Wales' support for union 'not unconditional' First Minister Mark Drakeford says
First Minister Mark Drakeford has indicated that his government would consider supporting Welsh independence, were Scotland to leave the UK.
While giving evidence at the External Affairs Committee, the First Minister was asked whether his support for the union was "unconditional" to which he said he did not evisage any circumstances where it would be in Wales' interests to leave the UK.
But when pressed by Plaid Cymru AM Delyth Jewell, he said "any sensible political party or government would have to reassess Wales' place".
“If you believe the UK is a voluntary association of four nations you have to face the possibility that some component parts of the United Kingdom may no longer choose to be part of it.
“If that were to be the case in future then of course, any sensible political party or government would have to reassess Wales’ place in the components that were there in the future.
“So in that sense it can’t possibly be unconditional because there are other moving parts here of which we are not in control.”
Tory leadership hopeful Boris Johnson recently pledged to fight for the union "with every breath in my body" but failed to definitively rule out granting Nicola Sturgeon the power to hold a second independence referendum.
Responding to his comments, Plaid Cymru’s Shadow International Relations Minister Delyth Jewell AM said:
“As the ongoing political crisis engulfing the UK shows no sign of abating, the only responsible course of action for Welsh Government now is to urgently begin the work of scoping out how an independent Welsh state would function.
“It would be interesting to learn whether the UK Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn agrees with the Leader of Welsh Labour that Wales should consider independence if Scotland voted to leave the UK."
A spokesperson for the First Minister said: “This is a deliberate misinterpretation of what the First Minister said at committee by Plaid Cymru – a party which has only one agenda; to take Wales out of the United Kingdom, whatever the cost to the Welsh public.”
Boris Johnson's rival candidate Jeremy Hunt insisted he would say a "polite" no to any request from the Scottish First Minister.
"As prime minister of the UK I will never allow our union to be broken up.
"And if the First Minister of Scotland asks me for a second independence referendum, I will muster up my British politeness and I will say 'no'."
Mr Hunt said he would mitigate the impact of a no-deal Brexit in response to claims it could threaten the union.