Labour hits out at Plaid Cymru over leader's absence from assembly

They worked in coalition for four years and remained largely respectful to each other during the election campaign – but the day after the fourth Welsh assembly was officially opened, Labour and Plaid Cymru clashed over the absence of the nationalists' leader. At first minister's questions on Wednesday, Plaid accused the Labour-led government of lacking a clear programme. The first minister and Labour leader, Carwyn Jones, hit back by highlighting the absence from the assembly of the Plaid leader, Ieuan Wyn Jones, who is on an extended break. Plaid's Jocelyn Davies, standing in for the absent leader, claimed there was a danger that the public would believe the new government was "doing nothing". Jones responded by asking: "Where's your leader?", adding: "You accuse us of not having any kind of programme, and your leader's not even in the chamber. I mean, I wasn't going to mention it – but really, that is taking the biscuit." He said his government would put forward a package of legislative and financial measures in the coming weeks. Labour won 30 of the 60 assembly seats in last month's elections and decided to govern alone rather than forging a partnership with Plaid or one of the other parties. Davies told Jones: "Thirty seats, five years, none of your members can ever be away – ever. You're the government, you have to be here. The opposition are not bound by that same reality." Jones replied: "You go on holiday. The opposition can go on holiday. Well that's all right then. Government backbenchers and members of the Labour party have to be here, everyone else can go on holiday in the course of the assembly term. "That's not the message we want to get across – I'm fed up of it. I've had people come to me in the course of the past day and say: 'You assembly members, you're not even there when the assembly's in session,' so it has affected all of us. "I'm sorry, but Labour assembly members will be here to take part, will be here to vote, and I'm sorry to hear that, as far as Plaid Cymru is concerned, attendance in this chamber appears to be optional."