First Minister criticised for snubbing Senedd inquiry

Wales’ first minister Eluned Morgan undermined a Senedd inquiry on international relations by declining to give evidence in person, a committee warned.

Delyth Jewell, who chairs the culture and international relations committee, expressed concern about a continued lack of detailed evidence from the Welsh Government.

She said: “It is regrettable that the first minister’s decision not to attend our committee in person to give oral evidence, coupled with this lack of essential detail in written evidence, has undermined our ability to carry out meaningful scrutiny.

“That is something I hope very much will change in the future.”

Baroness Morgan, whose responsibilities include international relations, instead provided the inquiry with written evidence “which fell below the standard we expect”.

‘Rolling back’

Leading a debate on an annual report about international relations, Ms Jewell said the first minister reneged on commitments made to the committee by her predecessors.

Baroness Morgan signalled a shift last year, publishing a “delivery plan” with 15 aims rather than following through on a refresh of the international strategy, which contains 270 actions.

“Important commitments made to our committee in terms of involvement have been rolled back,” said Ms Jewell, who criticised a mismatch between the delivery plan and strategy.

Warning of a lack of openness, the Plaid Cymru politician said: “This lack of coherence undermines, again, accountability and makes effective scrutiny all the more difficult.”

The Welsh Government accepted six of the committee’s eight recommendations. Ms Jewell pointed out that while ministers accepted the first recommendation – which called for regular progress updates – “the accompanying narrative contradicts that”.

‘Expensive’

Gareth Davies argued that international relations are reserved to Westminster.

The Conservative questioned the return Welsh taxpayers receive for the Welsh Government’s 20 overseas offices which cost £4.6m in 2024.

Mr Davies told the Senedd: “I fear that that answer would be, ‘very little’. And that is why the Welsh Conservatives support shutting down overseas offices and redirecting the money back to frontline services, where it is needed most.

“This network is expensive and, in far too many cases, it appears to be duplicating work already being done by UK embassies and trade commissioners.”

But he backed the committee’s calls for St David’s Day to become a bank holiday – with discussions between Welsh and UK Labour ministers said to be ongoing.

‘Frustrating’

Heledd Fychan was disappointed that Baroness Morgan was not in the chamber to respond to the debate on May 21: “Not having the first minister here today, given that we knew that this debate was happening, is very frustrating.”

Labour’s Alun Davies accused the Conservatives of a lack of understanding about the importance of the Welsh Government’s “essential” overseas office network.

He said: “They’re seeking out new opportunities to bring work and jobs to this country, to increase the profile of Wales in these places. It’s the work that we need done if Wales is to be taken seriously as a global nation.”

His colleague Mick Antoniw, the Welsh Government’s former chief legal adviser, similarly criticised “contradictions and confusion” from the Conservative benches.

“International relations are not reserved,” he said. “International relations are about supporting Welsh interests in devolved areas.”

‘Crucial’

Responding for the Welsh Government, Jane Hutt told the chamber that the first minister will meet the committee in June as part of a new inquiry into international relations.

The minister said: “Scrutiny is crucially important, and it will happen not just at that committee meeting but here today as we receive your report.

“But it will be an opportunity for the first minister to discuss the work we are doing to enhance our global relationships and how we seek to achieve our goals.”

Ms Hutt described the international strategy, which was first published five years ago, as a bold statement of intent to raise Wales’ profile and grow the economy.

She agreed with Mr Antoniw: “We need a wider international debate and I am sure the first minister will be reflecting on that.”

By Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter