´óÏó´«Ã½

A combination of ministerial commitments, sickness and errors has helped the Welsh Government lose votes in the Senedd for the first time since the 2016 election.

First Minister Carwyn Jones and Ken Skates, the economy secretary, were both absent on business when it happened on Wednesday afternoon. Mr Jones had left to go on an official visit to Brittany.

Two Labour AMs - Vikki Howells and Mick Antoniw - told me they accidentally voted the wrong way on a Conservative motion criticising the state of the roads. Another, Dawn Bowden, was off sick.

AMs cast votes by pressing buttons on their desks in the chamber. This is not the first time someone has pressed a wrong button. The case of the springs to mind.

I suspect votes are cast wrongly all the time without us noticing. But when Labour has a knife-edge majority, mistakes and absences can be costly.

A government source pointed out that Wednesday's votes were not binding.

Yes, but if that's the case, why bother voting at all on opposition business? The rest of the cabinet was there and one member privately says they'll been doing their best to avoid a repeat of this episode.

We have to remember of course that the formerly Labour-held seat of Alyn and Deeside is vacant until a by-election next month following the death of Carl Sargeant.

Nevertheless, the opposition thinks these votes tell a wider story about a government in disarray.

Days after talking up the prospect of parties coalescing, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies says it shows they "can usher in a new era of collective opposition to Labour's insipid stewardship of the Welsh economy".