Latest news with #SharpEnd
ITV News
5 hours ago
- Business
- ITV News
Rachel Reeves is set to announce at least £445 million for Welsh transport in spending review
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce major Welsh transport upgrades in her Spending Review. At least £445 million is set to be spent on rail projects in north and south Wales to enhance connectivity between cities, towns, and centres. The money will be used to fix level crossings, build new stations and upgrade existing lines. It is understood to be a combination of direct funding and money for the Welsh Government. The Treasury said: 'With this Government Wales will thrive, and the Chancellor has prioritised bringing forward a package that has the potential to be truly transformative.' An unnamed Labour Party source has said that the "historic investment is down to the tireless work of the Welsh Secretary, Jo Stevens, who has delivered Labour's promise to right the chronic underfunding of Welsh rail by the Tories."The source added: "This investment is more than Wales would have had so far had HS2 been Barnettised. It will make a massive difference economically and politically." Talking on ITV Wales' Sharp End about the announcement, Peter Fox, a Welsh Conservative MS said: 'Its not enough, its no where near enough.' 'We are suppose to be grateful that we are getting the funding, this is not good news for Wales. We should be angry.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Farage rules out standing in Senedd election
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he will not be a candidate in next year's Senedd elections, and has no long term plan to lead the party in Wales. The MP for Clacton, in Essex, said he would lead Reform into the campaign for next May's poll until a Welsh leader has been chosen to take over. Asked if he wanted to lead the party in Wales, he said: "I'm not Welsh, so it's not going to be me." Under the Welsh Parliament's rules, an MP would have to stand down from the UK Parliament if they were to become a Member of the Senedd (MS). The big changes coming to the next Senedd election How do you vote in the Senedd election? What's your Senedd constituency? Speaking to ITV Cymru's Sharp End programme, the Reform leader said the goal was to win the most seats in next May's election to the Welsh Parliament. Recent polls have shown Labour, Plaid Cymru and Reform to be neck and neck, with one last week suggesting Plaid Cymru were pulling ahead, and Farage's party leap-frogging Labour into second place. Pundits have suggested that Reform's success was largely from Conservative supporters shifting their vote, but Farage told ITV Cymru Wales that his party was hoping to bring across Labour voters too. "I've got evidence from strong Labour areas in England that on 1 May what happened was people were motivated to go out and vote Reform, turnouts were higher than people thought they were going to be. "What we have do in Wales is to say to people, if you really, really want change, you've got to vote for that change, and it's up to us to articulate clearly what that vision is." He added: "The national elections in Wales are our priority. "We intend to come first... we're going to fight to win." Reform UK currently does not have a leader in Wales and has no members in the Senedd. When asked if he would be a candidate for the Senedd elections and potential first minister, Farage ruled that out: "I'm not Welsh so it's not going to be me, all right? We are a very, very new party." Farage said he would initially lead the election campaign, saying he would "kick it off absolutely". Asked if he would be a candidate in the election so that he could be allowed to take part in televised election debates, Farage said: "No, I don't intend to do that, that would be playing the game in the most cynical way and I'm not going to do it." Voters will go to the polls for the Senedd elections on 7 May 2026, when the number of MSs will be expanded from 60 to 96. There will be 16 constituencies each electing 6 MSs. It is thought that the new voting system will see Reform MSs elected for the first time to the Welsh Parliament. What does the Senedd do? How close could the Senedd election be? Senedd election could be seismic, expert says
ITV News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Nigel Farage says Wales is now Reform UK's 'priority' ahead of Senedd election next year
Nigel Farage has said Wales is now the priority for Reform following the party's recent success in local elections in England. He also confirmed he will not be the leader in Wales but will kick off his party's Senedd election campaign until a candidate has been chosen. In an extended interview with ITV Cymru Wales' Sharp End programme, the Reform leader said the goal is now to win the most seats in the 2026 Senedd election, taking place in May next year. It follows last week's Barn Cymru poll by ITV Cymru Wales and Cardiff University which predicted Reform would come second if an election were held today, behind Plaid Cymru and ahead of Labour. Reform turned their rising appeal into tangible results earlier this month when they took control of 10 English councils, as well as winning a by-election and installing two mayors. Polling suggests Reform's success was largely from Conservative supporters shifting their vote, but Mr Farage said they are hoping to bring across Labour voters too. "I've got evidence from strong Labour areas in England that on May 1, what happened was people were motivated to go out and vote Reform, turnouts were higher than people thought they were going to be," he said. "What we have do in Wales is to say to people, if you really, really want change, you've got to vote for that change, and it's up to us to articulate clearly what that vision is." In the lengthy interview, Mr Farage discussed how Reform would scrap key Welsh Government policies if they formed the next government such as the 'Nation of Sanctuary' plan, default 20mph speed limits, and a target for one million Welsh speakers by 2050. Watch the full interview on tonight's episode of Sharp End on ITV1 at 10.45pm.
