Top lawyer backs ban on former MSs judging colleagues

FORMER Senedd members should be permanently banned from judging the conduct of old colleagues, Wales' top lawyer has suggested - contradicting plans in a new recall bill.

- CHRIS HAINES

The recall bill includes a two-year cooling-off period before former Senedd politicians can become "lay" members of a committee which recommends sanctions.

But Julie James, who is counsel general, the Welsh Government's chief legal adviser, argued the disqualification should be for life.

She made the comments yesterday while giving evidence on plans to introduce a system of recall, which would allow voters to remove politicians between elections.

Under the bill, for the first time, lay members would be appointed to the Senedd's standards of conduct committee but this could include former members.

Douglas Bain, the standards commissioner who investigates complaints about Senedd members, has warned two years is too short and called for a four-year ban.

But Ms James went further, telling the legislation committee former Senedd politicians should not be able to sit as lay members at all.

She told Senedd members: "For what it's worth, as a personal thing, not speaking as the counsel general, I think it should be a permanent disqualification.

"I think you would be permanently thought of as being in whatever camp you'd been in when you were elected.