Plaid suspends McEvoy again in right-to-buy row
PLAID Cymru AM Neil McEvoy could be facing expulsion from the party after the Plaid group at the National Assembly suspended him for a second time.
The South Wales Central AM, who earlier this year was suspended for a month by Cardiff council after an independent panel concluded that he made a bullying remark to a staff member, has recently angered colleagues by opposing party policy to end the right of council tenants to buy their homes.
Last week Mr McEvoy had a social media row with the party’s housing spokeswoman, Bethan Jenkins, with whom he was once in a relationship, after defending the “right to buy” on the grounds that it had been the only way many working people had been able to buy their homes.
Plaid has pledged to back Welsh Labour’s plan to scrap the right to buy because it reduces the social housing stock.
After the Plaid group’s unanimous decision to suspend Mr McEvoy indefinitely, party leader Leanne Wood sent a letter to all party members which said: “As we embark on a new term in the Senedd, the work of our Assembly group is more important than ever. The Labour Welsh Government’s poor record of running our public services requires intense scrutiny and the case must be made for protecting our nation from the UK government’s damaging EU Withdrawal Bill.
“Unity and mutual respect within the group are crucial factors if we are to carry out this work with success and fulfil our duty to the people of Wales. It is true, however, that the past few months have seen those values undermined.
“That is why, today, we have taken the difficult decision to suspend Neil McEvoy AM from the Plaid Cymru Assembly Group for clearly breaching rules he and all group members had signed up to regarding our expected conduct as Plaid Cymru AMs and representatives of the party.
“His breach of numerous Assembly group standing orders and our agreed Code of Conduct has caused distraction and disruption.
“As leader, I cannot allow elected members to act in a way which is detrimental to the party.
“It is my duty not to allow behaviour which undermines its unity.”
The party released details of the group standing orders Mr McEvoy is alleged to have breached. They include orders that members will:
Conduct themselves with due propriety and integrity at all times.
Members will maintain at all times a professional relationship with Assembly and other civil servants and with the party secretariat.
Members must not act in such a way as to bring the Group or the party into disrepute.
It is a condition of membership of the Group that the member abides by the provisions of these Standing Orders and the policies and decisions of the Group and breach by a member of these Standing Orders or actions contrary to the decisions of the Group may lead to disciplinary action.
In the event of the Group issuing a member with a written reprimand or withdrawing privileges for a fixed period, there will be no right of appeal. Any decision to suspend or expel a Member will be subject to appeal to the National Executive Committee.
Mr McEvoy said it would be inappropriate for him to comment at this stage, but a friend said: “This changes nothing. Neil came from an estate in Cardiff and he’s never forgotten where he’s come from. If Plaid is to keep calling itself the Party of Wales then it needs people like Neil in it.”