Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #plaid-cymru, aggregated by home.social.
Confessions of an official waste of taxpayer’s money
Being deemed an official waste of government funds in a feeble attempt at political point scoring that's then amplified by the mainstream media is an odd experience.
My latest post explains my side of the story (seeing as nobody else asked)
NEATH PORT TALBOT: Scott Jones is the new council leader, three weeks after Steve Hunt quit
Neath Port Talbot Council has a new leader. Cllr Scott Jones, the Independent councillor for Gwynfi and Croeserw, was confirmed in the job at a full council meeting on Wednesday (14 October).
He takes over from Cllr Steve Hunt, who quit last month. Cllr Hunt said he was going for personal reasons, but also admitted he had got so drunk at an invitation-only event that he fell over, and that he had said he wanted to “wipe out” Plaid Cymru, the Independents’ partners in the ruling coalition.
Until Wednesday Cllr Jones was the cabinet member for Streetscene, the department that covers bins, recycling, roads, parks and flood defences. Readers will know him as the councillor quoted whenever the council takes a fly-tipper to court.
“Fair funding” first, says the new leader
The council says “fair funding and protecting vital services” will be at the top of his agenda, and that he wants the county borough to be “stronger, fairer and more resilient”.
“A key and immediate priority will be to make the strongest possible case for a fair and sustainable budget settlement for Neath Port Talbot Council,” he told the chamber. “The financial pressures facing local government remain significant, and we will work constructively with our partners to secure the resources needed to protect vital services and support the people who rely on them.”
It is the same fight his predecessor picked. Cllr Hunt used his reappointment in 2024 to warn the Welsh Government over the money the council gets, and said the night he fell over that his criticism had been aimed at Welsh Government spending decisions.
“Leadership is never about one individual”
Cllr Jones told councillors his time running Streetscene had shaped how he would lead. “As Cabinet Member for Streetscene, I have worked alongside dedicated officers and councillors to secure investment in our communities, improve parks and public spaces, strengthen flood defences, deliver environmental improvements and exceed Welsh Government recycling targets,” he said.
“Those achievements were made possible by teamwork, partnership working and a clear focus on delivering practical results for residents. They have reinforced my belief that effective leadership is never about one individual.”
He added: “It is about bringing people together, supporting them and creating the conditions for everyone to contribute. That principle will guide my approach to leading the Council.”
The council says he will also deliver “collaborative leadership” and the coalition’s priorities. Its announcement does not say whether anyone stood against him or how councillors voted.
Carl Jordan takes Streetscene, and a first cabinet next week
Cllr Carl Jordan becomes the cabinet member for Streetscene in his place, the council says. Deputy leader Cllr Alun Llewelyn, of Plaid Cymru, had been carrying out the leader’s duties since Cllr Hunt stepped down on 21 September.
Cllr Jones inherits the Rainbow Coalition of Independent, Plaid Cymru, Liberal Democrat and Green councillors that took over in 2022, the first administration not run by Labour since the council was created in 1996.
His first cabinet meeting as leader is next Wednesday (21 October), when it decides whether to consult on 32 more places for children with additional learning needs at two schools the council is still building, with no money yet found to run them.
Cllr Hunt stays on as the Independent councillor for Crynant, Onllwyn and Seven Sisters. He had been reappointed leader at every annual meeting since 2022, most recently in May.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
NEATH PORT TALBOT: Council leader Steve Hunt quits and admits he got so drunk he fell over
Why the job was vacant: the resignation, the gin, and the Plaid remark.
NEATH PORT TALBOT: “Nearly all” specialist places are full, so the council wants 32 more for autistic pupils
The first big decision on the new leader’s cabinet agenda.
Improvements for ‘towns, villages and valleys’ priority for new Neath Port Talbot coalition cabinet
How the Rainbow Coalition set out its stall in 2022.
Reappointed council leader vows to fight for more funding
The funding fight Cllr Jones has now taken on.
More Neath Port Talbot Council news
Every decision from the civic centres in Port Talbot and Neath.
https://www.europesays.com/videos/110853/ Decision on plans for new national park delayed | ITV News Cymru Wales #Albania #budget #court #football #itv #ItvNews #ITVNewsInFull #JoeCordina #NationalPark #PlaidCymru #WorldCup
ALN FUNDING: Plaid and Labour strike £60m deal to revive the budget that fell in July
Schools and colleges across Wales will get an extra £60m this year for children with additional learning needs, after the Welsh Government and Welsh Labour reached the deal that sank the last budget.
The agreement clears the way for the Plaid Cymru government to lay its supplementary budget for 2026-27 before the Senedd today, with a vote on Tuesday 3 November.
Three months ago the same budget was voted down 49 to 44, with Labour’s nine MSs joining Reform UK and the Conservatives against it, after the two parties could not agree how much should go to ALN this year.
Labour had wanted £100m before April. First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth had offered £40m a year for three years and called it his final proposal. Today’s figure is £60m for this financial year, as part of the wider package first set out in June.
That package, the government said at the time, carried £294m of extra spending, including £145m towards NHS waiting lists, £55m to expand funded childcare and £15m to extend free school meals to more secondary pupils.
What it means for Swansea
How much of the £60m reaches south west Wales is not yet set out. Swansea Council has already made its claim: councillors demanded the city’s share last month of the £322m Wales received on the back of special needs spending in England.
Council leader Rob Stewart put the city’s share of the government’s earlier £150m, three-year offer at £11m, and told councillors the government’s message to vulnerable learners so far had been “absolutely damning”.
The council says more than 6,600 primary pupils in Swansea have additional learning needs, around 1,600 of them needing more than their school can normally provide, and that in parts of the city more than 60 per cent of schools are already in the red.
Labour puts the Wales-wide figure at more than 40,000 children and young people with additional learning needs, rising every year, and says the £60m works out at around £1,500 per pupil.
Education minister Anna Brychan told the Senedd last month that there remained “opportunities” to send the ALN money to councils and schools, after Reform UK’s Gŵyr Abertawe MS Francesca O’Brien asked for it to go straight to councils.
“What can be achieved when parties work together”
Mr ap Iorwerth said the agreement “reflects what can be achieved when parties across the Senedd work together” and would “unlock an extra £60m towards additional learning needs in this financial year”.
He said it also allowed the government “to bring forward a supplementary budget that continues our investment in the NHS, childcare and free school meals”.
Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates, whose group forced the July defeat, said his party had “managed to secure a significant cash injection for schools this year” and that it was “50 per cent more than was on the table” when the government put £40m to Labour last week.
He called it “a welcome first step”, while saying Labour still believed the government “should be setting aside more for ALN in schools”, and promised to “call for more money later this year if another supplementary budget is laid before the Senedd”.
Labour’s statement also claims Plaid Cymru allocated nothing extra for ALN when it first brought the budget forward in the summer. The government’s final offer before the July vote was £40m a year for three years.
The July defeat was the biggest setback of the government’s first months, and the school leaders’ unions NAHT Cymru and ASCL Cymru declared a formal trade dispute over pay and ALN funding in the same week.
With Labour now backing the budget, the government has the votes it lacked in July. The debate is on 3 November.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
BUDGET DEFEAT: Plaid government’s £294m spending plan voted down 49 to 44: the night the first budget fell, and who voted which way.
ALN FUNDING: ‘Absolutely damning’, Swansea leader rounds on Plaid over the £44m schools never saw: the council’s cross-party demand for its share.
SWANSEA: Francesca O’Brien takes the council’s £13.7m overspend to the Senedd: the minister’s “opportunities” answer on the ALN cash.
WELSH LABOUR: Ken Skates confirmed as leader the morning after his nine MSs sank Plaid’s budget: how Labour’s group lined up in July.
#additionalLearningNeeds #ALN #CllrRobStewart #KenSkatesMS #PlaidCymru #RhunApIorwerthMS #Senedd #supplementaryBudget #WelshGovernment #WelshLabour
"It was a fantastic, inspirational speech. But don't think it's going to happen in a few months. It will take time and people need to realise that."
https://www.europesays.com/videos/107435/ Are plans to kerb M4 congestion a bridge too far? | Sharp End #conservatives #itv #ItvNews #ITVNewsInFull #ItvWales #Labour #M4 #M4ReliefRoad #MenaiBridge #Newport #PartyConference #PlaidCymru #ReformUK #SharpEnd
https://www.europesays.com/uk/1239036/ Calls for greater support of Wales’ defence industry backed #Britain #DefenceFirm #GreatBritain #ICNNSeneddReporter #Labour #PlaidCymru #ReformUK #Senedd #UK #UnitedKingdom #Wales #WelshConservatives #WelshGovernment
The demands of Welsh devolution are simple: just give us what Scotland has | Will Hayward
By Will Hayward
Andy Burnham is a Westminster leader whom Welsh nationalists could finally work with - but only if he stands up to the devo-sceptics in UK Labour
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/04/demands-welsh-devolution-scotland-andy-burnham
#Welshpolitics #Devolution #Wales #RhunapIorwerth #PlaidCymru #Labour #AndyBurnham #UKnews #Politics #TheGuardian #WillHayward
The demands of Welsh devolution are simple: just give us what Scotland has | Will Hayward https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/04/demands-welsh-devolution-scotland-andy-burnham #WelshPolitics #Devolution #Wales #RhunApIorwerth #PlaidCymru #Labour #AndyBurnham #UkNews #Politics
https://www.europesays.com/videos/105095/ Is it over for Zack Polanski if he loses the by-election? | BBC News #AndyBurnham #bbc #BBCNews #Burnham #Election #GreenParty #news #PlaidCymru #polanski #UKPolitics #Wales #WelshPolitics #ZackPolanski
https://www.europesays.com/uk/1234736/ Plaid Cymru say Wales couldn’t afford Brexit and call for UK to rejoin the EU #EU #Europe #European #EuropeanUnion #LizSavilleRoberts #Llandudno #PlaidCymru #Politics
https://www.europesays.com/videos/104440/ Watch LIVE: First Minister Rhun ap Iorweth’s speech at the Plaid Cymru conference #Burnham #conference #FirstMinister #GOVERNMENT #greens #itv #ItvNews #PlaidCymru #politics #PrimeMinister #RhunApLorweth #Wales
Welsh first minister calls on Burnham to deliever ‘new deal’ on devolution
By Bethan McKernan, Wales correspondent
Plaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth says he has asked PM to ‘put Wales on equal footing with Scotland as bare minimum’
#RhunapIorwerth #Devolution #PlaidCymru #Welshgovernment #AndyBurnham #Welshpolitics #Labour #Politics #Wales #UKnews #TheGuardian #BethanMcKernan #Walescorrespondent
Welsh first minister calls on Burnham to deliever ‘new deal’ on devolution https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/oct/02/welsh-first-minister-rhun-ap-iorwerth-andy-burnham-devolution-wales-plaid-cymru #RhunApIorwerth #Devolution #PlaidCymru #WelshGovernment #AndyBurnham #WelshPolitics #Labour #Politics #Wales #UkNews
How could Britain look under proportional representation? See the results for your area
By Antonio Voce and Ashley Kirk
These visualisations from exclusive polling modelling show how the UK parliament could change under different voting systems
#Electoralreform #Proportionalrepresentation #Firstpastthepost #Politics #UKnews #Labour #LiberalDemocrats #Greenparty #ScottishNationalpartySNP #PlaidCymru #ReformUK #Conservatives #RestoreBritain #London #TheGuardian #AntonioVoce #AshleyKirk
https://www.europesays.com/videos/102586/ WAL SHARP END FULL PROG FOR WEB 290926 #AndreaBenfield #AndyBurnham #conservatives #itv #ItvNews #ITVNewsInFull #ItvWales #Labour #PlaidCymru #ReformUK #senedd #SharpEnd #StephenKinnock #WelshPolitics
Small window for Welsh additional learning needs funding deal, politicians told https://www.byteseu.com/2408596/ #ElinJones #KenSkates #PlaidCymru #Politics #RhunApIorwerth #WelshGovernment #WelshLabour
Russian foreign minister questions ‘what will become of UK’ and future of ‘the Celts’
Russia’s foreign minister has questioned the future of the UK, suggesting it looks uncertain with “the Celts” looking…
#EuropeSays #Russia #foreignminister #Ireland #PlaidCymru #Scotland #ScotlandandNorthernIreland #SergeyLavrov #theCelts #Wales
https://www.europesays.com/russia/69967/
" #Berlin will most likely now be governed by a Left-Greens-SPD coalition. Perhaps most striking was that a clear majority of young women (54%) voted for the “far-left” party, representing a broader #LeftWing trend among young women that continues to be ignored by most media and politics representatives."
Similarly, look at the demographics campaigning for and voting for the #Greens here in the UK, and the #SNP in Scotland and #PlaidCymru in Wales.
LABOUR WIPEOUT: Only Gower and Cardiff East left standing in Wales if an election were held tomorrow, YouGov model says
If a general election were held tomorrow, Labour would be left with two MPs in the whole of Wales, and one of them would be Gower’s Tonia Antoniazzi, according to YouGov’s new seat-by-seat model.
Swansea West, Neath and Swansea East, Llanelli, Aberafan Maesteg and Bridgend would all go. Across Wales the map is carved up between Plaid Cymru, projected to win 15 seats, and Reform UK on 14. The other Labour survivor is Cardiff East.
The projection comes from YouGov’s MRP, a model that takes a very large national survey and works out how each of the 632 seats in Great Britain would vote. This one is the pollster’s first since Andy Burnham entered Downing Street, built on nearly 17,000 interviews between 23 August and 18 September.
Across the UK it makes Labour the largest party in a hung parliament on 241 seats, down 170 on 2024, with the Conservatives on 130 and Reform UK on 123. YouGov says that is a marked recovery for Labour on its model a year ago, which had Reform close to a majority.
Wales is the exception. Labour won 27 of the 32 Welsh seats in 2024. YouGov’s central estimate now gives it two, which the pollster says would be the party’s worst Westminster result in Wales since 1906, and it notes that any “Burnham bounce” visible in England is far more muted here. The 32nd seat, Monmouthshire, is a narrow Conservative gain.
YouGov’s seat-by-seat map for all 632 seats in Great Britain. Zoom in for south-west Wales. Source: YouGov plc, 2026, © All rights reserved
Seat by seat: Gower held by three points, Neath and Swansea East gone by 11
Gower: Antoniazzi 26%, Reform 23%, Plaid 17%, Conservatives 15%. A three-point hold in the seat she has represented since 2017, and where she was among the first Labour MPs to call on Keir Starmer to go after May’s Senedd result.
Gower MP Tonia Antoniazzi: a three-point hold in YouGov’s projection. (Image: Tonia Antoniazzi)Swansea West: Plaid 31%, Reform 24%, Labour 17%. Torsten Bell, the Treasury minister who took the seat in 2024, would be third, seven points behind Plaid.
Neath and Swansea East: Reform 34%, Labour 23%, Plaid 18%. The biggest projected Reform lead in the region, 11 points over Carolyn Harris, who backed Starmer to stay in May when Antoniazzi did not.
Aberafan Maesteg: Plaid 33%, Reform 30%, Labour 20%. Stephen Kinnock, the Secretary of State for Wales, would be third in his own seat. YouGov names him alongside Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant in Rhondda and Ogmore as cabinet ministers trailing both Plaid and Reform.
Llanelli: Plaid 34%, Reform 33%, Labour 11%. A one-point fight between Plaid and Reform, with Nia Griffith’s Labour a distant third.
Bridgend: Reform 23%, Labour 23%, Plaid 20%. A dead heat on the rounded figures; YouGov’s underlying numbers put Reform just ahead of Chris Elmore.
Further west the picture is steadier for the incumbents who are not Labour. Ann Davies would hold Caerfyrddin for Plaid on 43% to Reform’s 27%, and Ben Lake’s Ceredigion Preseli is one of the safest seats in Wales at 51%.
Two others are on a knife edge. In Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, the Liberal Democrats’ David Chadwick trails Reform 24% to 23%. In Mid and South Pembrokeshire, Reform leads on 28% with Labour’s Henry Tufnell fourth on 18%.
SeatMP elected 2024YouGov projectionTop three (%)Swansea WestTorsten Bell (Lab)PlaidPlaid 31 / Ref 24 / Lab 17GowerTonia Antoniazzi (Lab)LabourLab 26 / Ref 23 / Plaid 17Neath and Swansea EastCarolyn Harris (Lab)ReformRef 34 / Lab 23 / Plaid 18Aberafan MaestegStephen Kinnock (Lab)PlaidPlaid 33 / Ref 30 / Lab 20LlanelliNia Griffith (Lab)PlaidPlaid 34 / Ref 33 / Lab 11CaerfyrddinAnn Davies (Plaid)PlaidPlaid 43 / Ref 27 / Con 11Brecon, Radnor and Cwm TaweDavid Chadwick (LD)ReformRef 24 / LD 23 / Con 21BridgendChris Elmore (Lab)ReformRef 23 / Lab 23 / Plaid 20Ceredigion PreseliBen Lake (Plaid)PlaidPlaid 51 / Ref 24 / LD 7Mid and South PembrokeshireHenry Tufnell (Lab)ReformRef 28 / Con 21 / Plaid 19Central projections from YouGov’s September 2026 MRP. Figures rounded.Why YouGov says the Reform seats are the shakiest
The model comes with a health warning of its own. YouGov says 37% of all seats are decided by five points or less, and that rises to two thirds of the seats Reform wins, which makes them vulnerable to tactical voting. Its research suggests around two thirds of Lib Dem and Green voters would switch to Labour in a straight Labour v Reform contest, enough to overturn Reform’s lead in most of those seats.
Locally that matters most in Neath and Swansea East, Bridgend and Mid and South Pembrokeshire, the three seats where Reform is projected to take a Labour seat directly. It does nothing for Labour where the challenger is Plaid.
YouGov also warns against reading too much into any single seat: the model works from demographics and past voting, cannot yet prompt for candidate names, and is less reliable where local factors are strong.
A general election is not due until 2029. But the model lands four months after Plaid Cymru won the Senedd election and formed a Welsh Government, and it suggests the shift of Welsh voters away from Labour in May has not reversed with the change of Prime Minister.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
SWANSEA: Gower MP Tonia Antoniazzi calls on Keir Starmer to step aside, as Swansea East’s Carolyn Harris backs him to stay
Where the two Swansea MPs stood in May.
SENEDD ELECTION: Rhun ap Iorwerth to lead Plaid minority government after historic victory ends 27 years of Labour rule
The May result the new model echoes.
REFORM WALES: Neath-born former teacher Helen Jenner is the party’s new Senedd leader
Reform’s change at the top in the Senedd this week.
https://www.europesays.com/videos/99148/ Plaid Cymru’s programme for government – a bold pledge or shifting the goalposts? | Sharp End #conservatives #EdDavey #HelenJenner #itv #ItvNews #ITVNewsInFull #LabourParty #LiberalDemocrats #NigelFarage #PlaidCymru #ReformUK #RhunApIorwerth #senedd #SharpEnd #WelshGovernment #WelshPolitics
https://www.europesays.com/uk/1219163/ Concern that Wales’ new ‘ethical framework’ for defence sector could cost jobs #AdamPrice #Britain #GreatBritain #ICNNSeneddReporter #JanetFinchSaundersAM #JasonO'Connell #Labour #PlaidCymru #ReformUK #Senedd #ShavTaj #UK #UnitedKingdom #Wales
NEATH PORT TALBOT: Council leader Steve Hunt quits and admits he got so drunk he fell over
Neath Port Talbot‘s council leader has stepped down, and admitted he got so drunk at a private function that he fell over.
The council announced on Monday that Cllr Steve Hunt had resigned as leader for personal reasons.
In the council’s statement, he said the role carried “a significant level of responsibility, time and commitment”, and whoever held it should be able to give it “the full attention and dedication it deserves”.
He said: “For personal reasons, I no longer have the time and capacity required to give the role the commitment necessary to do it justice.”
He added: “This is not a decision I have taken lightly, and I remain committed to serving the people of Neath Port Talbot.”
But in a fuller statement of his own, the Independent councillor admitted he “drank far too much alcohol” at an invitation-only event and “did fall over later in the evening”.
He said: “I am not proud of that and I accept that, as someone holding a senior elected position, I should have exercised better judgement.”
He also admitted saying he wanted to “wipe out” Plaid Cymru politically, the party that has run the council with his Independents since 2022.
He said the heated discussions were about the Wales Communities First Independent Party, which he has registered.
He said: “That was an inappropriate political comment made while I was intoxicated, and I accept responsibility for it.”
He said the remark should be understood as “political banter and disagreement at the end of a long evening, rather than as a threat”. He apologised “unreservedly” to the Plaid Cymru group leader the following morning.
He said he had since sought views from senior colleagues in the Welsh Local Government Association, and understood that former Rhondda Cynon Taf Council leader Andrew Morgan, who was also at the event, had described his conduct as exemplary apart from the fact that he was drunk.
Hunt denies gin brag and attacking the Welsh language
Cllr Hunt rejected claims he had bragged about drinking a whole bottle of gin.
He said he had told people he “had drunk a considerable amount of gin”, but only to explain why he was so intoxicated.
He also “strongly” rejected suggestions he had criticised the Welsh language or described spending on it as a “waste of time”.
He said his three children had gone to Welsh-medium schools, and he had done a year-long course to learn Welsh himself.
His criticism that night, he said, was aimed at Welsh Government spending decisions, including the Revenue Support Grant and Additional Learning Needs provision, not at the language.
Seven Sisters councillor says he had already decided to quit
Cllr Hunt said he was aware a coalition meeting had been held to discuss his conduct. But he said he had already decided to resign, for personal reasons he had discussed with the council’s chief executive.
He said the job was “extremely demanding”, he had been dealing with family matters, and he had used the event “as an opportunity to switch off from those pressures”.
He added: “That explains the circumstances; it does not excuse my behaviour.”
He will stay on as the Independent councillor for Crynant, Onllwyn and Seven Sisters.
Plaid Cymru’s Alun Llewelyn runs Neath Port Talbot until 14 October
Deputy leader Cllr Alun Llewelyn will carry out the leader’s functions until the post is filled, the council says. A new leader will be appointed at a full council meeting currently scheduled for 14 October.
Cllr Hunt became leader in 2022 at the head of a Rainbow Coalition of Independent, Plaid Cymru, Liberal Democrat and Green councillors, the first administration not run by Labour since the council was created in 1996.
He was reappointed at every annual meeting since, most recently in May. In February he wrote to the Welsh Rugby Union warning that cutting the Ospreys would “disenfranchise a significant supporter base”.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
Improvements for ‘towns, villages and valleys’ priority for new Neath Port Talbot coalition cabinet
How the Rainbow Coalition set out its stall in 2022.
Reappointed council leader vows to fight for more funding
Cllr Hunt’s 2024 warning over Welsh Government money.
Neath Port Talbot Council leader wades into Ospreys row with blistering warning to WRU
His February letter to the Welsh Rugby Union.
Cllr Steve Hunt
Every story on the former leader.
SNP MSP floats Westminster boycott if Burnham refuses independence vote
But James Mitchell, professor of public policy at Edinburgh University, posted on X: “The ‘historic’ Cardiff Memorandum of…
#London #Britain #UnitedKingdom #UK #GB #England #Headlines #News #Europe #EU #Westminster #JohnSwinney #PlaidCymru #politics #Scotland #ScottishIndependenceReferendum #ScottishNationalParty(SNP) #sinn-fein #Standard #uknews
https://www.europesays.com/gbr/london/28692/
https://www.europesays.com/gbr/london/28692/ SNP MSP floats Westminster boycott if Burnham refuses independence vote #JohnSwinney #News #PlaidCymru #politics #Scotland #ScottishIndependenceReferendum #ScottishNationalParty(SNP) #SinnFein #Standard #UkNews #Westminster
thought #plaidcymru claimed to be leftist nationalists?
https://www.europesays.com/videos/94983/ What next for Reform in Wales as it tries to control the crisis? | ITV Cymru Wales #Butterflies #caterpillars #DanThomas #EducationPlan #GwaelodYGarth #itv #ItvNews #ITVNewsInFull #MatthewRhys #PlaidCymru #ReformUKWales #SarahCooperLesadd #WelshGovernment
https://www.europesays.com/videos/94413/ Is Reform UK in crisis after its Wales leader resigns and loses an MS to defection? | Sharp End #CarrieHarper #DanThomas #HuwThomas #itv #ItvNews #ITVNewsInFull #ItvWales #LabourParty #LlyrPowell #PlaidCymru #ReformDefection #ReformUK #SamRowlands #SarahCooperLesadd #senedd #SharpEnd #Wales #WelshConservatives #WelshPolitics #yougov
https://www.europesays.com/videos/94323/ Reform UK Wales leader stands down after police arrest | ITV Cymru Wales #CraigBellamy #DanThomas #itv #ItvNews #ITVNewsInFull #LucyLetby #MatthewRhys #PlaidCymru #ReformUKWales #SarahCooperLesadd #ThirwallInquiry
‘At almost exactly the same time Thomas announced his resignation, the #Reform MS Sarah Cooper-Lesadd said she was defecting to #PlaidCymru – a party nearly on the opposite end of the political spectrum.
She said in a statement: “[#ReformUK] … are not serious about governing Wales. They are far more interested in division, opposition and headlines than in finding solutions. Their Senedd group is a staging post in the effort to get Nigel #Farage into Downing Street.”’
https://www.europesays.com/people/229148/ Burnham must resist breaking up the nation #AndyBurnham #CardiffPact #Column #ConstitutionalReform #Devolution #DonaldTrump #DUP #EmmaLittlePengelly #GERS #GoodJobsBill #IrishUnification #JOHNSwinney #MaryLouMcDonald #MichelleO’Neill #NorthernIreland #PlaidCymru #RhunApIorwerth #ScottishIndependence #SinnFein #snp #union #WelshIndependence
"Reform has no interest in the work I came here to do. They are far more interested in division, opposition and headlines than in finding solutions."
SNP, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Féin declare ‘Westminster’s time is coming to an end’ – London Business News
The leaders of the SNP, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Féin have declared that “Westminster’s time is coming to…
#London #Britain #UnitedKingdom #UK #GB #England #Headlines #News #Europe #EU #Westminster #PlaidCymru #politics #sinn-fein #SNP
https://www.europesays.com/gbr/london/25800/
Escocia, Gales y o norte d’Irlanda refirman un frent soberanista debant de Westminster
https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://arainfo.org/escocia-gales-irlanda-frente-soberanista/
Tuesday briefing: How to understand Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland’s joint call for change
By Libby Brooks
In today’s newsletter: Plaid Cymru, the SNP and Sinn Féin have signed an agreement for greater powers, as pressure grows on Westminster over the UK’s future
#Wales #England #Cornwall #France #UKnews #Europe #Scotland #Cardiff #NorthernIreland #Politics #Devolution #SinnFin #PlaidCymru #ScottishNationalpartySNP #TheGuardian #LibbyBrooks
Tuesday briefing: How to understand Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland’s joint call for change https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/15/tuesday-briefing-how-to-understand-wales-scotland-and-northern-irelands-joint-call-for-change #Wales #England #Cornwall #France #UkNews #Europe #Scotland #Cardiff #NorthernIreland #Politics #Devolution #SinnFin #PlaidCymru #ScottishNationalPartySnp
Full press conference as SNP, Sinn Féin and Plaid Cymru sign historic declaration in Cardiff. Monday 14th September 2026.
69 minutes at https://youtu.be/juDM0R7903c
#NIpol #Scotpol #Cymru #WelshPol #ukpol #SNP #PlaidCymru #SinnFein
Westminster’s time is coming to an end, say first ministers of UK’s Celtic nations https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/sep/14/westminster-first-ministers-uk-celtic-nations-wales-northern-ireland-scotland #Devolution #NorthernIreland #Scotland #ScottishIndependence #Wales #PlaidCymru #NorthernIrishPolitics #WelshPolitics #ScottishPolitics #Ireland #Europe #Politics #UkNews
Westminster’s time is ‘coming to an end’, say first ministers of UK’s Celtic nations
By Bethan McKernan Wales correspondent
Leaders in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland discuss independence and call for ‘constitutional change’ at summit
#Devolution #NorthernIreland #Scotland #Scottishindependence #Wales #PlaidCymru #NorthernIrishpolitics #Welshpolitics #Scottishpolitics #Ireland #Europe #Politics #UKnews #TheGuardian #BethanMcKernanWalescorrespondent
‘Westminster’s time coming to an end’ say devolved nation leaders after summit
‘Westminster’s time coming to an end’ say devolved nation leaders after summit
🇬🇧 Cumbre histórica en Cardiff: los líderes de Escocia, Gales e Irlanda del Norte firman un acuerdo sobre el derecho a la autodeterminación. 🌐 #AndyBurnham #cardiff #DonaldTrump #dublín #escocia #gales #IrlandaDelNorte #JohnSwinney #londres #MaryLouMcDonald #PartidoLaborista #PartidoNacionalEscocés #PlaidCymru #ReinoUnido #RhunApIorwerth #senedd #SinnFéin #UniónEuropea https://soyarmenio.com/escocia-gales-irlanda-norte-autodeterminacion-reino-unido/
BBC News: First minister rejects Reform-style mega donations to political parties
¿Se rompe el Reino Unido? Escocia, Gales e Irlanda del Norte se alían #ReinoUnido #Escocia #Gales #IrlandaDelNorte #Independencia #Westminster #Cardiff #Europa #Politica #Actualidad #SNP #SinnFein #PlaidCymru #felizdomingo #13deseptiembre
https://donporque.com/escocia-gales-irlanda-del-norte-independencia-reino-unido/
Burnham must understand Wales is ‘not a region in England’, says first minister
By Peter Walker Senior political correspondent
Rhun ap Iorwerth, the first non-Labour Senedd leader, questions Westminster’s willingness to relinquish powers
#RhunapIorwerth #Devolution #Wales #AndyBurnham #PlaidCymru #Labour #Politics #UKnews #TheGuardian #PeterWalkerSeniorpoliticalcorrespondent
Burnham must understand Wales is ‘not a region in England’, says first minister https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/sep/13/andy-burnham-wales-first-minister-rhun-ap-iorweth-senedd-devolution #RhunApIorwerth #Devolution #Wales #AndyBurnham #PlaidCymru #Labour #Politics #UkNews
"There is a limit to which increasingly cynical voters will accept parties claiming to be the ones to beat #ReformUK without seeing results."
https://nation.cymru/news/caerphilly-by-election-taught-britain-how-to-defeat-reform-uk/
PEMBROKESHIRE: Welsh ministers seize DARC radar decision days before council vote
The decision on the US military’s planned DARC radar array in Pembrokeshire has been taken out of the county council’s hands.
Siân Gwenllian MS, the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, has “called in” the planning application (ref 25/1101/PA) for the Deep Space Advanced Radar Concept site at Cawdor Barracks, Brawdy, near St Davids — meaning it will now be decided by Welsh ministers rather than Pembrokeshire County Council.
The council’s planning committee had been due to determine the application for 27 giant radar dishes at its meeting next Tuesday, 28 July.
The direction, issued by the Welsh Government’s planning directorate under the Cabinet Minister’s authority on Monday, says she concluded the proposed development “raises national security issues given the strategic defence nature of the proposal and is a novel planning issue”.
The letter says the proposal “potentially conflicts with national policy in relation to landscape, ecology, sustainability and placemaking”, and that a decision “may be controversial beyond the immediate locality”.
“All these matters lead the Cabinet Minister to conclude the development is of more than local importance and the application should be determined by the Welsh Ministers,” it concludes.
The letter stresses that the call-in “does not imply or infer any view from the Welsh Ministers about the merits of the application” — under Welsh Government policy, a call-in decides who determines an application, not whether permission should be granted.
The letter also lists the concerns raised by those requesting the call-in — including fears the development would make the area a military target, claims the county council is “not suitably equipped” to decide an application of this nature, and the effect on an “irreplaceable habitat” for grassland fungi.
The intervention is exactly what campaigners asked the new Plaid Cymru-led government to do — a demand put to ministers in May as the campaign warned of a Wales versus Westminster showdown over the scheme.
The pressure on ministers had been building for months: in April, the then first minister called for a halt to the project, citing Donald Trump’s “contempt for our country”.
PARC Against DARC, the campaign group set up in 2024 to fight the proposal, described the call-in as a “seismic and significant step”.
A spokesperson for the campaign said DARC was “a proposal for a huge 27-dish radar array overlooking the St Davids Peninsula of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park”, pointing to objections the group says have been lodged by the National Park Authority and Natural Resources Wales over its visual impact and harm to tourism.
The campaign says a freedom of information request showed the council received 1,121 objections to the scheme — and just one submission in favour — while almost 20,000 people have signed a petition against it.
The group claims the radar is part of a “weapons system designed to track and target satellites”, developed for the US Space Force, and could form part of Donald Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile-defence programme — describing it as an escalation in the militarisation of space.
The Ministry of Defence has said DARC will detect, track and identify objects in deep space, with the Brawdy site forming part of a three-nation network alongside installations in the US and Australia under the Aukus partnership.
DARC would keep Cawdor Barracks open beyond its planned 2028 closure date — an extension of the base’s life that was welcomed locally when first proposed.
Opposition to the plans has drawn wider attention, with Game of Thrones actor Jerome Flynn backing the campaign during this year’s Senedd election.
A visualisation of the proposed DARC radar site in Pembrokeshire (left) and Game of Thrones actor Jerome Flynn, who has spoken out against the plans on social media (right). Pictures: MoD / Jerome FlynnThe campaign also says it holds a letter of support sent by Neil Kinnock during a similar anti-radar fight at Brawdy in the 1990s — noting that his son, Stephen Kinnock, is now Welsh Secretary as the scheme heads for a decision at government level.
A demonstration planned for outside Tuesday’s planning committee meeting will now go ahead as a vigil “in support of Welsh Government’s call-in decision”, campaigners said.
The application now passes to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales, with the council to be told the process for the decision “as soon as possible”.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
PEMBROKESHIRE: Wales vs Westminster showdown looms over Trump’s ‘space wars’ radar — as anti-DARC campaign asks new Plaid government to block it
The campaign’s May demand for exactly the intervention ministers have now made.
PEMBROKESHIRE: Planning application lodged for 27 giant radar dishes at Brawdy as campaigners say Morgan’s intervention doesn’t go far enough
The MoD’s application was formally submitted in March.
Welsh first minister calls for halt to Pembrokeshire space radar project over Trump’s “contempt for our country”
The April intervention that signalled the Welsh Government’s hardening stance.
PEMBROKESHIRE: Game of Thrones star urges voters to back Plaid or Greens to block DARC radar — as planning application opens for public objections
Jerome Flynn’s backing put the campaign in the Senedd election spotlight.
How could Britain look under proportional representation? See the results for your area
By Antonio Voce and Ashley Kirk
These visualisations from exclusive polling modelling show how the UK parliament could change under different voting systems
#Politics #UKnews #Labour #LiberalDemocrats #ReformUK #Conservatives #Greenparty #PlaidCymru #ScottishNationalpartySNP #TheGuardian #AntonioVoce #AshleyKirk
How could Britain look under proportional representation? See the results for your area https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2026/jul/22/how-britain-would-look-proportional-representation-local-mp #Politics #UkNews #Labour #LiberalDemocrats #ReformUk #Conservatives #GreenParty #PlaidCymru #ScottishNationalPartySnp
Celtic leaders doubt Burnham’s devolution drive will go beyond England’s borders https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/06/celtic-leaders-burnham-devolution-wales-scotland-northern-ireland #AndyBurnham #Devolution #Wales #Scotland #NorthernIreland #Politics #Labour #TaxAndSpending #ScottishNationalPartySnp #PlaidCymru #SinnFin #MichelleOneill #UkNews #ScottishPolitics #WelshPolitics #NorthernIrishPolitics
Andy Burnham confirms he will set up ‘No 10 North’ in Manchester in major policy speech – as it happened
By Andrew Sparrow
Makerfield MP and hopeful prime minister says he will ‘bring about biggest rebalancing of power the country has ever seen’
#Politics #UKnews #AndyBurnham #Labour #Labourpartyleadership #Devolution #Economics #Economicpolicy #KemiBadenoch #Conservatives #Housing #EdMiliband #PlaidCymru #Welshpolitics #Wales #ConfederationofBritishIndustryCBI #Thinktanks #UKcostoflivingcrisis #Education #Localgovernment #HouseofCommons #Business #AndrewSparrow
Reform UK makes dramatic first impression in Senedd opposition role https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/28/reform-uk-makes-dramatic-first-impression-in-senedd-opposition-role #WelshPolitics #Wales #ReformUk #PlaidCymru #WelshGovernment #Politics #UkNews
#Senedd members storm out as #Reform ‘joke’ about #Welsh kids’ reading
Welsh politicians in the Senedd staged a walk out after a #ReformUK MS claimed Welsh students “couldn’t read” and Indian nurses were taking Welsh jobs.
Members from #PlaidCymru, #Labour and the #Greens all stormed out after Martin made the claims in a speech in the chamber on Wednesday.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/26206846.senedd-members-storm-reform-joke-welsh-kids-reading/
137 MPs, from #UKLabour, #LiberalDemocrat, #Greens, #PlaidCymru, #SNP and #SDLP, have signed a motion calling for the #EHRC guidance on #Trans people using single sex spaces to be overruled.
If your MP is on this list, write and thank them; if yours isn't, urge them to sign.
The #Senedd 2026 vote breakdown by age is stunning.
75% of the under-30 voters chose #PlaidCymru or the Greens. 75%! Three out of four!
Between them, the #LabourParty, #LibDems and #ConservativeParty got only ~10% of the under-30 votes.
If only under-30s had voted, the Senedd would have had no Labour MS, no Conservative MS, and no LibDem MS. It would have been a wipeout
#YouGov has published a fascinating breakdown of how Wales voted in the 2026 #Senedd election by key demographic and political divides. Full details at https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/54913-how-wales-voted-at-the-2026-senedd-election
#PlaidCymru’s support was higher among younger voters, those with higher levels of both education and household income, while being highest of all among those who are fluent in Welsh.
ht @leannewood
All 4 #PlaidCymru MPs have signed #EarlyDayMotion 240 in support of #trans rights! 👏
That's Liz Saville-Roberts, Ben Lake, Llinos Medi, & Ann Davies.
Diolch, Plaid ❤️💚
This is a cross-party motion tabled by Labour, LibDem and Green MPs. Any MP may add their signature. Has YOUR MP signed? https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/65938
#EDM240 asks "That the draft Code of Practice for Services, public functions and associations, a copy of which was laid before this House on 21 May, be disapproved."
#Cymru for all! #Pride hapus! 🌈🏳️🌈
(From the #PlaidCymru Facebook page. Such a shame they're not on Mastodon).
