A Welsh Tory has deleted a social media post in which he said it was time to “get rid” of the Senedd. Joel James, a regional MS for South Wales Central, reposted a BBC news story on X which detailed how new proposed Senedd seats would have Welsh-only names.
He reposted the story with the words “more and more reasons to get rid of this place”. The message has since been removed from his X – formerly Twitter – account. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter.
A spokesperson for the Welsh Conservative Party told the BBC: “Joel fully understands the view of the Welsh Conservatives which is that we support devolution and want a Conservative government to use the powers of the Senedd to fix Wales. This was not fully conveyed in a deleted post on X.”
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Last week, the Welsh Tory party’s new leader, Darren Millar, said he was focused on being the next First Minister of Wales, and made no reference to wanting to abolish the Senedd. He said: “I’m proud to be Welsh, proud to be British, I love my family, and love my food! But above all, my commitment lies with my constituents and with the people of Wales, who deserve far better from devolution than what Labour has delivered. My aim is clear, I want to lead the Welsh Conservatives into Government in 2026 so that we can fix Wales and make it a land of opportunity for all.”
Joel James has been asked by the BBC to clarify why he posted his original message, why it was deleted, and his thoughts on the future of the Senedd.