New Welsh Conservative leader to be announced

Welsh Conservatives will find out who their new leader in the Assembly is today when the results of a ballot of members is announced.

Two AMs, Paul Davies and Suzy Davies, are vying to replace Andrew RT Davies who resigned suddenly at the end of June.

The announcement will be made at the Ffos Las racecourse.

Paul Davies said that if he wins he'd do all in his power to become the first Conservative First Minister of Wales while Suzy Davies' campaign included an eye-catching proposal to charge the cost of the call-out to irresponsible drinkers who call out ambulances.

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Whoever wins will have tough tasks internally and externally.

Within the Tory party they will have to persuade members that there needs to be significant change to the way it's run in Wales.

They've both signalled their intention to boost the standing of the leader's role from being simply leader of the group of Assembly Members to a position similar to that of Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson.

There have also been tensions between the party in the Assembly and Welsh Conservative MPs, tensions that have often been blamed on Andrew RT Davies but are said by some party sources to be more deep-rooted than that.

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The new leader will also have to convince the Brexit-supporting majority of Welsh Tories that they've moved on from their opposition to leaving the EU - both candidates campaigned to remain.

Externally, they need to begin the sensitive work of reaching out across the political divide. For there to be any chance of a non-Labour Welsh government, the Conservatives and Plaid Cymru would have to work together in some form, something that still seems highly unlikely.