As expected, Wales’ decline was further cemented this afternoon with the election of self-proclaimed Corbyn-groupie, Mark Drakeford, as new Welsh Labour leader. As the result shows, the Momentum machine mercilessly crushed his also-ran opponents.

However, there’ll be no ‘honeymoon’ period for Comrade Drakeford when he’s crowned Wales’ First Minister next week. The increasingly murky conspiracy surrounding the suicide of Labour Minister Carl Sargeant a year ago, still completely dominates Welsh politics.

Sargeant was sacked as Minister following supposed “allegations” of inappropriate behaviour towards women – allegations he denied right up to his death.

Drakeford’s predecessor, the ineffectual Carwyn Jones, remains mired and under pressure for sacking Sargeant without giving him any details of the complaints or letting him offer his side of the story.

As reported previously by Guido, Labour’s problem in Wales is rooted in the very dodgy relationship between the party and Cardiff lobbying firm, Deryn Consulting.

With the Inquest into Carl Sargeant’s death under way, more details are emerging about the web of intrigue that places Deryn at the heart of the conspiracy that was ‘out to get’ Sargeant:

The main conspirators are:

• Cathy Owens: Head of Deryn who took to the BBC in the days before Sargeant’s death to allege sexual harassment from an unnamed politician. Owens pointedly did not rule out Sargeant from her unsupported allegations as part of a concerted campaign to try and humiliate and discredit him.
• Jo Kiernan: Deryn employee and named at last week’s Inquest as co-ordinating a bullying campaign against Sargeant when she worked as Carwyn Jones’ chief SpAd.

Following the failure of the Leader of the House to answer my query, I’ve today written to the First Minister to seek clarification on a number of issues, after the revelation a former senior special adviser instructed a senior civil servant to examine Carl Sargeant’s diary. pic.twitter.com/246VU42T3e

— Andrew RT Davies (@AndrewRTDavies) December 5, 2018

• Helen Antoniazzi: Works for a charity called Chwarae Teg – a prominent Deryn client. A former senior Plaid Cymru staffer and believed to be one of the ‘complainants’.
• Dave Hagendyk: Head of the Learning and Work Institute in Wales – another prominent Deryn client. Former Welsh Labour General Secretary and at the Inquest named as the co-ordinator of complaints against Sargeant.

The big question facing new First Minister Drakeford will be – will he allow his first 100 days as leader to be bogged down in the same conspiracy that toppled Carwyn Jones or will he be savvy enough to cut the conspirators adrift..?

Mark Drakeford is set to become the next First Minister of Wales after winning the Welsh Labour Leadership Election. Drakeford beat Vaughan Gething and Eluned Morgan in the race to replace the outgoing Carwyn Jones, securing 53.9% of the vote after second preferences were included. Llongyfarchiadau…

Wales may be about to get a first-hand taste of Corbynomics – 64-year-old Drakeford is firmly on the left of the Party – he was the only sitting Cabinet member in any part of the UK to back Jeremy Corbyn for Labour leader in 2015 and had Momentum’s support for his own leadership election. Will Wales become the Venezuela of the UK under his stewardship?

Wales’ First Minister and his senior Special Adviser have been summoned back to the dock after giving “highly unsatisfactory” answers earlier this week at the Inquest of former Welsh government Minister, Carl Sargeant, who was found hanged at his home last November.

Earlier this week, First Minister Carwyn Jones, and his senior SpAd Matt Greenough, took to the stand at the Inquest to try and explain away their roles in the increasingly murky circumstances surrounding Sargeant’s sacking from the Welsh Cabinet a year ago.

Sargeant was removed form his post following supposed “allegations” of inappropriate time behaviour towards women – details and identities of whom were kept from him – allegations which he denied right up to his death.

Jones and Greenough’s original testimony was given under oath, something they will be reminded of when the Inquest reconvenes in the New Year…

During his speech today Jeremy Corbyn proposed a customs union which would give Britain only “a say” in future trade deals. In the Q&A afterwards Jezza implied he would accept the right only to “consult” on EU trade deals, with no vote. Someone should probably tell Carwyn Jones, who is currently on a week-long trip to America where he says he “will press the case for developing a free trade agreement between our countries”. Something Jezza’s plan would not allow…

An Amazon distribution center given financial backing by the Welsh Labour government is again the subject of controversy after it emerged foreign workers are being brought in en masse to cover Christmas shifts. A concerned constituent wrote to Welsh UKIP leader Neil Hamilton to say they had been asked if their spare room could be used to accommodate Hungarian workers. The resident claimed they were contacted by a firm called Central European Contracts and Recruitment Services Ltd, who they suggested planned to accommodate workers ‘hot-bunking’ between shifts at the Amazon plant.

Carwyn Jones’ Welsh Government provided grants to Amazon to develop the facility. The Welsh authorities refused to confirm the amount given. But sources put the funding at a cool £8.8 million…

The Amazon warehouse was the subject of a 2013 Panorama investigation which suggested working conditions there could cause “mental and physical illness”. An Amazon spokesman said at the time the company “complies with all relevant legal requirements”. A UKIP spokesman said:

“How can Labour’s Welsh Government, which claims to champion the working class, support a facility that employs workers from Central and Eastern Europe and treats them in such an appalling manner? UKIP will continue to investigate and hold the Welsh Government to account on this.”

Awkward for Carwyn…