We were enjoying a fairly quiet week in the Assembly until yesterday’s shock announcement that Neil Hamilton had been ousted as leader of the UKIP group by Caroline Jones. This was a slightly clumsy, if ultimately successful, coup, with conflicting reports throughout the day as to whether a leadership challenge was actually happening. It remains to be seen precisely what this means for the future of the party in the Assembly. Caroline Jones maintains that the group will be a cohesive one, but it wouldn't come as a huge surprise if Neil Hamilton were to leave the group in protest. Mandy Jones, elected as a UKIP AM back in December but told she couldn’t join the Assembly group itself, has reportedly been invited back into the fold.
The Labour leadership race continues to rumble on behind the scenes. Nearly a month on from the First Minister's announcement in Llandudno, none of the potential contenders have ruled themselves out as the behind-the-scenes jostling for nominations continues.
Tuesday saw AMs vote to give consent to the UK’s EU (Withdrawal) Bill, with only Plaid Cymru and independent Neil McEvoy voting against. This puts the Welsh Government at odds not just with Plaid and the SNP but with its own UK leader who has condemned the Bill as a power grab. The Welsh Government maintains that it secured significant concessions from London in the negotiating process.
The Welsh Conservatives are gathering in Carmarthenshire today for a one-day spring conference, and the first since last year's bitterly disappointing general election result. Initial expectations that the party may have been able to take as many as ten seats from Labour fell short in a night that saw Cardiff North, the Vale of Clwyd and Gower return to Labour.
As AMs, MPs and members meet today, significant tensions between the Cardiff and London party offices remain. An awkwardly public row over who would represent the Welsh Conservatives in the three televised debates boiled over into the summer of 2017, and the election of former Gower MP Byron Davies as chair of the Welsh Tories in September was a significant moment given that he has been openly critical of Andrew RT Davies in the past.
One particular disagreement that surfaced after the election was over the level of autonomy the Welsh Conservatives should have from the UK-wide party, with Andrew RT Davies arguing that campaigning in Wales needed to be led from Cardiff not London and Byron Davies maintaining that no change was necessary. However, more recent comments from Byron Davies acknowledge a need for campaigns to be run "at a more local level" and for the Welsh Conservative brand to be recognised within the party.
Andrew RT Davies’ leadership does seem safe for now, with a lack of obvious or willing successors in the Assembly group. But as Neil Hamilton will be able to tell you this weekend, you really can’t take these things for granted.