Following the publication of a report by the Conservative Democracy Task Force on the West Lothian Question, Plaid Cymru's Parliamentary leader, the Member of Parliament for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy, Elfyn Llwyd, stated that the Tories cannot be trusted to offer real political leadership for Wales. He pointed to the fact that the report barely mentions Wales, with its main focus firmly on England.
Mr Llwyd said: "In the Welsh Assembly, the Tories claim that they have changed and evolved as a party to reflect the realities of devolution. This is clearly false. In Westminster, the Tories continue their historic positioning as a London centric party and also oppose more powers for Wales."
"This report proves that England is the Conservative Party's main priority. It focuses on the West Lothian problem from a completely English perspective, offering very little real and progressive solutions to the issue, particularly for Wales."
"We, as Plaid Cymru MPs, agreed recently that we would not vote on England only issues at Westminster, as long as those had no hidden consequentials for Wales. Indeed, we are not opposed to the idea of an England only Parliament as long as we in Wales get our own legislative powers. Devolution is a reality and the Conservatives need to accept that . Their attempts to preserve the Union is unrealistic and out-dated. Indeed, given the conflicting political outlooks of the Tories based in the Assembly compared to the ones at Westminster, I think its fair to say that they cannot be trusted to offer real political leadership for Wales".
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