THE resignation of Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns amid claims he knew a friend and former staffer had "sabotaged" a rape trail is "disappointing", a Conservative candidate has said.

The party’s Brecon and Radnorshire candidate, Fay Jones, gave her response shortly after it was confirmed Mr Cairns had resigned from the government.

The Conservative quit his UK cabinet post today following increasing pressure over what he knew about claims made by a Tory candidate at a rape trail in April 2018 which forced a judge to abandon it.

The politician responsible for representing Wales in the UK government had denied knowing that his former staff member, Ross England, had been accused by the Crown Court judge of "deliberately sabotaging" the trial of his friend at which he gave evidence. The friend was then convicted at a retrial.

However BBC Wales yesterday reported it had discovered an email, from August 2018, which suggested Mr Cairns would have been aware of Mr England’s part in the collapse of the trial. That was four months before Mr England was selected as Welsh Conservative candidate for the next Welsh Assembly elections for the Vale of Glamorgan seat, which has been represented at Westminster by Cairns since 2010. It is thought Mr Cairns still intends to stand as a candidate in the general election.

Mr Cairns wrote to PM Boris Johnson to resign his post today. He wrote: "This is a very sensitive matter, and in light of continued speculation, I write to tender my resignation as secretary of state for Wales."

He added he would co-operate with an investigation under the ministerial code.

Brecon and Radnorshire candidate Ms Jones said: "I’m really disappointed to see Alun stand down but I think it is important we move on from this really sensitive situation."

Ms Jones declined to comment further on the issue and comments that it could harm the party’s general election campaign in Wales.

Paul Davies AM, who leads the Conservative group in the Welsh Assembly, said resigning had been the "right decision".

Mr Davies said: "I am sorry to see Alun resign today as the Secretary of State for Wales however, under the circumstances this was the right decision for him. Alun has rightly stated that he will cooperate fully with any investigations.

"I would like to thank Alun for his service to Wales as our Secretary of State where he brought an end to the Severn Bridge tolls which will leave a lasting legacy on the Welsh economy.”In a further statement Mr Davies said his "heart" goes out to the victim of the rape.Mr Davies said: "“This case has been shocking and disturbing. My heart goes out to this individual and to all victims of rape and sexual assault.“I expect the highest standards from Welsh Conservative Assembly candidates; this court case suggests that Ross England has fallen short of those standards.”Welsh Lib Dem leader, and the party's Brecon and Radnorshire candidate, Jane Dodds welcomed Mr Cairns resignation but said he should also stand down as a general election candidate.She said: "I welcome Alun Cairns’ resignation as it is clear he is not fit to represent Wales. These recent events show he is not fit to represent the Vale of Glamorgan in Westminster either.“There must now be a full independent investigation to determine what people knew, when they knew it and how Mr England was able to be selected as a candidate despite his actions.“This whole situation is a damming indictment of the entire leadership of the Welsh Conservatives. The way they have tried to turn a blind eye to the case is outrageous.“Both Mr England and Mr Cairns should now both immediately stand down as Conservative candidates and offer a full apology to the victim.”Labour's Brecon and Radnorshire candidate Tom Davies said the email showed Mr Cairns was aware of the allegations and made his resignation inevitable.Mr Davies said: "While Alun Cairns' resignation is welcome, his position was untenable after he was caught out misleading the public over his knowledge of his former aide's deliberate actions in sabotaging a rape trial. It has been shown that he knew of the issue over a year before it was reported this week. "We should not shy away from calling Mr Cairns' action what it was: a shoddy attempt at a cover up. "Despite his resignation, his comments were hollow and he actually failed to apologise to the one person he should have apologised to most of all, the victim. "It would be staggering if he continued to fight for his seat in the election. Having flagrantly misled the public, he must now face an investigation into his conduct. "Together with recent appalling comments from the likes of Jacob Rees-Mogg, Andrew Brigden, Francesca O'Brien and Boris Johnson himself, the Tories' election campaign could not have got off to a worse start. This episode shows just how out of touch they are with ordinary people and are not fit to represent this country."