A WELSH Conservative Member of the Senedd (MS) has been officially reprimanded for defying guidelines on the language used to describe Wales’ new 20mph speed limit. Natasha Asghar, the MS for South Wales East, was censured on Wednesday after a row over her use of the term “blanket” to describe the speed limit policy.
The controversy arose when Asghar continued to use the term “blanket policy” on social media, despite having signed off on a committee report advising colleagues to avoid it. The Welsh government has long argued that this description is misleading, as the 20mph default limit includes exemptions.
Standards committee reprimand
The Senedd’s standards committee, which reviews complaints about members’ conduct, took issue with Asghar’s continued use of the term. The committee reminded her of the report’s finding that calling the speed limit “blanket” was “imprecise and inaccurate.” Despite these findings, Asghar defended her actions, dismissing the censure as “absurd.”
In her statement to the Senedd on Wednesday, Asghar argued: “I make no apology whatsoever for standing up for my constituents and residents across Wales. With 97% of former 30mph roads dropping to 20mph as a result of this policy, it remains my opinion that this is a blanket approach.”
However, she was interrupted by Presiding Officer Elin Jones, who reiterated that the term was not appropriate following the standards committee’s ruling. “It is not correct to use it in this context in this chamber anymore,” Jones said.
Unanimous censure and conflict of interest
Despite Asghar’s objections, the motion to censure her was passed unanimously, with no dissent even from her own Conservative party group. The censure is a formal reprimand but carries no further consequences.
This incident follows a report that highlighted potential conflicts of interest within the standards committee. Asghar had been a committee member when it cleared Senedd Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies of a similar complaint regarding his use of the term “blanket.” During this period, Asghar herself was under investigation for using the same language. However, she did not recuse herself or declare a conflict of interest to the committee.
Senedd Standards Commissioner Douglas Bain had initially dismissed the complaints against Asghar. However, Labour MS Lee Waters appealed the decision, accusing Asghar of “moral turpitude” and “flying in the face of the committee’s report.” Because Mr Bain lacked the authority to launch his own investigations into potential conflicts of interest, the matter went unexamined. Committee member Peredur Owen Griffiths, speaking in the Senedd, reminded all members of their duty to declare relevant interests and recuse themselves when necessary.
Committee shake-up
Following concerns about Asghar’s conduct, the Welsh Conservatives removed her from the cross-party standards committee in July, replacing her with a colleague. A source told BBC Wales that this decision followed concerns raised within the party. However, the Welsh Conservatives have declined to comment on the specific reasons for her removal, insisting that committee changes “happen regularly” to provide members with broader experience.
Asghar claimed she was “not aware” of any request for her removal from the committee, while a spokesperson for the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd stated: “As leader, Andrew has not had any issues raised with him regarding Natasha’s membership of the standards committee.”
A continued dispute
Despite the formal reprimand, Asghar maintains her stance. She objects to the ruling, viewing it as an unreasonable restriction on her right to represent her constituents’ concerns. The Welsh government’s move to implement a default 20mph speed limit has sparked widespread debate, with many critics arguing that the policy is overly restrictive and impacts everyday travel.
Natasha Asghar, who has been a member of the Senedd since 2021, now faces the political and public fallout of her censure. With the standards committee having passed its judgment, attention will now shift to how Welsh Conservatives navigate the debate around Wales’ 20mph speed limit—and how the language used to discuss it might shape public perception.
