Welsh Liberal Democrat candidate for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick has written an open letter to Labour’s election candidate asking them whether they have confidence in First Minister Vaughan Gething as Leader of Wales and whether they think he should hand back the donation that has seen his leadership questioned by the Welsh Public.

The Labour Candidate for the seat served as Vaughan Gething’s ‘Head of Field’ for his leadership campaign. The letter also asks if he was involved in the decision to accept over £200,000 from a firm controlled by millionaire businessman David Neal while it was under criminal investigation.

The Liberal Democrats have claimed voters in Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe have a right to know his stance on the scandal given he is a candidate in the upcoming election.

Opinion polling by More in Common found that a third (32%) of Welsh people think Mr Gething should both resign over the scandal and give the money back. A further 27% think he should give the money back but not resign.

The First Minister will face a no-confidence vote on Wednesday in the Senedd where Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds has said she will vote against the First Minister, citing a lack of judgement and the fact he has not returned the money.

Commenting Liberal Democrat Candidate for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick said: 

“The public is crying out for more integrity in politics and an end to constant sleaze and scandal and that is why I’ve written to our local Labour candidate today. 

“Given we go to the polls in just over a month and Labour’s local candidate was a senior member of Vaughan Gethings’ leadership campaign, voters have a right to know where he stands on the issue.

“The Liberal Democrats are standing on a platform to clean up our politics, including introducing a cap on all political donations and putting an end to WhatsApp deletion scandals. 

“I hope that Welsh Labour’s candidate will prioritise integrity in politics and join the calls for the donation to be handed back.”

Labour candidate, Matthew Dorrance has responded to David Chadwick’s comments. He said: "It's a shame that the Liberal Democrat candidate hypocritically talks about integrity and trust and then chooses to indulge in this type of low politics.   

“People in Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe deserve better than that.   

“I appreciate that Mr Chadwick has only recently moved to Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe which helps explain why he is so disconnected from the issues residents are focussed on.   

“I was born and brought up here, it’s where I live and where I work as a local Councillor and Deputy Leader of Powys County Council.  I have a proven track record in serving our communities and fighting for local families. Local people know who I am and what I stand for.   

“The Lib Dem candidate is so embarrassingly out of touch with local issues that all he can do is mudsling and engage in personal attacks. Our politics should be better than this and the public are fed up with it.   

"However, I am glad he has highlighted More in Common polling.   

"Their latest data for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe shows this election will be a close contest between Labour and Rishi Sunak's Tory candidate, with the Liberal Democrats coming in a poor fifth with just 7% of the vote.   

“The Lib Dems don’t have a plan for the country or our communities and in Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe only Labour can beat the Tories.”