Coronavirus: Minister caught swearing broke rules\, says Plaid

Coronavirus: Minister caught swearing broke rules, says Plaid

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Media captionAMs could be seen laughing after the Welsh health minister swore during the Senedd meeting

Plaid Cymru's leader has written to First Minister Mark Drakeford calling for him to sack his health minister.

Adam Price said Vaughan Gething had broken the rules which govern the behaviour of government ministers.

Mr Gething was caught on microphone swearing about his Labour colleague Jenny Rathbone during Wednesday's Senedd video conference session.

Ms Rathbone had been asking him about government performance on coronavirus testing and protective kit.

Mr Gething has since apologised.

In the letter, Mr Price said Mr Gething should be sacked to "restore public trust and confidence" in the Welsh Government's coronavirus response.

He said the use of an expletive "could possibly be explained" by the "immense pressure" the minister is under, but the "aggressive tone" of the attack on a member of his own party "raising wholly legitimate concerns" was representative of his "resistance to accountability and scrutiny in general".

The Welsh Government said the first minister would respond to Mr Price's letter "in due course".

Image copyright National Assembly for Wales
Image caption Vaughan Gething, pictured before he swore about a colleague, had been taking part in a virtual Senedd session

Earlier, Plaid Cymru assembly member Helen Mary Jones told the BBC Mr Gething had to go because he "can't take criticism".

She said more "co-operative" leaders were needed during the coronavirus crisis.

Speaking to Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 5 Live, Ms Jones said: "At one level it's funny, and those images of us all reacting are quite amusing.

"But his attitude to being scrutinised, his attitude to being asked questions about what he's doing, makes him a really problematic figure.

"And this was true before the crisis. But in this crisis we need senior leaders to be cooperative."

The Conservative group leader in the assembly has also called for Mr Gething to be sacked.