Latest news with #SharpEnd
ITV News
16-07-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Mark Drakeford says Vaughan Gething 'deserved better' than his short-lived time as First Minister
Former First Minister Mark Drakeford said his successor Vaughan Gething "deserved better" than his short-lived premiership. Mr Gething was in the top position for four months before he resigned. His time in office was dogged by questions over a £200,000 campaign donation from a businessman convicted of environmental offences. Speaking to ITV Wales' Sharp End, his predecessor Mark Drakeford said he looks back on that time "with a great deal of sadness". He said: "I thought Vaughan deserved much better. "I think he was well prepared to be a First Minister. I think that he would have been a very good First Minister, and it is that hubristic sense you get, isn't it, is that somehow the thing that in the end made it all unwind was a decision he himself made that was the wrong decision, but he definitely deserved better." Mr Gething received £200,000 in a campaign donation by the director of Dauson Environmental Group Ltd, David Neal, who was convicted twice for environmental offences. Neal was given a suspended prison sentence in 2013 for illegally dumping waste on a conservation site on the Gwent Levels. His companies Atlantic Recycling and Neal Soil Suppliers were also prosecuted and ordered to pay fines and costs of £202,000. There have also been concerns about a possible conflict of interest in the money coming from a company which was loaned £400,000 by the Welsh Government-owned Development Bank of Wales (DBW). The loan from the DBW was given to Neal Soil Suppliers – a subsidiary of Dauson – in 2023 to help purchase a solar farm, at a time when Mr Gething was Economy Minister. Mr Gething has always insisted that he cannot take any decision relating to Dauson – which is based in his constituency – and the DBW is entirely independent of ministers. His four months in the top job also saw a row over a leaked phone message, which led to him sacking one of his ministers and Plaid Cymru's withdrawal of support for his Government. Although still a Member of the Senedd, he has since kept a low profile, opting not to take a position in the cabinet. Sharp End's Rob Osborne asked fellow former First Minister Mark Drakeford: "There is life after being First Minister - should he get back out there and do something now?" "I hope he will," Drakeford said. "I hope he'll find something that he wants to do and enjoys doing. "I don't think if what had happened to him had happened to me, I don't think I'd ever want to set foot in here [The Senedd] again. But he comes very regularly. He speaks in debates. "He's very good at all of that. And he must be, you know, a lot of it must be looking ahead, must it? And hoping to find something worthwhile that will use his very real talent." In September last year, Mr Gething announced he would be stepping down at the next Senedd election. The former lawyer has represented Cardiff South and Penarth in the Senedd since 2011 and had served as Economy Minister and Health Minister in Mark Drakeford's Government during the pandemic. His election as First Minister in March 2024 made him the first black leader of any European country.
ITV News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Simon Hart 'not surprised' former Welsh Secretary David Jones defected to Reform
Former Conservative MP for Carmarthenshire West and South Pembrokeshire, Simon Hart, has said he is "not surprised" that David Jones has joined Reform UK. David Jones is the former Conservative MP for Clwyd West and was Welsh Secretary of State under David Cameron. Yesterday (7 July), in a statement to GB News, he announced he had joined Nigel Farage's party. Reacting to the news on ITV Wales' Sharp End, Hart said Jones "was always on my radar as someone who was in permanent distress, when it came to his politics". He added: "The last time David got behind a political leader it was Liz he has a bit of reputation for that kind of thing and for being a bit radical." In a statement to GB News, David Jones described Reform as the party "who best represents my views" and added: "I believe many others have become disillusioned with the two major parties." Reflecting on recent polling by Sky News that found 28% of people in Wales would vote for Reform, compared to only 10% for Conservatives, Hart said people are "hacked off" with parties they would have traditionally voted for. He said: "The sense of disappointment when political parties make promises that they would love to keep, but probably in reality can't keep... "Labour at the moment are suffering nationally from having made promises from 14 years in opposition, which no way on earth were they ever going to be delivered." He went on to describe Reform as the next party on the public's "shopping list" and said it is "trying to be left wing and right wing, at the same time, they are trying to be everything to everybody". Looking to the future of the Conservatives in the UK, Hart said it is important the party sets out their own values. He said: "I think turnout is what is going to define this have to be energised, and convinced that voting is still important, and we are not in that place yet."
ITV News
10-06-2025
- 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.
