Labour’s Vaughan Gething dodges questions over accepting £200k donation from ‘firm linked to criminal probe’ as Welsh First Minister faces no-confidence vote this week which will force him to miss D-Day event

Vaughan Gething has dodged fresh questions over his acceptance of £200,000 in controversial donations to his recent Welsh Labor leadership campaign.

The First Minister, who is facing a vote of no confidence in the Senedd over the row, refused to answer questions from one BBC reporter at a Welsh language festival.

Mr Gething has faced weeks of criticism over the six-figure sum donated to his campaign by a man convicted of environmental crimes.

He took the money from the Dauson Environmental Group, owned by millionaire businessman David Nealwhile campaigning to replace Mark Drakeford as leader of Welsh Labour.

The BBC has now reported that Resources Management Limited, another of Mr Neal’s companies, was subject to a criminal investigation by Natural Resources Wales at the time Mr Gething took the money.

Footage of a BBC reporter approaching Vaughan Gething at Urdd Eisteddfod in Maldwyn, Powys, on Friday showed the Welsh First Minister refusing to answer questions

Mr Gething worked with Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer on the campaign trail for the general election last week

Footage of a BBC reporter approaching Mr Gething at Urdd Eisteddfod in Maldwyn, Powys, on Friday showed the First Minister refusing to answer questions.

Mr Gething said: ‘I’ve been answering a lot of questions about donations and I’m here in the Urdd meeting businesses here, and I’ve got to see a lot of people and I’ll be more than happy to answer more questions in the future. the Senedd no doubt.’

The BBC reported that Mr Gething told them later today: ‘Why on earth would I have known about an investigation at the time?

‘I have complied with all the rules throughout the process and the BBC said today that there is no evidence at all that I broke any rules during the competition.’

Asked when he first became aware of the criminal investigation, Mr Gething said he “found out about it when it was reported”.

Resources Management Limited said it would continue to ‘cooperate fully with any ongoing investigations by Natural Resources Wales’.

Mr Gething worked with Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer on the campaign trail for the general election last week.

Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said: ‘Vaughan Gething’s donations simply don’t pass the smell test.

‘He was so desperate to become Prime Minister that he accepted this dirty money despite the misery these companies have caused.

‘And Keir Starmer is so desperate to become Prime Minister that he is willing to assist Vaughan Gething on this matter.

“It is time to restore the integrity of the office of Prime Minister.”

Mr Gething, who has been leader of the Welsh Labor Party since March, faces a vote of no confidence in the Senedd on Wednesday after being beset by scandals.

In addition to the row over donations, the First Minister has faced accusations that he may have deleted posts that could be relevant to the Covid investigation.

The Welsh Government today said the timing of the vote of no confidence would force Mr Gething to miss the national D-Day commemoration in Portsmouth.

All of Senedd’s opposition members – including Plaid Cymru and Welsh Liberal Democrats leader Jane Dodds – are expected to support the Conservative motion.

Labor has 30 of the 60 seats in the Senedd, so for the no-confidence motion to pass, at least one Labor member would have to either vote in favor of the motion or abstain.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips program that his party would support the vote of no confidence.

Mr Ap Iorwerth said: ‘We have no confidence in the Prime Minister. More importantly, the Welsh public have no confidence in him.

‘But it is Labor who will decide – Labor members of the Senedd in that vote of no confidence, but crucially also Keir Starmer, who has shown by his parachuting of candidates into Wales at the last minute that he is very happy to be a puppet master within the country wants to act. the entire Labor Party.”