Latest news with #HannahBlythyn
Leader Live
15-05-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
MS shares touching personal story following VE Day
MS for Delyn As I mentioned in my previous column, there were nationwide celebrations to mark the anniversary of VE Day last week and I was privileged to attend the Holywell VE Day event on Thursday. VE Day marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe – on May 8, 1945, communities across our area and throughout the UK celebrated the end of a long and devastating conflict in Europe. My own lovely and much-missed nana, then aged just 17, was part of a VE Day celebration in Primrose Street in Connah's Quay – you can see her in the photo I've published on my Facebook page at Many of us took part in events during the week and at the weekend to reflect on the sacrifices made and the peace secured eight decades ago, but at the same time we must collectively commit to learn from the past and strive together towards peace – and let us remember the courage of those who served and the resilience of those who rebuilt. From Skills Competition Wales to WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, learners across Wales are proving their talent, drive and ambition, including three from Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, with one representing Renewable Energy from Coleg Llandrillo's Rhyl campus. Also our very own Coleg Cambria has a finalist in the EuroSkills Herning 2025 competition for Team UK, which will be held in Denmark in September. These competitions don't just showcase skills they build on them, inspiring the next generation to reach higher and meet the demands of future industries like net zero tech. In the Senedd last week, I asked the Welsh Government what discussions have taken place about encouraging colleges across Wales to participate in the WorldSkills competition to help meet the needs of industry. It's important for young apprentices in Wales to have the opportunity to test themselves against their peers – and it's great for our tech industries too. On a similar note, I'd like to wish pob lwc to all those taking their exams this summer. May is the start of the GCSE and A-level exam period and I want to wish everyone taking part in these assessments the best of luck. I know students across the country will be revising for their exams and this can be a time of great stress and anxiety for young minds – exams can be a challenging time and the pressure to do well can feel overwhelming. It's perfectly normal to feel worried about exams, but it's important that you find ways to manage your worries. If you're a student about to start exams or a parent or guardian concerned about the exams, you might find these tips useful from Place2Be – the children's mental health charity – go to for help and advice. I recently had the chance to meet with Holywell Town Council alongside my parliamentary colleague Becky Gittins MP to discuss the March announcement by Santander Bank that it's planning to close their Holywell branch in August, leaving the town with no high street banking facilities at all. Bank closures are challenging for people who don't use computers or smartphones to do their banking and especially for the older generations who rely more on high street facilities. It's vital that we don't simply cut these people off and so I support the introduction of 'banking hubs' like the one recently opened by the Post Office in Flint, in which you can pay in cheques and cash and pay bills. Holywell needs something similar, as do many other areas affected by bank closures. Finally, I had the chance at the weekend to pop in to Mold's newest high street addition – Cracked Coffee – on its opening day. Cracked Coffee has been operating online for a while and the company's ethical approach to trading and work to support our local communities has been a success story here in North Wales and it was great to see the company open its first town centre coffee shop – and taste their delicious coffee! It's important that we support our local high street shops and the Welsh Government's £100m Transforming Towns initiative goes some way to help our towns to develop the kind of local businesses that provide for visitors and residents alike. As always, if you would like advice and/or support, please don't hesitate to get in touch on any of the following contact details – 52 High Street, Mold, Flintshire, on 01352 753464 or by email You can also keep up to date via my Facebook page – Constituents are, of course, welcome to contact my office to arrange an appointment to see me, you don't need to wait for an advice surgery.
BBC News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Senedd rules stop politicians defending themselves MS says
The rules that dictate how Senedd members should behave prevent politicians from defending themselves against unfounded allegations, according to a senior Plaid Cymru Senedd Gwenllian was found to have broken the code of conduct after she passed on parts of a confidential letter which showed that a complaint against her had been MS for Arfon told the Senedd that Welsh Parliament politicians have "no right" to defend their reputations against complaints about their behaviour by sharing "relevant information".The chair of the standards committee, Hannah Blythyn, said the committee was committed to helping to strengthening processes in place. At the centre of the row was a rejected complaint of a cover-up over allegations against Rhys ab Owen, which Gwenllian had been involved in handling internally when she was Plaid Cymru chief Owen was banned from the Senedd for six weeks, and expelled by Plaid, for inappropriately touching and swearing at two women while drunk on a night Plaid Cymru dealt with the original allegation was criticised by the standards commissioner Douglas Bain last said there was a lack of clear procedure and criticised the fact that the complainant's phone number was given to the now independent MS, who used it to in a letter to the individual claiming a cover-up by Gwenllian, Bain declared the complaint inadmissible, saying he had found "no evidence" of such a was found last week to have broken the Senedd's members' code of conduct, after she shared extracts from the confidential letter, which she had been given a copy website reported the claims last August. When asked to comment by its journalist, Gwenllian co-ordinated a response with the Plaid Cymru press team, requesting that an extract of the letter be was hoped that providing the extract would stop publication. included the passages when it published its article. An acting commissioner, Dr Melissa McCullough, was brought in to adjudicate a further complaint about the release of the confidential found that Gwenllian had broke the code of conduct by releasing the paragraphs, but was "reasonably defending herself".She said members can "find themselves obligated" by the Senedd's code of conduct "to remain silent in response to complainant-led public allegations, some of which may have already been assessed and deemed inadmissible by the commissioner".In the Senedd on Wednesday, Gwenllian called for the code of conduct to change, describing the situation as "morally unacceptable".She said: "As the code currently stands, Senedd members have no right to defend their reputations by sharing relevant information when that reputation is maligned."When the standards commissioner dismisses completely unfounded allegations, the code prevents members from defending themselves - even if those same allegations are at risk of resurfacing." The standards committee of the Senedd has agreed to look at the rules the Senedd Blythyn reminded MSs "of the specific need to respect confidential markings on documents, as well as the importance of maintaining confidentiality when it comes to the complaints process more generally".But she added: "The committee agreed with the acting commissioner that there is a need for balance between confidentiality and the ability of a member to defend themselves against allegations, particularly once a complaint process is complete."
BBC News
12-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Senedd reform: Voters to be able to expel misbehaving politicians
Voters will be able to eject politicians from the Welsh Parliament for misbehaviour after the next Senedd Welsh government has agreed to pass legislation to introduce a recall process as soon as possible, saying "public trust in politics is hard-won, but easily lost, and it's our duty to safeguard it".But ministers suggested it may not be not come into force in time for the beginning of the new Senedd, in May if Senedd members are found to have broken the rules they can be suspended for a period of time but, unlike at Westminster, cannot be removed from the parliament altogether. The Standards of Conduct Committee has proposed a system giving electors the opportunity to vote to remove a misbehaving politician, but unlike in Westminster they will not be able to choose their a Senedd member breaks the rules in a way serious enough to warrant a recall process, voters in their constituency would then have a vote to either keep the existing politician or remove them and replace with the next member on the party chair Hannah Blythyn said the changes would help build "trust and transparency in our processes, in our politicians and in our politics".She pressed the Welsh government to introduce the new system in time for the next Senedd term "so that all members elected to that Senedd will be held to a consistent standard from the start".Although Counsel General Julie James agreed to introduce legislation before the next election, she warned "time is tight".She suggested work on agreeing guidelines on what level of offence or suspension from the Welsh Parliament would trigger the recall process will not happen until after the is agreement across the parties of a need to change the system and according to James "public trust in politics is hard-won, but easily lost, and it's our duty to safeguard it"."People rightly expect high standards from their elected representatives, and when those standards aren't met, they expect consequences," she said."And that's why we need a fair, transparent system that allows voters, the very people who put us here, to have the final say."
The Guardian
18-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Politicians who deliberately lie could be forced from office in Wales
Elected politicians who deliberately lie could be forced from office under proposals designed to put Wales at the forefront of the 'global challenge' to restore trust in politics. Radical changes suggested by the Welsh parliament standards committee would also make candidates in elections liable to criminal prosecution for making any false statement to win votes. The Welsh government has committed to introduce 'globally pioneering' legislation aimed at making lying in politics in Wales illegal by next year and asked the Senedd's standards of conduct committee to investigate the best way of doing it. Committee members recommended strengthening the Senedd code of conduct, which applies to the behaviour of members inside and outside the parliament, and said it should explicitly state that members must not make deliberately misleading statements. If a member was caught lying, the committee said they should be asked to retract the falsehood and the correction would be placed on their profile on the Senedd website. They could also face suspension and, in extreme cases, be 'recalled and removed' by voters and replaced with another member of their party. The committee said it had looked at bringing in a law to make lying for elected politicians illegal in Wales but thought this would be too complex. There is already legislation in Wales that makes it an offence for political candidates to make or publish a false statement of fact about the personal conduct or character of a rival to win votes. The committee is recommending widening the scope of the offence to cover any false statement made by a Welsh candidate to seek electoral advantage. If this law was broken, the candidate would be subject to investigation by the police and prosecution by an electoral court. The issue is seen as particularly urgent in Wales because changes to the voting system at next year's Senedd elections and an increased size of parliament are likely to make the campaign particularly febrile, with Reform UK having a good chance of winning seats. Hannah Blythyn, the chair of the committee, said toughening rules for Senedd members and candidates was critical at a time when public trust in institutions was low. She said: 'People should be able to trust those who represent them. Our report is putting forward recommendations to radically enhance our rules and make it clear to anyone who wants to hold public office that deliberately deceiving is not acceptable.' Sam Fowles, the director of the Institute for Constitutional and Democratic Research, said: 'This report is a rejection of the counsels of doom which say that demanding politicians are honest is just too difficult. 'We have professional regulations which require other professions to act honestly. We need to hold politicians to the same professional standards we expect from others.' Jennifer Nadel, a co-director of the thinktank Compassion in Politics, said: 'This report puts Wales firmly at the forefront of the battle against political deception. However, the report falls short of calling for serving members to be subject to criminal sanction, instead relying on beefing up existing standards mechanisms. We would like to see it go further in this respect. The Senedd is acting and we now call on Westminster to follow suit.' A Welsh government spokesperson said it would consider the findings and recommendations before responding formally.
