Eluned Morgan reveals more reasons for Trump banquet snub

Wales’ first minister has revealed that her reason for declining an invitation to the state banquet for President Trump was only “partly” because of the death of one of her Labour colleagues.

Speaking for the first time since deciding not to go Windsor Castle on Wednesday, Eluned Morgan told a Pembrokeshire radio station that she had a difference in politics with the president and mentioned the situation in Gaza.

This goes further than two earlier Welsh government statements, which dealt only with the tragic events surrounding Member of the Senedd Hefin David.

Her decision to decline the invitation was described by the Welsh Conservatives as a “snub”.

In a live interview with Pure West Radio on Wednesday morning, Morgan said: “Obviously Trump’s politics is very different from mine. The King kindly invited me to attend the state banquet.

“I didn’t feel that was the right thing to do, partly because I felt I needed to be with my colleagues this week when we’re all coming to terms with this very difficult situation in relation to Hefin David.

“So there’s a time when you need to make sure you’re together and, look, our politics is very different and you look at things like Gaza and you think we need to be doing everything we can to intervene and it will be good, I think, if we could do a bit more in that space.”

On Tuesday night a Welsh government statement confirmed Morgan would not attend the banquet with a statement saying she had written to the King to “thank him for his gracious invite” but felt that “her place is here with colleagues as she continues to support them during this incredibly difficult time”.

On Wednesday lunchtime the Welsh government issued a new statement which said: “There is a private engagement tonight between the first minister and MSs [Members of the Senedd] following the death of Hefin David.”

The interview with Pure West radio took place on Wednesday morning.

The row has now reached Westminster.

Whilst expressing sympathy, three senior Labour MPs have told BBC Wales that the decision not to go was wrong.

One of them said they felt it was the “wrong call”.

“We need grown up politics, not student protests,” they said.

The Welsh government said it had nothing further to add to its previous comments.

It is still unclear when the invitation to the banquet was received or when Wednesday night’s engagement with Senedd members was arranged.

Senedd Conservative leader Darren Millar said: “Obviously everybody has a great deal of sympathy for Labour in Wales having lost a colleague like Hefin David but to then suggest that what actually you are trying to do is snub an appointment as well, because you have got some political differences, is a duplicitous sort of message.

“I think if the first minister had wanted to snub the President she should make it clear that there is a political snub taking place.”

Morgan was not the only high profile party leader to turn down an invitation to the banquet.

In August, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said he was boycotting the event to send President Trump a message over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth told BBC Wales he would not have gone to the banquet, despite wanting a close trading relationship with the United States and admiring the country.

“Cultural ties have gone back centuries between Wales and the United States,” he said.

“But by rolling out the red carpet, in this unprecedented way, the very clear risk is that it’s seen as something that condones, supports even, the kind of politics that we see from the current president: the promoting of division, the promotion of the far right, the refusal to condemn the genocide in Gaza and so on.

“We have to show what our values are as politicians.”

Additional reporting by Emilia Belli