The first minister of Wales has joined growing criticism of the Welsh secretary, Alun Cairns, who has been accused of “brazenly lying” about his knowledge of an allegation that a former aide had sabotaged a rape trial.

Mark Drakeford accused Cairns of being arrogant and out of touch and criticised him for not coming forward to explain the circumstances of a case that is threatening to overshadow the Welsh Conservatives’ campaign.

Last week, the Welsh Conservatives claimed Cairns was unaware of his former aide Ross England’s role in the rape trial before it became public a few days before.

On Tuesday, BBC Wales published an email it said was sent to Cairns by his special adviser, Geraint Davies, more than a year earlier, in which Davies wrote: “I have spoken to Ross and he is confident no action will be taken by the court.”

The email was sent on 2 August 2018, the BBC reported. Four months later, England was selected as the Welsh Conservatives’ candidate for the Vale of Glamorgan for the 2021 Welsh assembly election. He was later suspended after being accused by a judge of deliberately sabotaging the rape trial. The rape victim is among those who have called for Cairns to resign.

Drakeford said Cairns’ position was another example of the Conservative party’s arrogance to go alongside remarks by Jacob Rees-Moggs about the Grenfell fire and comments from a Tory candidate in Gower, south Wales, suggesting that people on the reality TV show Benefits Street needed “putting down”.

The first minister and Welsh Labour leader told BBC Radio Wales on Wednesday: “The Tory party is an arrogant party. Mr Cairn’s predicament is an example of the wider arrogant and out of touch nature of the Conservative party. You saw it with Jacob Rees-Mogg, you saw it with their candidate in the Gower.

“To believe that you can say one thing and then to be found out that what you said wasn’t true. To believe that when you are found out you don’t have to respond to it at all. The Tory party is out of touch with people. Mr Cairn’s predicament I think is just an illustration of that.”

Labour’s shadow secretary for Wales, Christina Rees, said Cairns had been caught “brazenly lying”.

She said on Wednesday: “We are being asked to believe that Alun Cairns’ special adviser knew about Ross England collapsing a rape trial, that the same adviser emailed details to Alun Cairns – and still, Alun Cairns didn’t know anything of it. It’s patently, palpably absurd.

“Worse still, he has refused to comment since these latest revelations have surfaced – even as the victim from the original trial calls on him to go.”

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts, wrote to Boris Johnson saying: “The revelation that Alun Cairns knew about Ross England’s role in this case before endorsing him as a candidate shows that Mr Cairns is unfit to hold public office.

“At worst, Mr Cairns is complicit in the attempted cover-up of his former staff member’s actions which collapsed a rape trial. At best, he has displayed gross incompetence in judgment, dishonesty and a lack of leadership.”

Privately, there is growing concern among Welsh Conservatives at Cairns’ silence.

A spokeswoman for the Welsh Conservatives said: “There is no new information from this leaked document confirming an informal conversation which took place a considerable time after the trial collapsed and is consistent with statements made.

“The full details of this case are still not known and we have taken action in writing to the court. All forthcoming information will be taken into account as the party conducts a thorough investigation.”

After England made claims about the victim’s sexual history while giving evidence during the rape trial, the judge, Stephen Hopkins, told England: “You have managed, singlehandedly, and I have no doubt it was deliberate on your part, to sabotage this trial.

“Mr England, as far as I am concerned, this matter so far as you are concerned isn’t ended. I shall be writing personal letters to people who are politically close to you and I hope they take appropriate action. Get out of my court.”

The defendant, James Hackett, was later convicted of rape at a retrial.







