Caerphilly MP Wayne David told the House of Commons he was “concerned” after Secretary of State for Wales Stephen Crabb missed a large part of the St David’s Day debate on Thursday March 3.
Named so for the annual day when the Commons focuses solely on Welsh affairs, Mr David told the Deputy Speaker: “I am concerned about not only the Secretary of State’s absence from this important debate, but the fact that he was absent at a St David’s day reception hosted in Lancaster House earlier today.”
Mr David also suggested Mr Crabb must have been missing for serious reasons: “Perhaps he has died or perhaps he has resigned and not told the House. Perhaps you could shed some light on this.”
Wales Office Minister Alun Cairns told the House that Mr Crabb “had parliamentary business elsewhere”, and that his absence had been explained before the debate.
However, the Welsh Secretary was photographed with guests at the Bexley Conservative Ladies’ lunch.
At the Conservative Women's Bexley lunch with the delightful @scrabbmp – Secretary of State for Wales pic.twitter.com/hR6qFXtmTz
— Kanwal Toor Gill (@kanwaltoor) March 3, 2016
Nia Griffith, Labour Shadow Secretary told the Deputy Speaker: “I am amazed to see that the Secretary of State for Wales is not in his place to respond to our next debate today, despite the fact that he made an extremely important announcement about fundamental changes to the draft Wales Bill on Monday, to journalists and not to this House, with the Wales Office tweeting at the time that MPs could wait until today to debate these changes.”
The draft Wales Bill has previously drawn criticism from Assembly Members.
The Welsh Secretary did make an appearance at the chamber later in the day, but did not speak.
A Wales Office spokesman said: “It is very common for junior ministers to respond to Thursday backbench business debates and the Secretary of State was there for the closing speeches.”
What do we expect from this second rate Welsh Secretary except second rate political standards, absent from Welsh Affairs debates, disgraceful, The Welsh Office Spokesman said that it is usual for JUNIOR minister to attend such debates, to answer questions, perhaps Crabb`s role should be demoted in the Cabinet to one of a `Junior` he may think it appropriate to attend