Welsh Lib Dems promise 'grown up politics' at Senedd elections
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have promised "grown-up, adult" politics ahead of next year's Senedd election.Their leader Jane Dodds said her deal to pass the Welsh government's budget last month showed she would not "play politics" with people's lives.Dodds also refused to rule out Ed Davey-style stunts during the election campaign.She told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that voters would have to "wait and see".
Sir Ed led the Lib Dems to a record 72 seats at last year's Westminster General Election, having paddle boarded, free-wheeled down a hill in Knighton on a bike and bungee-jumped during the campaign.Dodds is the sole Liberal Democrat MS in the Senedd.Last month she agreed a deal with the Welsh government to pass its £26bn budget, having secured an extra £108m for social care, child care, a pilot scheme for £1 bus fares for under 21s and a ban on greyhound racing."We had a responsibility to make sure that the budget went through, because if that budget did not go through the people of Wales would have lost five billion pounds straight away," she said. "Now that's not a place I want to be. I don't want to play party politics with people's lives."Dodds said that the approach was paying off with voters."Last night I was knocking on doors... people were saying we want grown-up adult politics," she said. "We want to make sure that people, our politicians, deliver for Wales. That's what we've done before, and that's what we'll do in the future."Had the budget not passed, then the Welsh government would have reverted to a percentage of the previous year's budget, meaning a loss of billions of pounds.
There will be a new system for next year's Senedd election with 16 new constituencies each returning six Senedd Members in an expanded 96-seat Welsh Parliament.It will use a system of proportional representation meaning parties will be rewarded for the percentage of vote share that they win.Dodds also said that her party would be "pro-business" without elaborating on the details.It comes at a time when firms in Wales are coming to terms with increased National Insurance contributions and the fallout from President Trump's tariffs.She repeated her claim said that her party would "paint Wales gold" at the Senedd election next May, but polling suggests the Lib Dems will win two or three of the 96 available seats, or even face a wipe-out.Dodds said that "loads of people" had asked her about replicating Sir Ed Davey's escapades, but added: "I'm not going to say anything on Radio Wales this morning about that, but you'll have to wait and see."The Welsh Liberal Democrats gather in Cardiff this weekend for their spring conference.They received a boost on Thursday night, winning a by-election in Cwmllynfell and Ystalyfera on Neath Port Talbot Council, ahead of Plaid Cymru, Reform and Labour.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
UK unemployment rises to highest level since 2021 as job vacancies fall
Experts have blamed a slowdown in the jobs market on a tax and cost increases for employers announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the autumn Budget Britain's jobless rate has surged to its highest level for nearly four years, with wage growth dropping. Some experts blamed the slowdown in the jobs market on Chancellor Rachel Reeves for landing firms with higher costs amid evidence that employers were holding back on hiring. Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed the rate of unemployment jumped to 4.6% in the three months to April, up from 4.5% in the three months to March and the highest level since the three months to July 2021. Average pay increased by 5.2% between February to Apri, down from 5.5% in the previous three months period, and the lowest since July to September last year. The data also revealed how public sector workers are getting bigger pay rises than in the private sector - at 5.6% versus 5.1%. Most workers are still seeing wages rise faster than inflation, meaning they should have more money in their pocket - at least in theory. The easing in wage growth, while a setback for workers, is seen as important for the Bank of England when deciding when next to cut interest rates. However, the figures also provided more evidence of cracks appearing in the labour market. The estimated number payrolled employees decreased by 55,000 between March and April, with an even bigger 109,000 drop in May, although the ONS urged caution about reading too much into the number as it was prone to revisions. Meanwhile, the estimated number of vacancies fell by 63,000 to 736,000 in March to May. Liz McKeown, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said: 'There continues to be weakening in the labour market, with the number of people on payroll falling notably. Feedback from our vacancies survey suggests some firms may be holding back from recruiting new workers or replacing people when they move on.' Alice Haine, personal finance analyst at wealth manager Bestinvest by Evelyn Partners, said: 'UK pay growth eased back in the three months to April as businesses grappled with the full force of Chancellor Rachel Reeve's National Insurance rate hike for employers and the minimum wage increase at the start of that month. The jobs market showed signs of strain as the changes, first announced by the Chancellor at her maiden Budget last October, went live.' Suren Thiru, economics director at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, said: 'These figures suggest that the UK's jobs market took a damaging hit from 'Awful April', with the tough reality of sharply rising National Insurance and National Living Wage costs pushing more employers to cut staff. 'This decline in pay growth should gather pace over the summer with weaker economic conditions and elevated employment costs likely to accelerate the downward pressure on wages, aided by the longstanding problems with poor productivity. 'The UK's labour market is in a painful period with eye-wateringly high business costs likely to mean more job losses this year, particularly if the Spending Review increases the odds of more tax hikes in the Autumn Budget.' Jane Gratton, deputy director for public policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: 'The increase in employment costs for business appears to be starting to bite with today's data showing a rise in unemployment. This year's steep increases in national insurance and the national living wage have undoubtedly delivered a shock to businesses.' Lib Dem Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: 'These figures could not be a clearer signal to the Chancellor, ahead of the spending review, that the Government must change course. 'The Chancellor's pig's ear of a jobs tax is crushing the growth potential of our high-streets and small businesses, pushing people out of work, and ramping up the benefits bill.'
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Unemployment rate surges to highest since 2021 as wage growth eases sharply
Britain 's unemployment rate has hit its highest level in almost four years, according to official figures, while wage growth has eased more than anticipated as employers grapple with rising staff costs. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that average regular earnings, excluding bonuses, fell to 5.2 per cent in the three months to April, a sharp decrease from 5.5 per cent in the previous three months. This is the lowest rate since the third quarter of last year. Although wage growth continues to outpace inflation, up by 2.1 per cent with Consumer Prices Index inflation taken into account, the figure fell short of expectations, with most experts having predicted a decrease to 5.3 per cent. The rate of unemployment also jumped to 4.6 per cent in the three months to April, up from 4.5 per cent in the three months to March and the highest level since the three months to July 2021. The figures also showed vacancies tumbled by 63,000 to 736,000 in the three months to May, while payroll data revealed the biggest drop for five years last month, down 109,000 to 30.2 million. It coincided with firms facing a hike in national insurance contributions in April, which had been announced in October's budget. Liz McKeown, ONS director of economic statistics, said: 'There continues to be weakening in the labour market, with the number of people on payroll falling notably. 'Feedback from our vacancies survey suggests some firms may be holding back from recruiting new workers or replacing people when they move on.'
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
UK firms hold off on hiring as job vacancies fall
UK companies are holding back on hiring or are not replacing departing workers, sending job vacancies tumbling official figures number of available jobs fell by 63,000 between March and May while the unemployment rate ticked higher."There continues to be a weakening in the labour market," said Liz McKeown, director of econonic statistics at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), adding that there had been a noticeable drop in the number of people on April, National Insurance Contributions paid by employers increased while a rise in the minimum wage came into force.
