Andrew RT Davies resigned as leader of the Welsh Conservatives in June, saying that he had learned of a plot by remain backing party colleagues in Westminster to oust him. Davies cited a text that had accidentally been sent to him by the Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns. At the time Cairns told BBC Daily Politics that:

“The text we’re talking about related to Mark Reckless and the wish in order to see him go after the local elections that were taking place at the time, not any other outcome.”

However, today the text has been revealed and clearly references the former leader of the Welsh Conservatives Nick Bourne, who now sits in the House of Lords. Mark Reckless (who had no involvement in Welsh politics before being elected as an Assembly Member in 2016) has released a statement confirming that he has “never had any dealings with Nick Bourne.”

This makes it hard for Cairns to go on claiming that the text was about ousting Reckless. If he has lied he would have to resign. Looks like Cairns has some serious questions to answer…