THE WELSH Government has been warned against a “dangerous and unprecedented” attempt to silence National Assembly debate.

According to the Welsh Conservatives, first minister Carwyn Jones has threatened legal action to stop the publication of a report into whether details about a cabinet reshuffle were leaked before the death of Carl Sargeant.

The Conservatives tabled a new motion calling on the Welsh Government to publish the leak inquiry report using powers available to the National Assembly under section 37 of the Government of Wales Act and a debate is set to take place today (Wednesday).

But a Welsh Government spokesman said: "This is much bigger than any single debate.

"The way section 37 is being interpreted by the Presiding Officer puts Welsh Government in the perverse position where we could be compelled to publish information without regard for any other laws or rights. "We believe this is unlawful and given the significance of the issues surrounding section 37 we will seek proper determination by the courts.”

Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said: "This a dangerous and unprecedented challenge to the legitimacy of the National Assembly for Wales, equivalent to the First Minister trying to shut the Assembly down.

“There is an important principle at stake here. A man has lost his life and it is our duty as politicians to get answers and to make sure that this never happens again.

“Ultimately, if there’s nothing to this report, you have to ask yourself why the First Minister is going to such extraordinary lengths to prevent it from seeing the light of day.

“I cannot imagine this action taking place in any other institution and we should not tolerate it here."

According to the Welsh Government, section 37 - as it is being 'interpreted' by some - could be used to release sensitive information, whether that be personal details or commercially confidential contracts, without regard for data protection and other laws and regulations.

A spokesman for the Welsh government said this would have 'huge commercial implications' for Wales, as the Welsh Government would be required to release commercially sensitive information, adding: "We have proposed a sensible way forward to the Commission and await their response."