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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/may/13/welsh-labour-plaid-cymru-carwyn-jones-talks-assembly-impasse
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| Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru in talks to break assembly impasse | Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru in talks to break assembly impasse |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Formal talks are taking place between Labour and Plaid Cymru to try to break the impasse over who will be the next first minister. | Formal talks are taking place between Labour and Plaid Cymru to try to break the impasse over who will be the next first minister. |
| The parties – the two biggest on the assembly following last week’s election – were in deadlock after both put forward a candidate to head the next Welsh government. | |
| Though the Welsh nationalists have only 12 members to Labour’s 29, Plaid managed to force an unexpected tie thanks to backing from the Tories and Ukip. | Though the Welsh nationalists have only 12 members to Labour’s 29, Plaid managed to force an unexpected tie thanks to backing from the Tories and Ukip. |
| If the deadlock cannot be resolved, Wales faces the prospect of another election. | |
| Before the talks, the Plaid AM Simon Thomas told the Guardian he expected the incumbent first minister, the Labour leader, Carwyn Jones, to become first minister in due course. | |
| He said: “It’s more than likely he [Jones] will be the first minister but for us to be able to support that we want to understand in what way will he work, what will he do in first 100 days, his priorities.” | He said: “It’s more than likely he [Jones] will be the first minister but for us to be able to support that we want to understand in what way will he work, what will he do in first 100 days, his priorities.” |
| Thomas said some were obvious: the steel crisis, helping to keep the UK in the EU. But he said Plaid wanted to hear what Labour intended to do in other areas that were key during the campaign, such as health and education. | Thomas said some were obvious: the steel crisis, helping to keep the UK in the EU. But he said Plaid wanted to hear what Labour intended to do in other areas that were key during the campaign, such as health and education. |
| Related: Welsh assembly standoff leaves voters baffled | Related: Welsh assembly standoff leaves voters baffled |
| The impasse has left some voters confused, with some wrongly believing Plaid hatched some sort of coalition with its sworn enemies, the Tories and Ukip. | The impasse has left some voters confused, with some wrongly believing Plaid hatched some sort of coalition with its sworn enemies, the Tories and Ukip. |
| Both parties accused the other of arrogance. Plaid said Labour was arrogant to assume Jones would be first minister without reaching out to other parties; Labour said Plaid was arrogant to put forward a candidate for first minister though it won only a fifth of the seats. | Both parties accused the other of arrogance. Plaid said Labour was arrogant to assume Jones would be first minister without reaching out to other parties; Labour said Plaid was arrogant to put forward a candidate for first minister though it won only a fifth of the seats. |
| Thomas accepted that voters had been left puzzled. But he compared it to when Gordon Brown was defeated at the general election in 2010 and there was confusion until the coalition between the Tories and the Liberal Democrats was formed. | |
| “This is the first time this has happened,” said Thomas. “You can look at it as part of the growing process of the assembly becoming an actual legislative parliament. We are learning on the job.” | “This is the first time this has happened,” said Thomas. “You can look at it as part of the growing process of the assembly becoming an actual legislative parliament. We are learning on the job.” |
| Thomas said it was clear that Ukip, which won seven of the 60 assembly seats, had already changed the dynamic. “They are not there to play by the usual rules, which is fair enough. That is their choice.” | Thomas said it was clear that Ukip, which won seven of the 60 assembly seats, had already changed the dynamic. “They are not there to play by the usual rules, which is fair enough. That is their choice.” |
| The assembly has in the past been accused of being boring and predictable. “We needed livening up a bit,” said Thomas. “As long as it doesn’t look too silly.” | The assembly has in the past been accused of being boring and predictable. “We needed livening up a bit,” said Thomas. “As long as it doesn’t look too silly.” |
| Meanwhile Ukip’s leader, Nigel Farage, suggested that Neil Hamilton, elected last week as leader of the Ukip assembly members, may be too old to be a frontline politician. | |
| Ex-Tory MP Hamilton, 67, re-ignited his political career when he first won a seat on the assembly then successfully challenged the Welsh party leader, Nathan Gill, for the leadership of its assembly group. | |
| But his return was met with hostility by the national party leader –15 years his junior – who said the treatment of Gill had been “unjust and an act of deep ingratitude”. | |
| In a fresh attack, Farage questioned whether Hamilton was young enough take on the role. “I personally was not particularly in favour of Mr Hamilton’s return to the frontline, aged nearly 70. But there you are, he’s there, people have voted for him,” he told LBC radio. | |
| “I think it is difficult to return to frontline politics after a 20-year gap when you are getting on a bit in years. But there you are, perhaps he’ll surprise me.” | |
| He went on: “One thing I will say: he is utterly committed to this EU cause and he has been since the 1960s.” |