New Welsh Tory Chairman Affirms Support for Devolution Amidst Calls for Debate

The recently elected leader of the Welsh Conservatives’ grassroots membership has dismissed proposals for the party to contemplate the abolition of the Senedd. Bernard Gentry, a former trade union official from the London Underground, was named the new Welsh Tory chairman during the party’s annual general meeting held on Saturday. George Carroll, one of Gentry’s competitors, had advocated for initiating a discussion regarding the party’s position in favor of devolution. However, Gentry asserted that the issue in Wales stemmed from “25 years of Labour government,” rather than the presence of the Senedd. He declared the subject “closed.” Contesting assertions that the majority of Conservative activists oppose devolution, Gentry claimed that the “majority of people actually back what we are doing.” These remarks provoked a strong negative reaction from two anti-devolution members within his party. Concurrently, it is understood that leading figures within the Welsh Conservatives have endorsed a report proposing the establishment of a directly elected leader for the party in Wales. Presently, the Welsh Tories operate under a tripartite leadership structure, comprising the chairman, the Senedd Tory leader, and the shadow Welsh Secretary. Gentry, who also serves as a community councillor, previously spent 12 years on Lambeth council, where he held the position of Conservative group leader. He emerged victorious over Carroll, who had also pledged to amend rules facilitating the reselection of incumbent Members of the Senedd, and Havard Hughes. In an interview with BBC Wales, Gentry stated: “There is no suggestion or idea that we want to abolish the Welsh Parliament.” He continued: “What we want to do is make sure that we return many more Conservative MSs.” “The problem that exists in Wales is not devolution – it’s 25 years of Labour government. We need to turn that around and not run away from it.” “So the whole issue of devolution, of rolling back on devolution, is closed.” Last month, Huw Davies, a grassroots activist and deputy chairman of the South Wales East Conservatives, informed the BBC podcast Walescast that he believed “80%, if not more, of Conservative members would support abolition of the Senedd.” He further noted that, in addition to a disconnect with the membership, there was also a “disconnect with our voters.” Gentry, who previously served as a senior trade union health and safety representative during his time on the London Underground, stated that “party members have strongly supported me, the party in Westminster strongly supports devolution, and the Senedd members firmly support this.” He added: “I have no doubt whatsoever that while there is a small vocal minority, the majority of people actually back what we are doing.” “For us to say anything else would just open us up to accusations that… the Conservative party do not care about Wales.” In response, Davies reported that members had reached out to him, expressing that they were “furious at these baseless remarks.” He suggested that if Gentry genuinely believes members support devolution, he could definitively settle the matter by holding a members’ vote on the topic or by allowing members to vote at the upcoming AGM. He concluded: “I suggest he will do neither for the obvious reason that we are a devosceptic party led by a devophile elite.” The chairman’s election occurred via an electoral college composed of grassroots party officials, a process Davies characterized as representing a “tiny fraction of members at the top of the party.” David Fouweather, a Newport councillor and fellow grassroots member, accused Gentry of residing in “cloud cuckoo land if he thinks that most Conservative members back devolution.” Fouweather added: “If Gentry thinks his position on devolution is right then he should put himself forward to a vote of all party members in Wales. This new Chairman is as out of touch as our MS group, who are also allergic to making themselves accountable to members in selections.” He further stated: “The pro-devolution minority at the top of the party seem to be determined to provoke a civil war with ordinary members.” Gentry explained that a significant part of his campaign focused on how the party would reorganize “so that we concentrate and give our local volunteers and members, the tools, the ability, the confidence to go out and campaign.” He commented that the party had “lost its way” and needed to draw lessons from its general election defeat, which resulted in no Welsh MPs. Concurrently, BBC Wales has been informed that the Welsh board has approved a report advocating for the establishment of a single Welsh Conservative leader. In contrast to Scotland, the Welsh Conservatives currently lack a formally elected leader who represents the Welsh branch of the Tory party. This development follows previous calls from Conservative Senedd members for the Senedd leader to serve as the party’s official figurehead. While approved by the board in Wales, the ultimate decision rests with UK leader Kemi Badenoch. Gentry noted that “a lot of these things will be with the party leader in London and also with the UK party board,” of which he is a member. He added that it was “one of the things that we will be looking at in the coming weeks.” The internal report, compiled subsequent to the general election defeat, additionally advises that the Conservative party cultivate a more robust Welsh brand prior to the next Senedd election in 2026, decentralize more of the party’s organizational functions to Wales, and empower members with a greater say in shaping party policy.