RHUN ap Iorwerth has taken aim at the Westminster role of Welsh Secretary suggesting it "probably isn't" necessary.
Speaking to Matt Chorley on BBC Radio 5 Live, the Plaid Cymru First Minister appeared to indicate the post should be scrapped, adding that it's "a role that’s rather different to what is was pre-devolution".
It comes after ap Iorwerth made similar remarks speaking to The National last week. During a visit to Glasgow, he said: "I want to be working with the departmental heads in Whitehall, not a Secretary of State for Wales."
Aberafan Maesteg MP Stephen Kinnock is the current Welsh Secretary having recently been appointed by Andy Burnham in place of Jo Stevens.
Asked by Chorley whether the post was still necessary, ap Iorwerth said: “I would argue that it probably isn’t.
"There is a role for it as a conduit on some matters but I’ll make it as clear as I can that I want my ministers to be dealing with ministers in relevant departments in the UK Government rather than going through a secretary state for Wales.
"Now if you have a Secretary of State for Wales, and I hope Stephen Kinnock will consider this to be his role, and can facilitate those discussions and not be a barrier in any way, we’ll good we’ll use it in that way but it’s becoming increasingly clear that it’s a role that’s rather different to what is was pre-devolution.”
Shortly after the the devolution referendum of 1999 to set up what is now the Senedd, there was a serious suggestion that the Secretaries of State for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland should be ditched and replaced by a single Cabinet post representing all three devolved nations, but this was eventually rejected.
Since Brexit, the UK Government has been accused of seeking to roll back devolution by grabbing back powers that had been passed to the three devolved governments via mechanisms such as the Internal Market Act.
Former Labour MP for Cardiff West Kevin Brennan said that Welsh ministers already deal with their UK counterparts and have done for some time.
"Welsh Ministers have always dealt directly with their UK counterparts - it’s been the practice for years," he posted on Twitter/X.
It was thought Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander's position could be on the ropes under Burnham after he led Scottish Labour to their worst ever result at Holyrood alongside Anas Sarwar.
But he was handed the role again saying that Burnham was "keen" to reappoint him.
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, Alexander also refused to say whether he and Sarwar – the former Scottish Labour leader who Burnham has made a life peer and UK Government minister – had been “rewarded for failure”.
