Gething to give Labour £31,000 from his campaign

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Vaughan Gething's donations dominated his campaign
  • Author, David Deans
  • Role, 鶹Լ Wales political reporter

More than £31,600 will go from Vaughan Gething's leadership campaign to the Labour Party, a source from his campaign has told 鶹Լ Wales.

Vaughan Gething was given £251,600 in cash during his successful bid to become first minister - including £200,000 from a firm owned by a man previously convicted of environmental offences.

Senior Labour figures, including a member of Mr Gething's cabinet Mick Antoniw, have warned the party against taking any of the cash from Dauson Environmental Group.

The Conservatives said the donations had now become an issue for the entire Labour Party, while Plaid Cymru called for all Dauson money to be returned.

The figures mean that Mr Gething spent around £219,000 in cash.

Earlier his former rival Jeremy Miles said he had nothing left over from the £61,000 he had raised.

Under the campaign's rules, any leftover donations have to go to the Labour Party.

The campaign source said it will be up to Welsh Labour to decide how the money is spent, but Vaughan Gething wants the money to go on diversity programmes.

The Electoral Commission has previously told 鶹Լ Wales that donations handed over to Labour would count as going to the central Labour party, rather than Welsh Labour.

Speaking to James Williams on 鶹Լ Radio Wales Breakfast, Mr Miles confirmed he had filed his accounts, and that the deadline was Thursday.

"There's nothing left in my account," he said.

Electoral Commission records show that Mr Gething was given two separate £100,000 donations from Dauson Environmental Group in December and January.

He was also given £25,000 from taxi firm Veezu, £21,600 from Jeanne Marie Davies and £5,000 by Christopher Lyon.

A source in Vaughan Gething's campaign said: "Following the deadline of the election returns we can confirm that there is a remainder of £31,636.

"The party and the campaign teams will now make the necessary arrangements for the transfer of money."

'Show moral leadership'

Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies said donations had now become a "question for the whole Labour Party".

“Labour campaigning may now be funded by cash from somebody convicted of environmental offences," he said.

“Now we will learn if Labour have the courage of their convictions.”

Plaid Cymru South Wales Central Senedd member Heledd Fychan said the "sorry episode" over donations had "marred the first minister’s first few months in office at a time when Wales’s schools and hospitals are facing huge challenges and need a leader focused on the job".

"Unless Vaughan Gething does the right thing today and commits to returning the [Dauson] donation in full, serious and justified questions about his judgement won’t go away any time soon," she said.

"The UK Labour Party must also show some moral leadership and return the money."