Tory leader defends missing vote for Trump trip

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd said he was in the "right place at the right time" when he missed a vote on the Welsh government's spending plans because he was in Washington DC.

Millar said he promoted Welsh interests with US politicians when he and Senedd Conservative Russell George attended the National Prayer Breakfast, where Donald Trump spoke last Thursday.

Labour won the symbolic vote, with opposition lower on numbers because of Millar and George's absence and the abstention of Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds.

Millar defended his absence from the Welsh Parliament by saying last week's draft vote was not the "big" decision on the budget.

Labour holds half of the seats in the Senedd and needs the help, absence or abstention of at least one opposition MS to get its spending plans passed.

A deal is thought to be in the offing with Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds, although she said at the weekend it had not been agreed.

In his first BBC interview since he returned from the United States, Millar attacked the broadcaster for its coverage of his decision to go the US - claiming it and others had tried to "mislead the public to suggest that that was the big vote".

BBC Wales reported last week that the vote was largely symbolic ahead of a final vote in March.

Millar said: "I had a fantastic visit to Washington DC where I was able to meet with elected representatives from many nations, but of course especially the United States of America".

He said he was able to "talk about Welsh interests and promote Wales".

"I don't think that's been done [well] enough frankly overseas, and that's why I took the important decision in order to be there".

"I'm very satisfied that I was in the right place at the right time last week."

Millar said he takes his role "very seriously as leader of the opposition and the next first minister of Wales", and said anyone who wanted to be first minister needed to have a "presence on the international stage".

"I know that you're trying to mislead people by suggesting that last week was that opportunity to vote down the budget," he told BBC Wales, "but it wasn't".

"No matter what the outcome of that vote, the budget would have proceeded anyway".

"I think it's disingenuous of the BBC and others to try to mislead the public, to suggest that that was the big vote." He said he would be present for the final vote in March.

Asked why the Welsh Conservatives issued a press release the day before saying the government needed to lose the draft budget vote - which was impossible because Millar was in the US - Millar replied: "The Welsh government's budget process finishes on the fourth of March, and we stand by those words.

"We will be voting it down because we do not believe that it is in accordance with the priorities of the people of Wales."

He added: "What the BBC ought to be doing is asking why on earth you have asked the Liberal Democrats in a position whereby they allowed that budget to proceed, even when clearly... no deal has yet been done".

Millar said he met the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, and the chair of the Welsh Caucus in Congress.

"We discussed the need to promote Welsh tourism, the work that we need to do together to ensure that more Welsh lamb and beef gets into the US market, and the need for some energy security and arrangements that [we] might able to come to with the United States."

Millar said he has told the Pocket Testament League, a small charity that distributes gospel pamphlets, that he will be quitting as its chief executive once they have found a replacement. He has also given up chairmanships of cross party groups.