Welsh Conservative MS Deletes Social Media Post Questioning Senedd’s Existence

The Welsh Conservatives have reaffirmed their commitment to devolution after one of their Members of the Senedd (MSs) published comments on social media suggesting the Senedd should be “rid” of. These statements, made by Joel James in a post that was promptly removed, were prompted by the recent proposals concerning the Senedd’s electoral boundaries in preparation for the 2026 election. A spokesperson for the Welsh Conservatives stated that Mr. James’s post on X did not “fully conveyed” the party’s stance of supporting devolution. Joel James has been approached for a statement. Within the social media post, the MS for South Wales Central included a link to a BBC Wales article detailing proposals for most Senedd constituencies to adopt names exclusively in Welsh. He appended the caption: “More and more reasons to get rid of the place…” Although the message has since been taken down, this instance is not the first occasion James has expressed opposition to devolution. Prior to the 2021 Senedd election, leaked documents pertaining to the selection process for Tory candidates revealed James’s assertion that it was time to conclude Labour’s “failed devolution experiment in Wales.” He further stated, “I will challenge the cosy Cardiff Bay consensus that has underachieved for Wales for so long, I will continue to push Welsh Labour out of south Wales, and I will campaign to end devolution in Wales.” The official policy of the Welsh Conservatives is to endorse devolution. In response to James’s post on Tuesday, a party spokesperson commented: “Joel fully understands the view of the Welsh Conservatives which is that we support devolution and want a Conservative government to use the powers of the Senedd to fix Wales.” The spokesperson added, “This was not fully conveyed in a deleted post on X.” The Conservative party’s stance on devolution has drawn attention recently, following an instance where Andrew RT Davies, the party’s former leader in Cardiff Bay, used social media to poll constituents on whether they desired the abolition of the Senedd. At that time, he indicated he was “keen to find out people’s views.” Darren Millar succeeded Davies in the leadership role earlier this month. Within days of assuming the position, Millar declared that the Welsh Conservatives were “pro-freedom of choice, pro-personal responsibility, pro-home ownership, pro-farming, pro-Wales and pro-devolution.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.