Welsh Conservatives leadership election, 2018
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Turnout | 52% | ||||||||||||
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The Welsh Conservatives leadership election, 2018 was triggered on 27 June by the resignation of Andrew RT Davies.[1]
Davies had led the Welsh Conservatives in the National Assembly for Wales since 14 July 2011.[2]
Paul Davies won the contest and became the leader of the group of 12 Conservative AMs who form the official opposition in the National Assembly.
Procedure
Candidates require a total of four nominations from Conservative AMs, including themselves, to stand.[3][4]
If there are three or more candidates, Conservative AMs vote until there are two candidates, who are then voted on by the party's membership.[5]
Timetable
29 June | Nominations open |
16 July | Nominations close |
17 July | Nominations announced |
30 July | Hustings start |
10 August | Hustings end |
15 August | Voting opens |
5 September | Voting closes |
6 September | Count and declaration |
Campaign
Group leader Andrew RT Davies stood down in June 2018. WalesOnline reported that this was because he felt he did not have the full support of the Conservative group.[4] He told the BBC that he had been aware of plans to remove him for more than a year.[6] His departure was credited to what The Guardian described as his "uncompromising" support for Brexit.[7]
Deputy leader Paul Davies was appointed as an interim leader, and announced that he would stand for the permanent leadership.[8][9]
In July, Suzy Davies announced she would stand, saying that she thought it was important for the Welsh Conservatives to have a contested election. She said she would be willing to work with Plaid Cymru to get rid of the Labour government in Wales.[3] She supported reducing taxes, as well as giving some business rates proceeds to councils to use them for private sector-led local development strategies. Suzy Davies also argued for giving the private sector a "real stake in the communities in which they develop" and giving workers an "emotional stake" in their employers.[10]
Paul Davies launched his campaign in Gwent, pledging to give Welsh Conservative Party members a vote on any potential coalition in the Welsh Assembly.[11] He said he would consider cutting taxes in Wales, as well as supporting high street businesses and redesign the business rates system.[10]
The South Wales Argus described Paul Davies as having the support of "most of the big hitters in the party".[12]
Candidates
Candidate | Political roles | Nominations from AMs | Endorsements | ||||||
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Paul Davies[1][13] | AM for Preseli Pembrokeshire since 2007
Deputy Leader of the Welsh Conservative Assembly Group since 2011 |
3 / 12 25.0%
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Suzy Davies[3] | AM for South Wales West since 2011
Shadow Minister for Tourism, Culture and the Welsh Language from 2011 to 2016 |
4 / 12 33.3%
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Declined
- Russell George, AM for Montgomeryshire since 2011[13]
- David Melding, AM for South Wales Central since 1999, Deputy Presiding Officer from 2011 to 2016[15]
- Darren Millar, AM for Clwyd West since 2007, Shadow Minister for Education since 2016[13][16][14]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies quits - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
- ↑ "Andrew RT Davies elected Tory Welsh assembly leader". BBC.co.uk. 14 July 2011. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Suzy Davies to stand for Tory AMs leader". 3 July 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- 1 2 Shipton, Martin (28 June 2018). "The story behind Andrew RT Davies' ousting as Welsh Conservative leader".
- ↑ 29 June 2018 at 3:57pm (2018-06-27). "Welsh Conservatives set out timetable to find new leader in Assembly | Wales - ITV News". Itv.com. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
- ↑ "'Moves afoot to try and remove me'". BBC News.
- ↑ Morris, Steven (27 June 2018). "Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies quits after Airbus row". the Guardian.
- ↑ "County AM takes Conservative Interim Leader role in Assembly". Western Telegraph.
- ↑ "Davies quits as Welsh Conservative leader". 27 June 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- 1 2 Jones-Evans, Dylan (2018-08-27). "The verdict on the contenders for the next leader of the Welsh Conservatives". walesonline. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
- 1 2 "Tory AM visits Gwent to launch leadership campaign". South Wales Argus. 2018-08-03. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
- ↑ "THE POLITICS FILE: What does autumn have in store for Welsh politics?". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
- 1 2 3 "The contenders to succeed Andrew RT Davies as leader of the Welsh Conservatives Assembly group". Wales Online. 2018-06-27. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
- 1 2 "Welsh Conservative leadership: 'No coronation of a Remainer'". BBC News. 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
- ↑
- ↑ "Who will be the next Welsh Conservative assembly leader?". BBC News. 2018-06-27. Retrieved 2018-07-02.