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Labour and Plaid to meet to break first minister deadlock | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Labour and Plaid Cymru will hold a formal meeting on Friday in a bid to break the deadlock over who should be the next first minister. | |
It is understood talks will take place between senior party figures but not leaders. | |
The discussions will come two days after a dramatic Senedd tie for first minister. | |
Lib Dem Kirsty Williams backed Labour's Carwyn Jones while the Tories and UKIP joined Plaid in voting for Leanne Wood. | |
Meanwhile UKIP AM Nathan Gill has said he is prepared to back Carwyn Jones's re-election as first minister if some of his party's manifesto can become law. | |
Informal discussions continued on Thursday, but on Friday Labour and Plaid will meet formally. | |
Labour AM Vaughan Gething told BBC Wales: "We recognise we've got responsibilities to the people of Wales. We think we have a mandate to form a government in Welsh Labour. | |
"We do recognise we're a minority, so we're having conversations - in fact we had conversations today with Plaid Cymru to arrange for talks to take place tomorrow." | |
'Extraordinary' | |
He rejected suggestions from other parties that Labour had behaved in an "arrogant" manner by pressing ahead with a vote yesterday without securing majority support. | |
"We've never had a majority in this place, and is in each and every other time we put up a candidate for first minister," he said. "It's pretty extraordinary to say there is an arrogance to say the leader of the largest party should be the first minister of Wales." | |
UKIP Wales leader Nathan Gill has also told BBC Wales that he could support the Labour leader. | |
He said: "We would back Carwyn Jones if we could get some of our manifesto into law. We said all along that we would work with any party. | |
"We did not rule anybody out." | "We did not rule anybody out." |
He added: "The first thing we would want to see is the tolls on the Severn Bridges removed." | He added: "The first thing we would want to see is the tolls on the Severn Bridges removed." |
Mr Gill echoed his party colleague Mark Reckless, who said: "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." | |
Currently, responsibility for the Severn bridge tolls is not devolved, although there have been calls for powers over them to be handed to Cardiff Bay. | |
A Labour group spokesman, prior to Mr Gething's interview, said: "There are no formal talks with any parties currently and certainly not UKIP." | |
'Level of desperation' | '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". |
Labour AM Alun Davies told the station his party had the "right and mandate to govern", but added: "I accept completely that we need to be more open. | Labour AM Alun Davies told the station his party had the "right and mandate to govern", but 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' |
All parties insisted no deals had been done before the vote on first minister. | |
Liberal Democrat AM Kirsty Williams had 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." | |
AMs are expected to meet again next week to vote again for a first minister. | AMs are expected to meet again next week to vote again for a first minister. |
They have until 2 June - 28 days after the election - to choose a leader or face the prospect of a fresh election. | They have until 2 June - 28 days after the election - to choose a leader or face the prospect of a fresh election. |