Welsh Conservative leader will take break due to mental health issues

The group leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, Andrew RT Davies, will take a break from front-line politics to deal with mental health issues.

He said suffering from flu and coronavirus had impacted his mental well-being.

Mr Davies, who was elected to represent Cardiff Bay in 2007, said he wished to be “open and honest” about the matter and said he knows “many people have struggled and will do with their mental health”.

Former leader Paul Davies, who resigned in January after it was revealed he drank with other politicians in the Senned four days into Wales’ ban on drinking alcohol in licensed premises, will take over Davies’s duties during his absence.

“Like many men, I’ve always believed I had a shield of invincibility, and like many who have struggled, I’ve contemplated whether I should make this public,” Mr Davies said in a statement.

“However, as a leader, I believe you should set an example and I want to be open and honest – in the good times and the bad – as I know many people have struggled and will do with their mental health.”