Plaid Cymru abuse report 'raises questions' over agreement with Welsh Government

There’s a question mark over the future of Plaid Cymru’s co-operation agreement with the Welsh Government following a report which set out failures to tackle bullying and sexual harassment within the party.

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price apologised after publishing the report, saying “this isn’t the party that we want to be.”

However he said he did not think he should resign, telling ITV Wales that "The conclusion that I've come to is that it would be the wrong thing for me now to walk away from this. My responsibility now is to help work with others to get this right.”

Today a former Welsh Government minister has urged his fellow members to end their working agreement with Plaid Cymru. 

Ken Skates told BBC Wales that "Bullying, harassment and discrimination are unacceptable, full stop.

"The cooperation agreement should end on the basis of upholding Welsh Labour's principles, ethics and morals.

"I won't do a deal with bullies, misogynists or anyone who discriminates against others."

First Minister Mark Drakeford and Adam Price signed an agreement to work together in December 2021.

The programme of policies they are jointly delivering includes extending free school meals, free childcare, Senedd reform and council tax reform. 

The three year agreement is reaching its half way point but Ken Skates is not the only person on the Labour side who think it should end now. 

In private conversations, it’s clear that he has support from some other Labour MSs and MPs who haven’t yet gone public. Others think that they need to see how Plaid Cymru acts following the report while some believe that Adam Price will be forced to quit soon anyway. 

The Labour MS Joyce Watson has been campaigning on issues around sexual harassment, violence and other forms of abuse since before she before she was elected. 

Along with Wales TUC and Women’s Aid last month she launched a “toolkit” on ending sexual harassment in the workplace.

She told me that she’s both outraged and disappointed by the Plaid Cymru report but she isn’t calling for an end to the co-operation agreement, at least not yet. 

She said that it does call into question the basis of the agreement because “The agreement is over the budget and the budget determines the delivery of all policy areas including the implementation of the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Act.”

“Unless [Plaid Cymru] is prepared to take immediate action, and I mean the immediate actions which need to be taken, for me I would find it hard to work with them in other areas. Policies which we’ve driven forward [through the agreement] need to mean something.”

“Nerys Evans has delivered a frank and honest report that couldn’t have been easy for her or those who have been affected by the situation.”

Neither the Welsh Government nor Plaid Cymru wanted to comment for this article.