The Tories and the Assembly

Welsh Conservatives must come clean on their party's plan to scrap the National Assembly and reduce Welsh influence at Westminster. Last week, Conservative leader Michael Howard said that the Tories would hold a referendum on whether the Assembly should continue.

Now we all know that Michael Howard has subsequently said he won't win the General Election, but I think Nick Bourne and his band should tell us how they would vote.

Regardless of the result of the Tory referendum, under their plans the number of Welsh MPs would go down from 40 to 33. If the Assembly were to stay, the number of Welsh MPs would godown to 26. The Welsh Tories should own up as to whether they would vote for the Assembly to continue.The Welsh media should put them under pressure on this issue. Welsh Tories in the Assembly are always claiming they now support devolution and want the Assembly to work. Well, now they must come clean and tell us which way they would jump.