Summary
Welsh Conservative leader Nick Bourne may not be Deputy First Minister - but Leader of the Opposition is a grand consolation prize. The new role brings a top-up of pounds 39,939 to his basic AM's salary of pounds 46,496. The Tories' new status as the largest opposition group in the National Assembly means they will gain new resources and more airtime. But more importantly, they can position themselves as a credible alternative to Labour and Plaid - a confidently Welsh party bound by neither left-wing nor Thatcherite ideology. The fact that a majority of Plaid AMs were willing to negotiate the All-Wales Accord with the Tories signals that the right-of-centre party is no longer beyond the pale for people who see their primary identity as Welsh.
Conservatives yesterday pledged that Plaid supporters unhappy with the party's deal with Labour would find a "comfortable home" in the Conservative Party.See the full content of this document
Extract
What This Means for the Welsh Conservatives
Assembly leader Nick Bourne said, "They will see...
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