Latest news with #HuwIrrancaDavies
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Senior Labour MSs face three-way selection fight
Welsh Labour risks losing at least one more big hitter at next year's Senedd election because of a three-way fight for selection in a south Wales for the new Afan Ogwr Rhondda constituency mean three significant figures are being pitched against each other, including the deputy first minister and the woman that won Rhonnda for Labour in Irranca-Davies and Buffy Williams will also face the deputy presiding officer David Rees in the party ballot to decide who will get the best spots on the area's Labour Labour said it would not comment on the selection battle. Labour is already facing a major shake-up after the next Senedd election, with more than a third of current Labour MSs having made the decision not to stand for re-election next first ministers Mark Drakeford and Vaughan Gething are among those standing down. Parties are currently in the process of drawing up lists for each of the 16 new constituencies for the next Senedd can nominate up to eight candidates per constituency, with parties to be rewarded with seats according to the percentage of the vote they Labour would expect to win two of the six seats available in Afan Ogwr Rhondda, it might struggle to win a three of the six seats in any given constituency would roughly require around 36% of the party members will now vote again to decide who will take the first, second and third place on the list in the constituency, with a result is expected in the coming are already indications from some within the party of a degree of anger were Williams, one of the party's highest profile women politicians – to miss would be "fury", said one source. Williams claimed one of the biggest scalps of the 2021 Senedd election, winning Rhondda back from the former Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood with a 19% vote previous year she had been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to communities in Welsh Labour said it was committed to a "diverse slate of candidates" in its selection across Wales's 16 new Senedd constituencies, the Welsh Labour government abandoned plans last September to force parties to ensure at least 50% of candidates were were concerns about their lawfulness and whether the Senedd had the power to make the MS Irranca-Davies has emerged as an important figure in the current government set up, taking on not only the duties of deputy first minister under the leadership of Eluned Morgan, but also the rural affairs brief in which he has sought to placate protesting said last November that he had "listened" after making changes to controversial tree-cover requirements to qualify for subsidies. A former MP, he has served as a minister at Westminster. Rees has been MS for Aberavon since 2011 and deputy presiding officer for the past four years. His current constituency contains the Port Talbot normal circumstances Labour would have realistic hopes of winning three seats in the constituency, but as another source put it: "These are not normal circumstances."Senior figures in Welsh Labour are very concerned about losing voters to Plaid Cymru, while some of the recent announcements from Reform leader Nigel Farage suggested they were now also turning their attention to wooing traditional Labour supporters. A poll last month suggested that Labour had fallen to third behind Plaid Cymru and polls had suggested the three parties were neck and neck. At the next election there will be 16 new constituencies made of up of mergers of existing seats and a system of proportional Ogwr Rhondda takes in the former Aberavon, Ogmore and Rhonnda constituency party of the three MSs are on the party ballot because they were nominated by their respective areas: Rees in Aberavon, Irranca-Davies in Ogmore and Williams in Rhondda. A Labour party spokesperson said: "Welsh Labour has committed to putting forward a diverse slate of candidates, including women, people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, those identifying as LGBTQ+, and Welsh speakers amongst other underrepresented communities."
Sky News
4 days ago
- General
- Sky News
New law to tackle 'nature emergency' in Wales - where 'one in six species at risk of extinction'
A new independent body could be created to oversee how environmental law is implemented in Wales, bringing the country in line with the rest of the UK. The Office of Environmental Governance Wales will be tasked with making sure public authorities, such as the Welsh government, Natural Resources Wales and councils are complying with the law. But campaigners say the legislation, which must first be approved by the Senedd, doesn't go far enough. England and Northern Ireland have been covered by the Office for Environmental Protection since 2021. The Scottish government set up Environmental Standards Scotland in the same year, leaving Wales as the only UK nation without a similar body. The Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets) (Wales) Bill has been laid before the Senedd on Monday. The bill is also set to enable Welsh government ministers to set "ambitious biodiversity targets". 2:50 Deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies said the bill was "crucial legislation that will empower us to address climate and nature emergencies". "With one in six species now at risk of extinction in Wales, it has never been more important to restore nature and preserve the natural environment for future generations," he added. The RSPB has said the bill is a "good start" but that it would like to see the government "go even further". Annie Smith, RSPB Cymru's head of nature policy and casework, said the bill "must drive the urgent actions needed to clean up the environment and restore nature in Wales". "Having declared a nature emergency, this Senedd must ensure its legacy includes a strong response for nature," she added.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Labour 'a family' says MP amid Morgan-Starmer differences
A Labour MP has said the party in Wales is like a family that will always fall out but will "knuckle down and come together" ahead of the Senedd election. Ruth Jones was speaking after the First Minister distanced herself from some of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's policies for the first time, in a speech earlier this week. It also follows a meeting between Eluned Morgan and Welsh MPs in which she is believed to have accused them of not standing up for Wales. This week an ITV Wales / Cardiff University poll suggested Labour had sunk to a historic low, in third place in Wales at 18% behind Plaid Cymru at 30% and Reform at 25%. Jones, the MP for Newport West and Islwyn, said: "We understand what is going on on the doorstep. We do get it. "Going forward, we need to make sure there is a good message getting out there. "In terms of the relationship with the Senedd, we are brothers and sisters in the same party, we will always have rows, we will always fall out but we are always family and at the end of the day we will come together to make sure we get the best Senedd result for the Labour Party that we can." Wales' Labour first minister says she'll call out Starmer Wales' first minister hopes to 'jolt' Downing Street First minister leads Wales' tributes to new Pope Labour has come first in every assembly Senedd election since the start of Welsh devolution in 1999. Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies told Politics Wales the most recent poll was "more surprising than others" but he felt it reflected the "reality of where politics in Wales, and across the UK, currently is". "There is a real battle going on and, on that basis I, Eluned Morgan and the whole of the Labour family can take nothing for granted," he said. "We have got to battle to earn people's votes over the year ahead before the Senedd election." Former Plaid Cymru Assembly Member Nerys Evans said the poll summed up the public's feelings towards a "failing" government. "A third of our children are in poverty, reading and writing rates are the lowest in the UK, economic productivity is the worst in the UK," she said. "The challenge for Plaid is to show they are the alternative progressive left of centre government in waiting because this government is not doing what it should be doing in terms of protecting our young people, jobs and public services." Meanwhile, the Welsh Conservatives are set to meet in Llangollen, Denbighshire, for their conference next week, at a time when they are coming under huge pressure from Reform. Sian Jones, a former advisor to the Conservative UK Government, said: "It is quite a pivotal moment for the leadership of Darren Millar. "It's not just about setting out what a possible alternative Conservative vision could look like in a way that is different from the more protest-driven policies of Reform, but also how do they galvanise their membership base? "How do they motivate their members to make sure they are ready to knock on doors come the election next year? That is the challenge he has." Is Welsh Labour turning away from Keir Starmer? Wales needs fair rail deal, FM tells Starmer
BBC News
11-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Labour 'a family' says MP amid Eluned Morgan and Keir Starmer differences
A Labour MP has said the party in Wales is like a family that will always fall out but will "knuckle down and come together" ahead of the Senedd Jones was speaking after the First Minister distanced herself from some of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's policies for the first time, in a speech earlier this also follows a meeting between Eluned Morgan and Welsh MPs in which she is believed to have accused them of not standing up for week an ITV Wales / Cardiff University poll suggested Labour had sunk to a historic low, in third place in Wales at 18% behind Plaid Cymru at 30% and Reform at 25%. Jones, the MP for Newport West and Islwyn, said: "We understand what is going on on the doorstep. We do get it."Going forward, we need to make sure there is a good message getting out there."In terms of the relationship with the Senedd, we are brothers and sisters in the same party, we will always have rows, we will always fall out but we are always family and at the end of the day we will come together to make sure we get the best Senedd result for the Labour Party that we can." Labour has come first in every assembly Senedd election since the start of Welsh devolution in First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies told Politics Wales the most recent poll was "more surprising than others" but he felt it reflected the "reality of where politics in Wales, and across the UK, currently is"."There is a real battle going on and, on that basis I, Eluned Morgan and the whole of the Labour family can take nothing for granted," he said."We have got to battle to earn people's votes over the year ahead before the Senedd election." Former Plaid Cymru Assembly Member Nerys Evans said the poll summed up the public's feelings towards a "failing" government."A third of our children are in poverty, reading and writing rates are the lowest in the UK, economic productivity is the worst in the UK," she said."The challenge for Plaid is to show they are the alternative progressive left of centre government in waiting because this government is not doing what it should be doing in terms of protecting our young people, jobs and public services."Meanwhile, the Welsh Conservatives are set to meet in Llangollen, Denbighshire, for their conference next week, at a time when they are coming under huge pressure from Jones, a former advisor to the Conservative UK Government, said: "It is quite a pivotal moment for the leadership of Darren Millar."It's not just about setting out what a possible alternative Conservative vision could look like in a way that is different from the more protest-driven policies of Reform, but also how do they galvanise their membership base?"How do they motivate their members to make sure they are ready to knock on doors come the election next year? That is the challenge he has."
