Politics latest: Plaid Cymru leader accuses first minister of 'significant lack of judgement' as co-operation deal ends

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has attacked the new first minister in a lengthy statement as the party ends its cooperation deal with Welsh Labour. Meanwhile, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has blasted Labour's economic plans, while defending his government's record over the last 14 years.

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Welsh government: Plaid Cymru pulls out of cooperation agreement with Labour

Plaid Cymru has pulled out of a cooperation agreement with Welsh Labour, attacking the new first minister, Vaughan Gething, in a lengthy statement.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said that while he is "proud of the way in which the agreement demonstrated a new way of doing politics", he does not have confidence in the judgement of the first minister.

He said: "I remain deeply concerned that the first minister has failed to pay back the £200,000 donation to his leadership campaign from a company convicted of environmental offences, and believe it demonstrates a significant lack of judgement."

Mr Gething has defended his decision to take the donation, and has refused to return it, despite pressure from Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Conservatives.

He added that he is "worried by the circumstances around the decision to sack" Hannah Blythyn as minister for social partnership yesterday, whom Mr Gething accused of leaking to the media (which she denies).

The agreement was a joint policy programme between the two parties that covered 46 areas of governance - ranging from education, social care, housing, and tourism.

It was due to end in December of this year anyway, and is not hugely surprising ahead of a Westminster election expected this year.

But it puts pressure on Mr Gething, who has served as first minister for less than two months.

Electoral Dysfunction: Was this the week the election campaign really started?

After the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer set out what Labour would do if it wins the election, Beth Rigby, Jess Phillips and Ruth Davidson discuss the six key policies that have been unveiled.

They also talk about the major speech made by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the beginning of the week and debate whether the election campaign has really started.

Plus, it's been a politically good week for Jess Phillips after her amendment to a bill on banning arrested MPs from Parliament was passed by one vote.

And there is a listener email about Swiss food.

👉 Listen above then tap here to follow Electoral Dysfunction wherever you get your podcasts 👈

Email Beth, Jess, and Ruth at electoraldysfunction@sky.uk, post on X to @BethRigby, or send a WhatsApp voice note on 07934 200 444.

PM says he'll stay on as an MP if he loses general election

Rishi Sunak said he will "of course" stay on as an MP if he loses the next general election.

The prime minister said his North Yorkshire constituency is "wonderful" and he will remain in parliament whatever the outcome when the country goes to the polls.

There has been speculation that Mr Sunak, who previously worked at a hedge fund in California, could be eyeing a job in Silicon Valley as the Tories struggle to make up ground against Labour.

But asked on ITV's Loose Women whether he would stay on the backbenches if his party loses, the MP for Richmond (Yorks) said: "Of course I'm staying. I love being an MP. I love my constituents, I love my home in North Yorkshire."

You can read more from Sky News here:

Tory peer resigns whip after being banned from parliament's bars for drunken outburst

A Tory peer has resigned the government whip after he was found to have bullied and harassed two people while drunk.

Lord Kulveer Ranger, a former adviser to Boris Johnson, faces being banned from the House of Lords bars following an investigation into his conduct.

He has apologised for his behaviour and given up the whip - meaning he will have to sit as a non-aligned peer.

A statement from the whip's office said: "Lord Ranger has resigned the government whip and apologised for his actions, which were an unacceptable breach of the standards of the House, and of parliament.

"The committee has recommended a sanction, which should be respected."

Read the full story:

Sunak and wife richer than the King - Sunday Times Rich List

This year's Sunday Times Rich List has been published today, and the prime minister makes an appearance rather high up.

Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murthy, are 245th on the list, with a net worth of £651m.

They are up from 275th on the annual ranking of Britain's wealthiest individuals, having increased their net wealth by £122m in the last year.

That wealth does not come from the prime minister's annual salary - in a summary of his financial affairs published in February, he was paid £139,000 from his roles as an MP, previously the chancellor, and then prime minister.

Their wealth primarily comes through a combination of Mr Sunak's previous careers in financial services, investments, and Mrs Murthy's family fortune.

Mr Sunak is the wealthiest prime minister in British history.

He is richer than the King, who is listed at joint 258th on the list - up from joint 263rd last year - with a net worth of £610m.

The new monarch's wealth has increased by £10m in the last year, the newspaper reports.

Analysis: Some difficult days ahead for Welsh Labour

It has been quite a tumultuous time for Vaughan Gething since he became first minister of Wales less than two months ago, already mired in a row over a £200,000 donation to his leadership campaign from a convicted environmental criminal.

And Plaid Cymru have made clear that this is one of the factors behind their decision to end the cooperation agreement early. 

Welsh Labour needed the votes of Plaid's 13 members. Now without them they could be in a difficult position in terms of passing legislation - although some Welsh Labour sources tell me they don't see any immediate problems on the horizon.

They also say it makes sense for  both parties as they look towards the general election at the end of this year in order to go their separate ways and campaign in some places against each other over the next few months. 

But it does present problems for Vaughan Gething, not least because the leader of the Conservatives in Wales has said that it is odds on there will be a no confidence vote in his leadership as a result of this. 

When I spoke to the leader of Plaid, Rhun ap Iorwerth, he denied it was the reason for the decision, but said that it was an option as Vaughan Gething's leadership was, in his view, in crisis. 

So there may perhaps be a few difficult days ahead for Welsh Labour.

Who will win the next election? Latest polling from Sky News tracker

The Sky News live poll tracker - collated and updated by our Data and Forensics team - aggregates various surveys to indicate how voters feel about the different political parties.

With the local elections complete, Labour is still sitting comfortably ahead, with the Tories trailing behind.

See the latest update below - and you can read more about the methodology behind the tracker here.

Welsh FM's leadership 'in crisis' - Plaid Cymru leader

Following the announcement from Plaid Cymru that it is pulling out of its cooperation agreement with Welsh Labour, we spoke to the party leader about why they have come to the decision.

Rhun ap Iorwerth told Sky News political correspondent Tamara Cohen there has been a "change in attitude" in recent weeks from the Welsh government about the agreement, and said the Welsh government was trying to delay jointly agreed policies.

He also said the decision by first minister Vaughan Gething to accept a £200k donation to his leadership campaign from a company that had been found guilty of environmental offences, showed a "very poor lack of judgement".

Pushed on why the party has taken the decision now when the donation has been known about for months, he said the decision to pass some of the remaining money onto the national Labour Party raises "another layer of questions" that meant now was the time to make this decision.

He denied that an upcoming fight with Labour at the Westminster election due this year was a factor in the decision.

"This is about more than that. It's about a combination of a number of different factors," he said, and also denied this is about trying to bring a vote of no confidence in the first minister to the floor of the Senedd.

But he did say that he has "no doubt" the first minister's "leadership is in crisis".

"We have a first minister who comes into the job mired in controversy, you know, bringing the role of first minister into disrepute in doing so," he added.

Plaid ending cooperation agreement 'an attempt to save face' - Welsh Tories

We've just had some reaction from the Welsh Conservatives to the news that Plaid Cymru has pulled out of the cooperation agreement with Welsh Labour (more here).

Andrew RT Davies MS, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said the end of the agreement is "simply an attempt to save face" for Plaid Cymru.

He said: "Together, Labour and Plaid have worked together to divert resources away from the people's priorities and towards vanity projects like putting more Senedd members in Cardiff Bay, and have been hand in glove on policies like the destructive sustainable farming scheme and 20mph.

"This move from Plaid means nothing and the Welsh public won't be fooled."

Welsh FM 'disappointed' Plaid Cymru have pulled out of cooperation agreement

We've just had a statement from the first minister of Wales and Welsh Labour leader following Plaid Cymru's decision to pull out of their cooperation agreement.

Vaughan Gething said: "While it was always a time limited agreement, we are disappointed Plaid Cymru has decided to walk away from their opportunity to deliver for the people of Wales."

He listed the successes of the joint work of the two parties, singling out the delivery of "free school meals for all pupils in primary schools, providing more free childcare, introducing a radical package of measures to create thriving local communities, helping people to live locally and addressing high numbers of second homes in many areas of Wales".

Mr Gething added that Welsh Labour will continue to make progress on the outstanding elements of the agreement.