It has emerged that Wales’ potential new First Minister Vaughan Gething MS has accepted donations of £200,000 from a company run by David Neal, a man who was given a three month prison sentence (suspended) for environmental offences.
Neal illegally tipped waste on the Gwent Levels, an area so environmentally sensitive that the Welsh Government decided not to build the M4 relief road nearby, citing the environmental reasons as one of the main factors.
It seems however that Mr Gething is happy to accept the “dirty” money from Neal’s company Dauson Environmental Group which consisted of two £100,000 payments.
As all donations must be registered, Mr Gething would have known where the money came from.
Mr Gething came under fire from fellow MS and deputy climate minister Lee Waters, although not for the source of the funds, just the amount. Taking to twitter he said:
I’m sorry but £200k on an internal election in a cost of living crisis is completely unjustifiable
— Lee Waters MS (@Amanwy) February 21, 2024
I don’t want this to become a negative campaign but I am genuinely shocked and angry by this. It’s wrong. https://t.co/IzMcJb6tFa
Other ministers have also expressed dismay at the amount of the donation for what is, as Lee Waters pointed out, an internal election.
The size of the donation raises the questions of what Neal and his company might seek to gain from such influence, particularly when it comes to waste and recycling.
In addition to the donations, companies operated by Neal have also received significant funding from the Development Bank of Wales at a time when Vaughan Gething, as economy minister, oversaw the banks operations.
Leave a Reply