Welsh minister Hannah Blythyn who was sacked for alleged leak is new Senedd standards chair

18 September 2024, 10:40

A Welsh government minister who was sacked for allegedly leaking to the media has been appointed the new chair of the Senedd's standards committee.

Hannah Blythyn was asked to leave her role as minister for social partnership by former first minister Vaughan Gething over the allegations, which she has strongly denied.

She was appointed chair of the Welsh parliament's standards committee on Tuesday after she stood for the position unopposed.

The committee's duties includes having to consider complaints referred to it by the Senedd's standards commissioner and review the code of conduct for members.

Her election to the role was confirmed prior to Eluned Morgan's first session of first minister's questions.

Ms Blythyn's dismissal from government in May followed the publication of messages from a ministerial group chat on news website Nation.Cymru.

The website itself published a statement in which it denied Ms Blythyn was the source of the leak.

It was one of a number of controversies which ultimately led to the resignation of Mr Gething as first minister after four months in the role.

The messages, sent during the COVID pandemic, included one from Mr Gething in which he said "I'm deleting the messages in this group".

"They can be captured in an FOI [Freedom of Information request] and I think we are all in the right place on the choice being made," the message added.

Mr Gething said he had "no alternative but to ask Hannah Blythyn to leave the government", having reviewed the evidence available to him.

He said at the time that there was "a route back for her to take up a government position again".

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Ms Blythyn, who has represented Delyn since 2016, has strongly denied the allegations and said she was "clear that [she] did not, nor [has she] ever leaked anything".

In a post on X, she said she was "saddened" and "deeply shocked" at her dismissal and added "integrity is all in politics and I retain mine".

(c) Sky News 2024: Welsh minister Hannah Blythyn who was sacked for alleged leak is new Senedd standards chair