Former Leader Andrew RT Davies Excluded from Senedd Tory Frontbench

Darren Millar, the recently appointed leader of the Senedd Tories, has unveiled a reduced shadow cabinet that does not include his predecessor, Andrew RT Davies. In addition, three other Senedd politicians have been removed from the frontbench, among them Tom Giffard, who has been divested of his senior position as education spokesman and was previously regarded as a potential leadership candidate. The former leader, Andrew RT Davies, is also set to be nominated to succeed Paul Davies as the Senedd chairman of the Economy Committee. Millar characterized the shadow cabinet as a “government in waiting.” Andrew RT Davies resigned last week following a narrow victory in a vote of confidence among the group of 16 Senedd Tories. Days afterward, Millar was elected without opposition as no other Conservative candidates stood against him. During Davies’s leadership, all 15 of his colleagues held shadow cabinet positions. This number has been reduced to 12 under Millar. While these roles are unpaid, the spokespeople represent the party in both the media and the Senedd. Davies, who no longer receives his additional salary of £32,652 as group leader, is slated for nomination as chair of the economy committee in the Senedd. Assuming no other individual contests the position, which is designated for the Conservatives, Davies would receive an additional salary of £14,636, supplementing the £72,057 earned by Senedd members. The composition of Millar’s shadow cabinet was also outlined. Russell George and Mark Isherwood, who retain their positions as committee chairs but not as party spokespeople, were not assigned roles, nor was Giffard, who serves as co-chair of the Senedd Covid inquiry committee. Giffard was among the seven Members of the Senedd (MSs) who opposed Andrew RT Davies in the vote of no confidence; all the other individuals from this group have received shadow cabinet appointments. According to a Welsh Conservative source: “Darren sat down and had a very amicable conversation with everyone involved. The whole group is united behind him.” The source added, “Some people preferred a shadow cabinet role and others preferred a greater level of direct scrutiny.” Darren Millar, the Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, stated: “This government in waiting will be firing on all cylinders until we replace the failing Labour administration in May 2026.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.