Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething hasn’t even been in his post for two months, and already it appears he’s struggling to stay out of trouble. Co-conspirators will remember when the former Welsh health secretary broke his own covid rules more than once – now it’s emerged that he misled the UK covid inquiry over deliberately deleting WhatsApp messages. Devolved leaders have a habit of appearing trigger-happy when it comes to deleting messages…

At the inquiry, Gething said it wasn’t him who deleted any messages, instead when it was serviced by the Senedd’s IT department. A text from Gething in 2020 says otherwise, where he wrote “I’m deleting the messages in this group.” Telling lies at a statutory public inquiry is a criminal offence of perjury – not quite the look the First Minister would hope for. It doesn’t look like he can turn to his own party to rally round him either, with one senior Welsh Labour insider saying “It’s difficult to see how Welsh Labour can [bring Wales together] if there are fundamental doubts about the integrity of the First Minister.” Maybe he can seek support from his Spanish friends instead…

Welsh Labour Health Secretary Eluned Morgan has released a statement today on neonatal services, including this celebratory nugget:

“The final report following an unannounced HIW inspection at Prince Charles Hospital is being published today. It concludes that staff at all levels in the service work hard to provide a good experience and that sufficient arrangements are in place to provide safe and effective care to women and birthing people.“

Guido’s sure the birthers will be happy about that. Meanwhile Vaughan Gething is currently appearing at the Scrutiny Committee wearing his rainbow lanyard while he pushes ahead with Mark Drakeford’s bill to achieve 50/50 gender parity in the Senedd – all while allowing men to stand as women. Watching politicians fail to define a woman will never not be entertaining…

Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies tells Guido in response: “It’s clear that Labour politicians have no idea what a woman is and that’s having a knock-on effect on women’s health, sport and our now elections with their barmy gender quotas.” Can you identify as a birthing person?

An article appeared a day ago on Wales Online titled “Mum says she can now do a weekly shop for family of four on her bike after 20 mph“, which included numerous typical arguments in favour of the speed limit – i.e. that everyone can now pedal their bike through idyllic rainbow-coloured country lanes without fear of metal death machines hurtling past at a terrifying 30 mph. Casually mentioned in the article is the fact that the “mum” works for the socialist agitator cycling charity Sustrans. Guido wondered who was responsible for oiling Sustrans’ wheels in Wales…

To absolutely no-one’s surprise, the Labour-run Welsh government has funded the charity to the tune of £19 million since 2010. Sustrans has been promoting Welsh Labour’s policy for years. Up in Scotland the taxpayer-funded charity has been clamouring for higher taxes from the SNP, including extra death taxes on all estates worth over £36,000. The gravy train never stops…

The Tories aren’t happy about the Wales Online propaganda. Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies tells Guido: “It is disingenuous that this interview has been allowed to go out… it seems the Labour Government backed Sustrans charity are getting desperate in an attempt to influence public opinion.” Meanwhile, the article has mysteriously disappeared from the Wales Online website following complaints to IPSO from co-conspirators…

Sinead Cook, a senior civil servant in Wales’ top public services watchdog Ombudsman for Wales, has resigned after being suspended for being blatantly anti-Tory on social media. Cook took to Twitter in since deleted posts to bash the government for being “morally reprehensible” for the trying to push through the Rwanda bill that was “incompatible with the Human Rights Act“, gracefully signing off “F**k the tories“. So much for ‘independent and impartial’…

The Welsh Tories have blasted the taxpayer-funded organisation, accusing it of blatant bias towards Labour by turning a blind eye to complaints of their politicians while cracking down hard on any whisper against Tories. Wales Secretary David TC Davies said:

“It’s an outrage that someone whose job is to investigate complaints against councillors has been making vicious political posts online. The whole edifice of the Ombudsman’s office needs to be replaced by something truly independent to serve the people of Wales.”

It’s not the first time a civil servant has had to hit the road over their lefty views. At least the new First Minister had time to relax on holiday before coming back home to this…

It looks like Wales’ new First Minister has made his mind up about the job before he’s even started it properly. Guido hears the new Welsh Labour leader Vaughan Gething popped off to Spain for a holiday without even spending a full day in the office or holding a first meeting of his cabinet. Firmly raising the eyebrows of ministers and officials…

Gething’s official spokesman says that, like everyone is allowed to “in this country“, he was “off for a few days” and that, highly encouragingly, he is “pretty sure he was contactable“. Not everyone has just been sworn in as a head of government, though…

Flagpoles around the Senedd are adorned with the trans-inclusive LGBT flag, despite the fact that “LGBT History Month” has been over for some time now. Now the Welsh Parliament has decided that they’ve exceeded their “lifespan” and is forcing taxpayers to cough up £36,595 for a 6-week project to replace them. Some contractors are rubbing their hands with glee right now…

The flagpoles are used for political posturing – they previously played host to the EU flag until it was taken down a full four years after the Brexit vote. Flying high while Wales racks up a £900 million budget shortfall…