A GWENT MS is in hot water following a "potential breach of Covid regulations", in which he and a group of Conservative members allegedly drank alcohol at the Senedd.

Labour Blaenau Gwent MS Alun Davies has been suspended from the Senedd's Labour group while the Senedd Commission investigates a "gathering" at the Senedd last month.

Mr Davies reportedly drank glasses of wine with a group of Conservatives - the party's leader Paul Davies, chief whip Darren Millar and the party's chief of staff Paul Smith in a Senedd tearoom.

The incident happened on December 8, four days after pubs were forced to stop selling alcohol under the Welsh Labour-led government rules to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, although off-licences were allowed to sell alcohol until 10pm.

All four men deny breaking any Covid-19 rules and say they observed social distancing while meeting to discuss working together on a proposed bill before consuming alcohol not bought from parliament premises.

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A spokesman for the Commission said an internal investigation was under way into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Mr Davies has now had the whip removed from him by the Senedd Labour Group.

A spokesman for the group said: “A member has been suspended from the privileges of Senedd Labour Group membership while an investigation takes place into this alleged incident.”

Mr Davies said the Senedd Commission had already confirmed to him that he did not breach coronavirus regulations.

He said: “I am very sorry if my actions have given the impression that I am in any way not committed to upholding the regulations which I have consistently supported throughout the last year.

“For context, the purpose of this meeting from my perspective was to seek to persuade the Welsh Conservatives to support my proposal for a 'Welsh Hearts Bill' which the Senedd endorsed on 21 October and to make a commitment to enact this life-saving legislation in their manifesto for May’s election.

"This is part of my work across political parties on this issue.

“The Senedd Commission has already confirmed to me that I did not breach the Coronavirus regulations on the consumption of either food or alcohol that were in force at that time.

"I have also confirmed to the Commission that the regulations on the number of people present and on social distancing were not breached either.

"I look forward to the Commission’s final conclusions on this matter.”

A Welsh Conservatives source told the PA news agency that the group believed they had not broken Covid-19 rules because the alcohol was not bought from the Senedd site nor was it served by catering staff.

A statement on behalf of Paul Davies, Darren Millar, Paul Smith said: “We are profoundly sorry for our actions. While we did not break the rules, we recognise that what was part of a day’s work would not be seen to be following the spirit of them, especially given the tough time the country has been going through.”

A spokesman for the Senedd Commission, which is the corporate body for the Senedd, said: “We are aware of an incident on the Senedd estate last month which may have been contrary to public health regulations in force at the time.

“The Senedd Commission takes the public health regulations in Wales very seriously and is currently investigating the matter in order to establish an accurate account of what took place and to determine whether action may be required.”

A spokesman for catering company CH&CO Group, which offers catering and hospitality services at the Senedd, said: “We are aware of an alleged breach of public health regulations at the Senedd estate.

“As caterers, we take our responsibilities and obligations to restrictions and public health regulations across the UK very seriously.

“We are currently undertaking a full investigation into this matter.”

Plaid Cymru South Wales East MS Delyth Jewell said she was "astonished, disappointed and angry" about the allegations.

“Lawmakers cannot be seen to be breaking the rules they insist that others follow," she said. "It’s particularly galling to see the Labour member for Blaenau Gwent implicated as a member of the party of government.

“All four members will have to be suspended by their parties as this is investigated in line with the proper procedure, and if the members involved are found to have broken the rules, they must face severe consequences.”