Gething forgets to mention £25,000 donation

the driver who had failed It had all started with to collect Mr Moreland

nd and reported them to an innocent enough question from former Cardiff City Council’s ministerial colleague licensing department. Julie Morgan. Vaughan Gething

Ms Morgan asked praised Veezu for its about access to prompt action. transport for visually D isab i l i ty impaired people. discrimination was

Mr Gething unacceptable, and the responded with a First Minister stressed combination of soft soap his government’s and reassurance. determination to provide

Ms Morgan followed disability training to up by relating what taxi drivers to avoid happened to one of repetition. her visually impaired Even a pointier constituents, Ryan question from the Moreland. Conservative Shadow

Mr Moreland needed Transport Minister, to attend hospital. He Natasha Ashgar, ordered a taxi. The taxi about facilities at driver saw Mr Moreland TFW-operated railway waiting with his guide stations didn’t deflect Mr dog and drove off. Gething.

Later, another taxi driver His government is charged him ( unlawfully) committed to doing the an extra £ 5 for letting his right thing. guide dog into the taxi. Andrew RT Davies

Mr Gething rose to ask a withoutmoved from smooth notice question. reassurance to practised Mr Davies began outrage with barely a neutrally: “The question flicker. The facts were that started this so immediately to hand session of question that it was almost as time from Julie Morgan though he knew what indicated that a taxi firm Julie Morgan would ask obviously had broken him. the discrimination

The taxi company, rules against disabled Veezu, had dismissed people.”

The Conservative leader pressed home his point more combatively.

“I believe the owner of that taxi firm contributed to your leadership campaign, First Minister.”

Veezu did contribute. It contributed £ 25,000.

Mr Davies continued: “In referencing them, I am sure you inadvertently would have declared an interest. Still, I’m sure you’ll want to put that on the record so people can understand that you did receive a donation from them.”

At that point, Mr Gething’s face turned to stone.

Since the last Questions, he’d spent the time claiming the £200,000 donation to his leadership campaign by an environmental crook was not a matter that needed independent scrutiny.

And he’d been pantsed by Andrew RT Davies in front of the whole Chamber for a basic oversight.

The pretence he should be judge and jury over ministerial proprietary flew out of the window.

Mr Davies pressed further, but the damage had been done with his initial point.

Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth underlined Mr Davies’s point.

Before asking the First Minister about the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Mr ap Iorwerth observed: “Perhaps the First Minister should reflect on whether a declaration of interest is needed when he mentioned not once but twice, in positive terms, a taxi firm, Veezu, that he was given £25,000 by as a donation to his campaign.”

Mr Gething responded by confusing the declarations of contributions made to the Electoral Commissions about who bankrolled his leadership campaign and his absolute obligation to declare a personal and potentially prejudicial interest regarding Veezu to the Welsh Parliament.

They are entirely separate issues.

If the First Minister doesn’t understand the difference, an independent inquiry will clarify it for him. It’d certainly do a better job than a very limited internal review/ whitewash headed by Carwyn Jones.