The Wales@Westminster weblog, BBC Wales' Parliamentary correspondent David Cornock's diary on political life
Monday, 5 February
Father's Day
posted by David | 1015 GMT |
News from the Tories, where the father of one of the party's MPs has finally been barred from standing in the Welsh assembly elections.
Peter Davies, a councillor in Newport, has been suspended from the list of approved candidates, just days before the party chooses its candidates for the regional list in south east Wales.
Older readers may recall that last November Tory assembly group leader Nick Bourne ordered the "urgent" suspension of Mr Davies, father of Monmouth AM and MP David Davies. Peter Davies had written to the Western Mail to suggest that the assembly be scrapped.
Urgency is relative, but three months on, give or take a day or two, Mr Davies received a letter informing him of his suspension just days before the deadline for applying for the remaining places on the regional list.
He can appeal but any appeal would probably be heard after the Tories have chosen their candidates.
I understand Mr Davies is rather underwhelmed by the party's decision to suspend his approved status.
He is said to have compared his treatment at the hands of party bosses with chairman Mao's China.
Mr Davies's suspension as a candidate follows last week's decision to suspend (from the party) the former Welsh Tory chairman Sir Eric Howells and Pembrokeshire activist George Mathias.
One more martyr and they'll have a gang of four.