Andrew RT Davies: Ex-Tory leader warned over repeated rule breaches

A committee report says most complaints about Davies have been “relatively minor”, but adds: “Repeated breaches, even of a minor nature, are a cause of concern for this committee and suggest a disregard for the decisions it makes.

“Should the committee find the member to have breached the code of conduct in future, the total number of breaches made by the member will be taken into consideration, which is likely to result in the recommendation of a sanction that reflects the totality of the breaches.”

The latest incident happened in November, while Davies was still Tory leader.

He is a partner in a family farming business in the Vale of Glamorgan, but did not say so before asking about the agricultural inheritance tax hike in the UK government’s Budget.

The South Wales Central MS told standards commissioner Douglas Bain, who investigates complaints: “It is no secret that I am a farmer” and said he had spoken publicly about the impact of the tax changes, including on his farm.

But Bain wrote: “This was not an instance of an oversight by the member.

“He considered whether he was required to declare an interest and decided that he did not.

“I find it most surprising that an experienced member could have made that decision.”