KIRSTY Williams has been accused of putting her career ahead of her constituents in an astonishing attack on her new role in the Welsh cabinet.

Brecon and Radnorshire MP Chris Davies accused his Welsh Assembly counterpart of "sacrificing" her principles to accept the position as the new secretary for education in the Welsh Government cabinet. He also suggested Ms Williams had been attracted by the additional salary.

The Liberal Democrat AM has accepted the high profile post in a deal which effectively gives Carwyn Jones’ Labour Party control of half the seats in the 60 member Assembly.

Mr Davies said: "It comes as quite a surprise to me that the AM for Brecon and Radnorshire has been appointed to the Welsh Government as the cabinet member for education.

"The real disappointment for me is that yet again her career is taking the lead role, centre stage, in the spotlight, while she wants to relegate the people of Brecon and Radnorshire to waiting in the wings.

"I think this is unacceptable as the people of Brecon and Radnorshire has and will always be my top priority. I wonder how many voters would still have put their cross in her box had they known she was willing to sacrifice her principles for her own position."

Liberal Democrat Ms Williams has defended her deal with Mr Jones and hit back at Mr Davies and his record in office since defeating Lib Dem Roger Williams at last year’s general election.

Ms Williams’ surprise appointment to the cabinet came a week after she had saved Carwyn Jones from a defeat at the hands of the combined might of Plaid Cymru, the Conservatives and Ukip.

Her decision to vote with Labour allowed the party another chance to put Carwyn Jones forward as First Minister. After agreeing a deal on shared priorities with Plaid the Labour leader was voted in once more as First Minister and appointed Ms Williams to education secretary.

Both Mr Jones and Ms Williams have denied their agreement is coalition.

Tory Mr Davies also accused Ms Williams of going back on her speech to the Welsh Lib Dem conference earlier this year.

He said: "I seem to recollect at her party conference last year she said ’the easy route would be to join Labour - the Welsh Lib Dems do not do the easy route’ – perhaps the promise of an extra £36,000 a year on top of her already over-inflated salary has made her ’easy route’ much more appealing."

Mr Davies accused Ms Williams of having "worked" for the Labour Party. He added: "Her tireless hard work for the Labour Party in Cardiff over the past 17 years, which passed budget after budget cutting Powys County Council’s local government settlement, has finally paid off for her, and I do hope she is pleased with her new position.

"Having supported the cuts to Powys’ settlement in the last budget, which has caused the situation our schools are now in, I hope the new cabinet member for education will turn the tide and bring some common sense to Powys County Council’s education policy.

"Now that she is responsible for schools in Wales I am sure she will keep our superb local schools open and overrule Powys’ plans to close them. This will be the common sense approach I have long been calling for and I look forward to working with our local schools long into the future. Then again, you never know with the Lib Dems and education policy after their U-turns on tuition fees."

Ms Williams hit back and said Mr Davies had made personal and unfounded attacks. She also said she wouldn’t be accepting a pay rise awarded to all AMs from May.

Mr Davies said last July he had "no option" but to accept a 10% pay rise awarded to all MPs.

Ms Williams said: "It is a great sadness to me that Mr Davies has taken this approach. I would have thought he would want to work constructively with the new education secretary to try and achieve good things for the people of Brecon and Radnorshire. Clearly, he would rather make personal and unfounded attacks.

"It is worth noting that in the last seven days I have asked five written questions, which is all Chris Davies has managed in a whole year in Parliament. I also voted against the outrageous AMs’ pay-rise and will not be taking it, which is more than can be said about Mr Davies’ Conservative Assembly colleagues.

"I have just won the Brecon & Radnorshire seat with over 50% of the vote, and an 8,000 plus majority - the policies people were voting for will now be put into action.

"My agreement with the first minister included a funding floor for rural councils, better support for Welsh agriculture through a small grants scheme and as education secretary I will be personally looking at the effect of government policy on rural schools.

"Mr Davies might be happy to just wander through the lobbies with his Conservative colleagues; voting to close our courts, bring fracking to national parks and to cut payments to disabled people, but I got into politics to change things in Brecon and Radnorshire for the better, which will continue to be my number one priority."

Despite the war of words between the two representatives Ms Williams’ appointment has been welcomed by the Conservative group leader on Powys council.