Thread by @joe_oliver

If we're going to dig into history I think this point is at best half right? I *think* the Conservatives were still against the Assembly being established in 1999 and ran on a platform opposing it with David Cameron/Nick Bourne finally dropping this c.2005?

https://twitter.com/PickardJE/status/1084578642863243264

And indeed, recorded in Hansard (see for example column 897 here) are Theresa May's own votes against the Government of Wales Bill, after the 1997 referendum where she says 'the result was accepted by both sides' hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1997-1… (cc. @PickardJE @SDoughtyMP )

Slightly easier link to follow here. On a quick look other Tories voting against the Welsh Assembly after the referendum with Theresa May included Liam Fox, John Redwood, Bill Cash, Bernard Jenkin.. hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1997-1…

Plus even if Theresa May's point that the 50.3% yes vote for a Welsh Assembly was 'accepted by all' was true, we have to then ignore the 51.7% vote for a Scottish Assembly which definitely wasn't, and the 67.2% vote to stay in the EU in 1975..

You can also find Theresa May, David Davis, Iain Duncan Smith et al voting against the Bill to set up a Scottish Parliament after a 74% vote in favour in a referendum.. hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1997-1… (Rather bleakly in retrospect also complaining it would 'undermine Scotland in Europe')

Finally on this (for now) as @stephenkb points out 8 years later the 2005 Conservative election manifesto said 'We will give the Welsh people a referendum on whether to keep the assembly, increase it's or abolish it' (Hardly 'accepted by all') news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/h… (p.23)

That's the only reference to the Welsh Assembly (or indeed Wales) in the manifesto. Though it does complain 'powers have been given to new bodies, including regional assemblies for which there is no popular
support...We will abolish Labour’s
regional assemblies'

When it was written it may have meant eg the proposed North East assembly which never came to pass - but it was still in the final version in 2005 when it could technically only really be read as a commitment to abolish the Welsh/Northern Ireland or London Assemblies (!)

A (slightly) easier link for the 1998 Parliamentary debates on the Scottish Assembly hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1998-0… (since this is still going!)

And the point about the 2005 Manifesto pledging to 'abolish Labour's regional assemblies' to be fair I should say it's probably referring to the regional chambers introduced as precursors to proposed Assemblies from 1998 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_…

Though these were technically never 'Regional Assemblies' so it's a confusing commitment. I'm disappointed the young David Cameron, credited with writing the 2005 manifesto, gave no thought to analysis on Twitter 14 years later..

Many thanks to all those sharing this by the way - sorry it's not a clearer thread. Was hastily written about Midnight. I applaud the optimism of people sending it to @theresa_may asking for an explanation.. :)