions about Mr Gething's judgement.

Mr Gething has said the donations were "checked and filed properly".

They were also "declared to the Senedd", he said. The Welsh government has been asked to comment.

In the meantime, a former Welsh government minister told BBC Wales Mr Gething had been "naive" and had shown "appalling judgement".

Vaughan Gething, the Cardiff South and Penarth Senedd member (MS), is up against Education Minister Jeremy Miles in the race to succeed Mr Drakeford as leader of Welsh Labour and first minister of Wales.

Electoral Commission documents show that he has received two separate donations of £100,000 from Dauson Environmental Group, since Mr Drakeford announced his decision to stand down in December.

That company is run by David Neal, who was given a suspended prison sentence in 2013 for illegally dumping waste on a conservation site.

Four years later he was given another suspended prison sentence for failing to remove the waste.

Firms operated by Mr Neal previously donated £38,000 to Mr Gething, in 2018, at the time of the last Welsh Labour leadership race.

In a letter to the first minister on Thursday, Andrew RT Davies described the reports as "concerning".

"There is also the matter that Dauson Environmental Group operates in an area of business which is regulated by the Welsh government, so it is important that no perception of favourability can be allowed to develop.

"Can you confirm that you will be launching an investigation into the economy minister under the Ministerial Code in order to clarify this matter?"

The Ministerial Code is a set of rules that government ministers are expected to follow.

It states that: "Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise."

Records also show that firms operated by Mr Neal have received loans via the Development Bank of Wales, a Welsh government-owned body which provides financial support to Welsh businesses.

As economy minister, Vaughan Gething is responsible for overseeing the Development Bank of Wales.

A former minister, who did not want to be named, told BBC Wales: "This just stinks. The ministerial code makes it clear that ministers have to take personal responsibility on donations.

"Taking a donation from a recipient of Development Bank funds, when you are minister for the Development Bank, is naive and shows appalling judgement, to say the least."

Dr Elin Royles, from Aberystwyth University's Centre for Welsh Politics and Society, said the donations to Mr Gething's campaign "raise questions about his attitude towards environmental issues".

"And you can imagine how it stirs things up in relation to the agricultural protests at the moment," she told BBC Radio Cymru.

Speaking on the discussion programme Dros Ginio (English translation - Over Lunch), she said: "Why put farmers in such a difficult position to act on the environment if you then are willing to take money from a company that obviously doesn't respect environmental regulations?

"It could be a problem for him in this leadership campaign but because of the timing with ballots it's probably going to have less of an impact than it would have a few weeks ago."

As he took part in a BBC Wales hustings programme on Wednesday night, Mr Gething said the donations had all been "checked and filed properly with the Electoral Commission" and "declared to the Senedd".

A spokesperson for Mr Gething's campaign said: "Dauson Environmental Group Limited has donated to Vaughan Gething's leadership campaign.

"All donations are declared to both the Senedd and the Electoral Commission in line with the rules and Vaughan's commitment to transparency.

"It's a matter of public record that Welsh government ministers do not take decisions on individual investments or loans provided by the Development Bank of Wales.

"Vaughan Gething's leadership manifesto pledges to strengthen enforcement action to protect the environment and pledges stricter penalties for those who break environmental rules."