Ed Davey did not meet Welsh Lib Dem leader on Cardiff visit
PA MediaWelsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds has revealed she did not meet her UK party leader Sir Ed Davey on his recent visit to Wales' capital.
Dodds said she was unable to meet Sir Ed in Cardiff last Friday because of another engagement and that his visit was arranged at "the very last minute".
The relationship between the pair has been strained ever since Sir Ed asked Dodds to reflect on her position over her handling of a sexual abuse case when she worked for the Church in England.
Lib Dem social media showed Davey at an event in the capital - which BBC Wales was not invited to - meeting lead candidates who are standing in the city for the Senedd election on 7 May.
Following Sir Ed's comments to the BBC in 2024 that Dodds should reflect on her position as Welsh leader, Dodds accepted "shortcomings" in the time it took for her to arrange a meeting to discuss a historic case against a bishop.
Dodds later admitted her relationship with the UK leader had "changed" and would "take time to repair".
But she would not be drawn on the state of the pair's relationship when she was asked about it by BBC Radio Wales Breakfast on Tuesday.
"My relationship with anybody is a private matter. I don't talk about that," she said.
"Both Ed and I are focused on beating Reform. We both share our passion for social care.
"Ed has led on this in the UK Parliament for many, many years from his own experiences and now we're leading on that here in Wales."
Dodds said Sir Ed met candidates and residents and visited businesses on his visit to Cardiff, adding: "I wasn't there."
"I had an engagement that day, it was very last minute, it was arranged very last minute and I wasn't able to be there but I understand the visit went very well and that he was able to talk about social care and to local businesses".
The Welsh Lib Dems have made trying to stop Welsh independence one of its key messages in the campaign, and party members think they can win as many as five Members of the Senedd (MS) in the 7 May election - up from the one they had in the last parliament, which was Dodds.
She told Radio Wales Breakfast she had ruled out working with either Reform or the Conservatives after the upcoming election, with parties likely having to co-operate to pass laws in the next Senedd.
Dodds told Radio Wales the Lib Dems would work with parties "that share our values".
When put to her that her lead candidate in Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf, Rodney Berman, had suggested there was wriggle room in terms of working with pro-independence Plaid Cymru, she said: "We have our red lines and if we get a position of being able to negotiate with any party and it could be Plaid Cymru. Yes, that's correct.
"I'm the party leader. I'll be the one negotiating."
