Welsh First Minister facing fresh questions over controversial campaign donation

The First Minister of Wales has faced fresh questions about a controversial donation to his leadership campaign, following revelations that the company was facing a criminal investigation at the time.

Vaughan Gething, the embattled leader in Cardiff Bay, has faced questions about when he knew that a company owned by a donor to his Welsh Labour leadership campaign was facing a new criminal investigation.

It follows an investigation by the BBC, which uncovered that a probe into a firm owned by David Neal – Resources Management Limited (RML) – is being carried out by Natural Resources Wales.

RML runs the Withyhedge landfill site near Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, South Wales, which has seen locals complain of noxious smells.

Mr Neal has been convicted twice previously for environmental crimes committed by other companies he owns.

During First Minister’s Questions on Tuesday, Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives, questioned when Mr Gething discovered the company was under criminal investigation.

Mr RT Davies also asked what due diligence was undertaken, given that Mr Gething received the largest individual donation in Welsh government history.

The First Minister said it would be “inappropriate” for him to have known about the investigation ahead of time and the first he knew of it was when the report was published on Monday.

He said: “The member will know this is an area where it would be wholly improper or inappropriate for me to know about the investigation that the BBC reported on.

“That’s when I was first aware of it, when it was reported on.

“Either in my role as the constituency Member for Cardiff South and Penarth, or indeed my role as a minister within the Government, it would simply not be appropriate for me to be informed of any type of investigation going on into the operation of the site in Pembrokeshire.

“How could I know about the investigation taking place?”

Mr Gething stressed that all required due diligence was undertaken and no rules were broken when he took the money.