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| Welsh First Minister: UKIP AM Gill to back Carwyn Jones | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| UKIP AM Nathan Gill is preparing to back Carwyn Jones's re-election as first minister, BBC Wales understands. | UKIP AM Nathan Gill is preparing to back Carwyn Jones's re-election as first minister, BBC Wales understands. |
| There was deadlock in the Senedd as Mr Jones and Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood were tied 29-29, with Lib Dem Kirsty Williams siding with Labour. | There was deadlock in the Senedd as Mr Jones and Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood were tied 29-29, with Lib Dem Kirsty Williams siding with Labour. |
| The Conservatives and the seven UKIP AMs joined Plaid in backing Ms Wood. | The Conservatives and the seven UKIP AMs joined Plaid in backing Ms Wood. |
| Another UKIP AM, Mark Reckless, told BBC Wales the whole UKIP group could back Labour if it supported the scrapping of the Severn Bridge tolls. | |
| Mr Jones had been expected to be reinstated as first minister of a minority Labour government in the first Senedd session of the new assembly term on Wednesday. | Mr Jones had been expected to be reinstated as first minister of a minority Labour government in the first Senedd session of the new assembly term on Wednesday. |
| But the meeting had to be adjourned to a later date after AMs voted 29-29. | But the meeting had to be adjourned to a later date after AMs voted 29-29. |
| Presiding officer Elin Jones of Plaid Cymru and her deputy - Labour's Ann Jones - did not vote. | Presiding officer Elin Jones of Plaid Cymru and her deputy - Labour's Ann Jones - did not vote. |
| Mr Jones and Ms Wood had already spoken prior to the tied vote, following last Thursday's election which left Labour on 29 seats, just short of a majority. | Mr Jones and Ms Wood had already spoken prior to the tied vote, following last Thursday's election which left Labour on 29 seats, just short of a majority. |
| Labour sources said Plaid was previously offered involvement in a formal process on the setting of the Welsh budget, as well as an opportunity to help design the legislative programme. | Labour sources said Plaid was previously offered involvement in a formal process on the setting of the Welsh budget, as well as an opportunity to help design the legislative programme. |
| Plaid said Ms Wood had requested a week for further discussions at the meeting - an offer Plaid claimed was turned down by Labour. | Plaid said Ms Wood had requested a week for further discussions at the meeting - an offer Plaid claimed was turned down by Labour. |
| 'Up for negotiation' | |
| Speaking to BBC Wales on Wednesday, Mr Reckless said: "I don't understand the prevalent assumption within media and political circles how Carwyn Jones was just going to come back unchallenged as first minister. | |
| "The only complication for me was the leadership vote within our group… that was my focus, to keep things together, that we were a cohesive seven on that for Leanne." | |
| But Mr Reckless added: "All of us would be willing to back Labour and Carwyn if they were to give us sufficient of what we want in our manifesto. | |
| "We want to scrap the [Severn Bridge] tolls," he said, describing it as a "red line" on which UKIP support for any potential first minister depended. | |
| "If we can be assured that would happen we would be up for negotiation for whoever would do that. | |
| "It's not our sole thing but I would find it difficult to see us coming to an arrangement that didn't involve scrapping the tolls." | |
| Mr Gill, UKIP leader in Wales, lost a vote to lead the party's assembly group to Neil Hamilton on Tuesday. | |
| But Mr Reckless dismissed suggestions that the UKIP group might split following the leadership vote, although he said there was "a need to mend bridges on both sides". | |
| A Labour group spokesperson said: "There are no formal talks with any parties currently and certainly not UKIP. | |
| "Nathan Gill, like almost every AM, wanted to speak to the First Minister yesterday. The First Minister wasn't available so he spoke to a senior member of our group. | |
| "Over the coming days we will speak to AMs from every party to ensure Wales has a stable government in the soonest timeframe possible, but there's no deal with Nathan or with UKIP as seems to have been suggested." | |
| 'Level of desperation' | |
| Simon Thomas, Plaid AM, told the BBC's Daily Politics programme: "I'd be amazed after what the Labour party said yesterday that they'd be prepared to do a deal with an individual UKIP member like Nathan Gill. | Simon Thomas, Plaid AM, told the BBC's Daily Politics programme: "I'd be amazed after what the Labour party said yesterday that they'd be prepared to do a deal with an individual UKIP member like Nathan Gill. |
| "It just shows the level of desperation that the Labour party are potentially in at the moment." | "It just shows the level of desperation that the Labour party are potentially in at the moment." |
| Earlier, he told BBC Radio Wales that relationships between Plaid and Labour were "not at their best". | Earlier, he told BBC Radio Wales that relationships between Plaid and Labour were "not at their best". |
| "They started to go downhill just before the election when our co-operation with Labour was dismissed by a Labour minister as a cheap date", he told the Good Morning Wales programme, referring to comments by former Rhondda AM Leighton Andrews that prompted Plaid AMs to oppose the Public Health Bill. | "They started to go downhill just before the election when our co-operation with Labour was dismissed by a Labour minister as a cheap date", he told the Good Morning Wales programme, referring to comments by former Rhondda AM Leighton Andrews that prompted Plaid AMs to oppose the Public Health Bill. |
| Labour AM Alun Davies told the same programme that Ms Wood's bid to become first minister came out of the blue, insisting his party had the "right and mandate to govern". | |
| But he added: "I accept completely that we need to be more open. | But he added: "I accept completely that we need to be more open. |
| "We need to be transparent. We need to be inclusive. We have to reach out. That isn't in question." | "We need to be transparent. We need to be inclusive. We have to reach out. That isn't in question." |
| 'No deal' | 'No deal' |
| On Wednesday, Labour accused Plaid of doing a deal with the Welsh Conservatives and UKIP - something which Plaid denied. | On Wednesday, Labour accused Plaid of doing a deal with the Welsh Conservatives and UKIP - something which Plaid denied. |
| But Tory AM Paul Davies told BBC Radio Cymru's Post Cyntaf programme that no deal had been made between the opposition parties before the vote to elect a first minister. | But Tory AM Paul Davies told BBC Radio Cymru's Post Cyntaf programme that no deal had been made between the opposition parties before the vote to elect a first minister. |
| "What we wanted to show yesterday is that Labour doesn't have some divine right to govern. | "What we wanted to show yesterday is that Labour doesn't have some divine right to govern. |
| "At the end of the day, Labour doesn't have a majority." | "At the end of the day, Labour doesn't have a majority." |
| Mr Davies added: "There will be some interaction between the opposition parties in the coming days. I think the people of Wales will expect that. Then, we'll see what comes next after those discussions." | Mr Davies added: "There will be some interaction between the opposition parties in the coming days. I think the people of Wales will expect that. Then, we'll see what comes next after those discussions." |
| Meanwhile Liberal Democrat AM Kirsty Williams told BBC's The Wales Report: "I have not done a deal with the Labour Party. My decision was based on the reality of the election result." | Meanwhile Liberal Democrat AM Kirsty Williams told BBC's The Wales Report: "I have not done a deal with the Labour Party. My decision was based on the reality of the election result." |
| When asked Labour had offered her a seat in the cabinet, she said: "No, I met with Carwyn Jones, as I met with Leanne Wood and I've met with Andrew RT Davies, but the basis of my vote was not on the basis of any deal." | When asked Labour had offered her a seat in the cabinet, she said: "No, I met with Carwyn Jones, as I met with Leanne Wood and I've met with Andrew RT Davies, but the basis of my vote was not on the basis of any deal." |
| AMs are expected to meet again next week in order to repeat the first minister vote. | AMs are expected to meet again next week in order to repeat the first minister vote. |