Latest news with #VaughanGething
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Did Eluned Morgan step into a Cardiff Labour selection row?
Wednesday marks Eluned Morgan's first year in charge as first than leading her party into the next Senedd election, her basic task was to mend a Labour group trashed by a nasty row over a £200,000 donation, from a man prosecuted for illegally dumping waste, to her arguments in her group have been reined in, publicly at least, with the occasional spat here and a dispute over a selection in Welsh Labour's power centre of Cardiff - after would-be candidate Owain Williams was rejected - has threatened to reignite infighting and rows in the party. Prior to him being fully ruled out, I've learned that Williams was the subject of an internal row which, we are told by sources, involved the first minister herself allegedly intervening on his meanwhile, are arguing in private about whether or not it is a continuation of the split between those who supported Morgan's predecessor, and those who supported her now health secretary, Jeremy Miles. Mark Drakeford's decision to retire at the end of 2023 triggered an election which saw Jeremy Miles battle Vaughan Gething for the lost to Gething, in circumstances where the latter's campaign was boosted by, in Welsh Labour terms, a huge sum of cash from a company connected to a man convicted previously of illegally dumping off the record at the time grew into a frenzy as the months went on, resulting in resignations in the Welsh government cabinet that forced Gething has disappeared from the limelight, and will be leaving the Senedd next year. But Miles remains in the cabinet and is standing again. How was Eluned Morgan alleged to get involved? Fast forward to the last few weeks, when Welsh Labour has been figuring out who will stand where, in the new large constituencies for the new larger Ffynnon Taf stretches from the capital's leafy northern suburbs, down to Roath near the inner-city, to Trowbridge and Llanrumney in the is one of the most competitive selections for Labour in which Owain Williams was thought by some to be a bit of a front is a management consultant who went to Oxford, wrote Miles' leadership manifesto and is a regular Labour commentator in Welsh-language he hit a application was ruled out of order - a decision upheld by an appeal panel of Welsh Labour's executive reason, I'm told by a source, is because his home address in the Vale of Glamorgan did not match his party membership in the Westminster Cardiff North constituency. That is a breach of Labour rules that date back to efforts to prevent entryism from Militant tendency.I am told that Williams says he informed his local party but that his details had not been updated in time. Another source doubted that this was the motivation - instead saying they felt the initial disqualification was driven by Williams' closeness to Jeremy source said there was "no other sensible interpretation. People's individual reactions since this has made it very clear that that's what's going on."The individual felt that Williams may be seen by some as part of an effort by Miles to help secure a future leadership bid, should a vacancy arise from a Labour defeat post-election. The leadership theory was rubbished by the same source, calling it "fantastical on many different levels". Despite all this blocking Williams from getting on to the longlist for the seat because of an administrative issue, he made it sources - on each side of the argument - have told me they believe this followed the involvement of the first minister - and complaints from at least one minister - Jeremy is something that has not been confirmed or denied by Morgan's of them said they felt ministers became involved because they saw it as a "battle for the control of the party" and were concerned by an alleged attempt to prevent someone from the pro-devolution wing of the party from becoming a implication being that the officials that took the decision look more towards Westminster than Cardiff, at least in the source's individual within Welsh Labour who was unhappy with what happened complained "of a process that has seemingly been overwritten by the will of the first minister".They accused Williams of having opened "lots of doors for himself to get himself back on this list - something other party members don't have the ability to do".The same individual rubbished claims that the initial rejection had anything to do with a Miles/Gething dynamic: "I don't think Vaughan's people are that organised.""If people want to be candidates, you know what the application process is, do it right," they added. What does Morgan or the people around her say about whether she had become involved in the selection itself? On Tuesday I attempted to seek comment on the above points from both Morgan and Miles. I have not received a response. Welsh Labour's press office has also declined to comment on the issue. 'Most people I know agree' Williams' bid was ultimately unsuccessful, and he failed to make the constituency's she was asked about the issue on the Eisteddfod maes in Wrexham, Morgan did not attempt to avoid the topic, saying she was a "big fan" of Williams, and that she would like him to be a was among the notable figures in the party who went to bat for Davies, the Blaenau Gwent MS who has been involved in putting together Labour's 2026 manifesto, said on X: "It is now clear that there is a significant lack of confidence in the Welsh Labour selection process. "Most people I know in the party agree with [the first minister]."But one source speculated that Williams' administrative problem early on - that allegedly got ministers involved - probably counted against him when he came up against the mix of local and national party officials which dealt with the rejected the sense that he was rejected because Williams was pro-devolution, or close to Miles. The selection for Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf now goes to the stage where the party needs to decide the order in which the list is presented to the higher up that list the better the candidate's chance of making it to Cardiff Bay next exactly that is done has not been decided.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
I'm feeling the pressure, Eluned Morgan says after year as first minister
First Minister Eluned Morgan says she is feeling the pressure as she gears up her party for the next Senedd election following her first year in the the past few months polls have suggested Labour may lose its lead in a Welsh parliamentary election for the first time since the a year in charge, the Welsh Labour leader said she had a "historic responsibility" and knew when she took the job her party would be in for a "tough time".Meanwhile she said the UK government was "probably" not listening to her at the time she made a landmark speech criticising Sir Keir Starmer's government. Opposition parties accused Morgan of "drift," "dithering" and "failure" in her first year on the job, claiming the "same old problems remain". Morgan took over her party after a tumultuous period, following the ousting of Vaughan Gething by senior figures in the Welsh short stint as first minister was dominated by a donation of £200,000 from a man previous convicted of illegally dumping waste to his preceding leadership was installed without a contest after other potential candidates ruled themselves then the first minister has sought to focus on a small list of priorities - particularly on reducing long NHS to the BBC Wales podcast Walescast on Wednesday, Morgan said the "longest waits are definitely heading in the right direction".When it was pointed out to her that two-year waits had risen recently, she said there was a "particular problem" in the north Wales health board, Betsi said: "I am pulling my hair out."But, look, we're all over them."Morgan said the health board were getting some treatments "out into the independent sector, because you know what you're getting there", as well as opening a new orthopaedic released in July said those waiting more than two years went up by 6.5% on the previous month, to just under 10,300. 'We have to remind people of what's at stake' Morgan said Labour had to take the challenge facing the party seriously."I think we've got to remind people of what's at stake, things that they see every day in their lives, free prescriptions, free bus passes, free school meals."Every time you win an election, it gets more difficult for the time after and of course, there's a historic responsibility, and there's a responsibility as the first woman leader as well. "So yeah, of course, I'm feeling the pressure." A significant moment in her term in office came in May, when Morgan delivered a speech in Cardiff Bay's Norwegian Church that was scathing of UK government by Morgan as the Red Welsh Way, the first minister promised to "call out" Labour in Westminster if ministers got "it wrong for Wales".The first minister said the Welsh government had received more cash for coal tips and rail from the UK government."So is it enough? No, I want more. I'll always want more, and I'm not going to apologise for that."Morgan said she thought the UK government had "started sitting up and paying a bit more attention to us since I made the Red Welsh Way speech".Asked if she made the speech because she was not being listened to at the time, Morgan said: "I think that that was probably the case at that time, but that is no longer the case. Since then the engagement has been transformed."Morgan said she speaks to Sir Keir "at least once a month... probably more than any other first ministers had in the past". The Welsh Labour leader also defended her party's selection procedures, amid a row over how long the process is said it was slow because of the party was "trying to make sure we do due diligence well". 'Internal political nonsense' The first minister took over after months of bickering within her to BBC Radio Cymru podcast Gwleidydda with Vaughan Roderick, she said: "I think it's important that we concentrate on what's important to the people of Wales."Morgan said she felt "hesitant" when she took the reins but things had "calmed down a lot" since then."I was confident I could fix that and quite quickly that's what happened," she said Labour must concentrate on voters' priorities rather than "internal political nonsense".Responding to the suggestion people within Welsh Labour were briefing against one another, she said she "hated" that kind of politics."I think we should rise above that, and I don't think there's a political split in the party," she added. What have other parties said? Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, Darren Millar, said: "One year on and nothing has changed. "Whether it's 20mph speed limits slowing Wales down, or Labour's plans to waste £120m on more politicians in the Senedd, the same old problems remain."Plaid Cymru Senedd member Heledd Fychan, said: "Eluned Morgan's first year as first minister is encapsulated by a record of failure: from missing her own target to eliminate two-year NHS treatment waits, to faltering educational outcomes and rising levels of poverty in our communities."Reform, which is hoping to win its first Senedd seats next May, said: "From day one, she promised leadership and delivery. What we got was drift, dithering, and distraction. "Public services are buckling, the economy is stagnant, and the people of Wales are being let down by a first minister more interested in headline-chasing than hard graft."Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said it was "fantastic" Wales had a female first minister and leading a party "was harder when you're a woman"."But the thing I've been thinking about a lot is that she doesn't stand up to Keir Starmer," she said. "She promised to do that. She promised to make sure Wales' voice was strong and I don't see that."
BBC News
28-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Green Man festival project site Gilestone Farm loses £500,000 in value
A farm originally bought by the Welsh government using taxpayers' money for an ill-fated festival project has lost £500,000 in Farm in Powys was originally bought for £4.75m but plans to help Green Man festival's owners were abandoned when ospreys started nesting there.A Senedd committee report has raised "serious concerns" over how the site was acquired, and demanded a Welsh government said it would "continue to explore potential opportunities for its future use". Then-economy minister Vaughan Gething said the government was "delighted" in early 2024 by the arrival of two nesting ospreys at Gilestone the discovery brought to an end to a scheme which could have seen the businesswoman behind Green Man expand to a new site. Gething, who later had a short stint as first minister during the same year, denied wasting money. Under the proposals the main music and arts festival would have remained at Crickhowell, but a company set up by Green Man's director Fiona Stewart wanted to use the farm for other politicians had criticised the purchase of the farm - with officials entering negotiations to lease it to Ms Stewart - without an initial business the discovery of the ospreys, a 750m (2,460ft) restricted zone was advised around the nest itself, which can be viewed live on the audit report previously found that using up unspent money by the end of financial year was the "most significant" factor in why the site was property is currently leased to a farm on "commercial terms". 'Not robust' In a critical report, the Senedd's public accounts and administration committee said the decision was taken with a "lack of thorough due diligence".Plans were "not sufficiently robust and had not been communicated effectively to the community", it said. It added a failure to keep an adequate record of meetings with Green Man officials meant the Senedd was "unable to fully scrutinise and evaluate decisions taken by the Welsh government".Decision-makers in the Welsh government were also not provided information about the purchase in a "timely manner", the report committee said the "haste" that the government bought the site in may have also inhibited its ability to identify risks around the presence of wildlife "that would affect its proposals for the site, and potentially, its value"."This is particularly notable as the site has now been valued at £3.75m, meaning that the Welsh government's asset has lost half a million pounds in value," the report chairman Mark Isherwood said: "The arrival of the ospreys on the site was unexpected and it's acknowledged that the Welsh government has responded positively to this development to preserve their habitat, albeit there was evidence of other protected species being present at the site at the time of purchase. "However, the future of the site now appears to be very uncertain, with the most recent valuation showing that the asset has decreased in value by £0.5m compared to the purchase price. This is highly regrettable." The committee called for a full review of the purchase process and for the Welsh government's chief civil servant, permanent secretary Andrew Goodall, to "reflect on the significant loss in value to the land and whether this could have been mitigated".A Welsh government spokesman said: "Gilestone remains one of the Welsh government's property assets and is being managed on our behalf as a working farm. "We continue to explore potential opportunities for its future use, in keeping with our commitment to seek a sustainable outcome that helps local communities thrive."We will read the committee's report with interest and respond in due course."
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Covid inquiry: No advice to test care home patients at pandemic start
There was no scientific advice to test all patients discharged from hospitals into care homes at the start of the Covid crisis, a former Welsh health minister has Gething, who was in the post when the pandemic struck, said that "with hindsight" testing everyone "could have reduced risk".In his fifth appearance at the Covid inquiry, he faced questions about the decision to discharge patients to prepare hospitals for an expected wave of coronavirus accepted a 14-day delay in providing guidance that people could not be discharged into care homes without a negative test should not have happened. Gething was asked about the risk of people without symptoms being infectious and what was known about that before the care home policy was announced on 13 March Paisley, counsel for the inquiry, said even if it was not specifically discussed with him, "would you agree by that date that you were aware of the possibility of asymptomatic transmission and that it could not be ruled out?"The Member of the Senedd (MS) for Cardiff South and Penarth replied: "I'm not sure I could say by 13 March I was aware of the possibility of asymptomatic transmission."We discussed transmission and the clear evidence and advice was that symptomatic people were the risk."But that doesn't mean it (asymptomatic transmission) could be ruled out."Asked whether at that point "at the very least" there should have been a policy to isolate untested patients being discharged into care homes, Gething said: "That wasn't the evidence and advice that we had at the time."He added: "There was no advice that came to me saying 'you should test everyone who is leaving a hospital'."That advice was never provided to me at this point in time. And I think it's very hard to re-second guess all that and say 'at the time should you have known' when actually I didn't."Looking back though, of course in hindsight you can see that actually you could have reduced risk if you had been able to test on discharge and that would have relied not just on capacity, but on the speed of turn-around from testing as well." 'The guidance could have been provided earlier' Ministers decided on 15 April that people should not be discharged into social care unless they had tested negative for guidance on testing for the care sector was not published until 29 said: "Do you accept, along with the Welsh government, that was a delay that simply shouldn't have happened?"Gething said: "Yes, it's part of the concession that I don't attempt to walk away from."From the decision to the guidance going out it has to be accepted that the guidance could have been provided earlier."Similar decisions on testing were introduced earlier in the rest of the said the Welsh government was "on the back foot" because the UK government did not share information about testing earlier, but that did not explain the 14-day delay before the Welsh guidance was published.
Pembrokeshire Herald
27-06-2025
- Business
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Early years team wins prestigious partnership award
STUDENTS called for an overhaul to make Welsh universities more financially sustainable amid concerns about the uncertainty of sweeping cuts impacting on mental health. Deio Owen, president of the National Union of Students (NUS) Cymru, warned students' mental health has suffered following proposed and confirmed cuts at Welsh universities. He told the Senedd's education committee: 'That uncertainty does have a knock-on effect – not just on your education and your prospects in your exams… but also your personal life.' Mr Owen said students are paying more than £9,000 in tuition fees 'for a service you're not sure you're going to get which makes the university sector unique'. He told the committee: 'It's not like going to a shop and buying a tumble dryer or a toaster, and it's that uncertainty which isn't fair on students or staff or anybody that's being affected.' Giving evidence on June 25 as part of an inquiry on higher education, Mr Owen said students support staff in taking crucial industrial action. 'There is also frustration, there are doubts,' he added. 'If you look at it from the outside 'the staff aren't teaching and I'm going to miss out' but, generally speaking, I think there is support and people understand why people are striking.' Asked about comparisons with the rest of the UK, Mr Owen told the committee many of the challenges are common across the four nations. But, raising concerns about participation rates, he pointed to statistics showing around 30% of Welsh young people attend a university anywhere in the UK. This compares with 40% in Northern Ireland, 'our closest counterpart economically', and nearly 50% in greater London. 'I want to live in a Wales where everybody has the opportunity to follow whichever education pathway they choose,' said Mr Owen, warning of unique economic and social barriers. Former First Minister Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething, the former First Minister who was himself once NUS Cymru's president, asked about calls for an overhaul of the financial model for universities in Wales. Mr Owen replied: 'To put it quite simply, the system is not working as it is formed right now and we need to see that change to make it fairer, more equal and equitable for everyone who wants to access the higher education system here in Wales.' The politics and Welsh graduate added: 'To show that the system's not working: we have young people who have less than £50 at the end of the month in their bank account and Wales has the most generous financial package of support for students in the UK. 'But that support isn't going far enough…. If tuition fees were working, I don't think our universities would be in such a state that they are now.' Acknowledging there is no 'silver bullet', Mr Owen urged Wales to be more outward looking by considering models in other European countries which offer free or cheaper tuition. He called for the Welsh and UK Governments to undertake a more fundamental review, encompassing elements beyond education such as mental health support and housing. 'Over the years we've seen bandages put on wounds,' he said. 'Whereas we haven't seen that transformational piece that will make an education system that works.' Mr Owen stressed: 'We haven't got that forward-looking vision for the future of what higher education will look like, how we're going to create a system that is fair for everyone.' He argued the onus is on politicians to create a fair and equal education system, saying: 'I represent the voice of students, not the voice of policy-makers, we're created to raise those concerns, not to make those decisions, but there is a need for change – that is quite clear.' Mr Owen said NUS Cymru has a positive relationship with Vikki Howells, Wales' universities minister, but: 'The Welsh Government does have a role to play, it can't just ignore the challenges faced by the sector. Education doesn't stop after you leave school.'
