A south Wales MP has launched a fierce attack on the way the Assembly is being run.

Newport West MP Paul Flynn described the devolved body as "the limp wrist of dither and dawdle plus a few giant embarrassments".

On top of this, Mr Flynn has angered farming unions which accuse of him of making "stupid" remarks about the number of farm suicides in Wales.

During a BBC Radio Wales Ceredigion by-election programme, he said there were more suicides than ever before.

"The main reason why there is a large number of suicides among farmers is because they have shotguns handy," he said.

Returning to the subject of the Assembly, Mr Flynn said Mr Michael should be allowed to return to Westminster "where he was blissfully happy as a junior minister".

He challenged Mr Michael to acknowledge that he did not defeat Rhodri Morgan fairly in last year's leadership election.

He accused him of dithering over the payment of council allowances, allowing Cardiff councillors to walk all over him.

The comments about farmers arose following a blockade supermarket distribution centres in Bristol and Warrington on Thursday, in protest protest over imports of foreign meat

Mr Flynn dismissed the action as "propaganda".

"Day after day, relentlessly, they block roads, they demonstrate, they are a very small part of our economy," he said.

"They are in trouble without a doubt, there are suicides but no more suicides than there have ever been in farming."

Director of NFU Cymru Wales Malcolm Thomas reacted angrily to the Mr Flynn's comments.

"It's stupid and shows how out of touch Labour is with rural Wales," he said.

Assembly Member for Brecon and Radnorshire Kirsty Williams - who highlighted the plight of many farmers in her constituency - also called for an apology.