FIRST Minister Carwyn Jones has rejected suggestions of a split in the Labour Party over how to deal with Plaid Cymru.
Mr Jones defended his deputy, Plaid's Ieuan Wyn Jones, after he was attacked as "ineffective" by Shadow Welsh Secretary and Neath MP Peter Hain.
And Mr Jones told the BBC relations between him and Mr Hain were fine.
He said: "There is no split.
"When I read suggestions that the relationship between Peter and myself was very poor I was astounded. They're not. That is something that has never been the case.
"I don't believe I have any ineffective ministers in my government. I have my ministers in my government and they have my confidence, of course they do, otherwise they wouldn't be in the government."
Last week, Mr Hain said: "I think we need to have a mature debate about the future role of the Welsh Deputy First Minister.
"Can you really justify having a Deputy First Minister in an Assembly Cabinet of only nine?"
"It is difficult, I think, in the long-term to justify having a Deputy First Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government as ineffective as Ieuan Wyn Jones."
Ahead of the National Assembly elections in May, Mr Jones also said there would be an orderly pre-election break-up between the two parties after four years in coalition.
Mr Jones said: "Clearly there needs to be an orderly disengagement, if I can put it that way. We understand that as parties.
"By the end of this month, for example, we will be into an election period and it will be a normal election campaign, if I can put it that way.
"There are still Cabinet meetings taking place of course.
"There is still a government in place for the next few weeks and that government will remain in place actually over the course of April. But of course that will be an election period, and that will be an election that is fought in the same way as any other."
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