BBCThe Conservative leader in the Welsh Parliament, Andrew RT Davies, has resigned after narrowly surviving a vote of confidence of his party colleagues.
In a letter Davies said he did so with regret after some of his Members of the Senedd (MSs) had threatened to resign from his front bench last week if he did not quit.
He won a vote of Tory Senedd members on Tuesday morning, with nine in support – including Davies’ own vote – and seven against.
Davies described his position as “untenable” following the vote and said in his resignation statement that “it was clear from the result that a substantial minority of the group do not support our approach”.
Davies had been leader of the Tories in the Senedd for most of the past 13 years – first becoming party leader in 2011.
He had resigned from the role last in 2018, and stepped in after his successor Paul Davies resigned over a scandal involving alcohol in the Senedd during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is the first significant resignation of a senior Conservative since Kemi Badenoch became party leader.
In a letter to his Welsh Tory chair Bernard Gentry, Davies accused party colleagues in the Senedd of undermining him.
He said he would not stand in the forthcoming leadership contest.
What led to Andrew RT Davies’ resignation?
In recent months Davies has faced criticism from some Westminster Conservatives about the direction of the party, and whether they were giving voters an alternative vision.
Supporters of Davies say he was attempting to tackle the threat of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, taking the party in a more right-leaning direction, while opponents are concerned the party is not trying to broaden its support.
The MS for South Wales Central has courted controversy with his social media account – In the summer comments about halal meat led to accusations from a Muslim group of “race-baiting”.
Former Welsh Tory Senedd leader Lord Bourne also criticised a message on X which showed Davies asking constituents if they thought the Senedd should be abolished.
It comes after a poll at the weekend suggested the Conservatives were in fourth place in Wales, behind Plaid Cymru, Reform and Labour.
Last week, Davies wrote: “A group of Senedd members approached me, threatening to resign their positions in shadow cabinet if I did not agree to step down as leader.
“I therefore requested a motion of confidence in my leadership to be held at a meeting this morning.
“This vote has now taken place. It was clear from the result that a substantial minority of the group do not support our approach, despite it being the only viable strategy available.
“While I would have been honoured to continue as leader, my position is consequently untenable.”
‘Risks electoral oblivion’
Davies wrote his approach would have “united the centre right” in Wales and “won over new support to the Conservative Party”.
He warned with the new entirely proportional electoral system for the Senedd in 2026: “Any other approach, particularly one that results in obfuscation and failure to confront controversial subjects the public demands we tackle, risks electoral oblivion.
“Over recent months, it has become increasingly difficult to take this necessary approach, due to resistance from some members within the Senedd group,” he said.
“In many cases, it was impossible to offer clarity of message, with statements contradicted publicly by certain members. This made it unclear to the public exactly what the Conservative Party in Wales stands for.”
Nigel Huddleston MP, co-chairman of the Conservative Party, thanked Davies “for his dedication and leadership of the Welsh Conservatives”.
“Over 10 years he has done a great job in holding the Welsh Labour government to account – never missing an opportunity to highlight their mishandling of the NHS, roads and the economy.
“The whole Conservative Party is united in renewing the Party for the future and I know that Andrew will help us with that mission as he continues in his role as an Assembly Member,” he said, incorrectly using an old title for Senedd politicians abolished in 2020.
