Environment Minister Given The Boot

8 July 2014, 18:20

Wales' Natural Resources Minister Alun Davies has been sacked.

It's after he asked civil servants for private financial information on rival Assembly Members, in an attempted smear campaign.

The First Minister Carwyn Jones dismissed Alun Davies from his post, just under a week after apologising to AMs in a separate row about him breaking the Ministerial Code of Conduct.

That happened after Davies lobbied an environment body for the new Circuit of Wales race track, when he was still a Welsh Government minister.

Carwyn Jones then ignored calls to sack Mr Davies saying that Davies was speaking as a constituency AM.

Opponents from other parties have been praising the sacking, but have said that it should have happened last week, when the independent report into his conduct found he had broken the ministerial code on more than one occasion.

There are now questions being raised as to why the First Minister didn't do it earlier and claims that he had a lapse of judgement.

Other members are now calling for an independent comissioner to police the ministerial code, to avoid further breaches.

Alun Davies' former role has been divided between three other ministers.

Edwina Hart will take over responsibility for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Rebecca Evans becomes Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries and John Griffiths will take over responsibility for environment policy.