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Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Conservative party in Wales, has claimed there was “plotting” to oust him as leader as early as April. Davies resigned after narrowly surviving a confidence vote following months of pressure over the party’s direction in Wales. Davies believes some members of his party intended to “open the leadership question” in April, and that plotting was not helpful for the Conservative party’s cause. Davies defended his leadership but did not explain the reason behind his resignation.
Only Conservative chief whip Darren Millar has announced his candidacy for Davies’ replacement so far. However, five Conservative members of Senedd have now backed Millar, including Paul Davies, Russell George, Tom Giffard, James Evans and Gareth Davies. At least three endorsements are required to run as a candidate, and Davies believes Millar has support from experienced campaigners and strong media performers.
Nominations for the new leader will close at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Millar says he wants to “get back to holding the Welsh government to account”. He is keen to work towards uniting the party and taking the fight to Labour, Plaid Cymru, Reform and the Lib Dems in the future. Giffard denied that there were “big splits” in the group, adding “what’s really important now is that we unite as a party”.
Davies told BBC Wales that MSs had asked him to quit at a meeting last week, citing three criticisms on his messaging, that he was indifferent to the job, and the recent attempt by his senior advisor to become Welsh Conservative chairman. Nine Tory Senedd members backed him in Tuesday’s vote, with seven opposed to him. Davies believes there was a need to get the Welsh Conservatives “into the best possible place” to challenge the Welsh Labour government in the 2026 Senedd election and “make that change that Wales desperately needs”.
Ultimately, Davies considered that the best way to unite the party in the Senedd was to tender his resignation, despite winning the vote of confidence. He now believes a new leader will have the best opportunity to challenge the Welsh Labour government in the 2026 election. Millar praised Davies for his leadership skill, and says he will work towards building on Davies’s legacy
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