Latest news with #WelshDevelopmentGrants
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Two more Welsh politicians defect to Nigel Farage's Reform UK
Reform leader Nigel Farage has used a keynote speech in Wales to announced that two more Welsh councillors have defected. Speaking in Port Talbot, he announced independent councillors Andrew Barry and David Hughes, both members of Merthyr Tydfil council, have joined Reform UK. They were welcomed to the stage during a speech that has given his first glimpses of policies ahead of the election. Mr Farage said the party would allow coal mining again in Wales and says its long term plan is to "reopen the Port Talbot steelworks". Cllr Barry, who has had the cabinet brief for finance, says he has seen "waste" in the system during his time. He said: "The people making the decisions on those hundreds of thousands of pounds are unelected members of the council. READ MORE: Reform UK's Nigel Farage's eight election policies for Wales READ MORE: Huge Winter Fuel Payment U-turn means millions more will get it this year "I see Reform as the only opposition in Wales." You can follow live updates from the speech here. Meanwhile David Hughes, who had previously had the housing and social services brief, spoke of "waste" within councils. "I've come over to Reform because there's so much waste where money is being spent, we need to get into procurement to make sure money is being spent correctly". "It sounds like every Welsh council needs a DOGE," Mr Farage joked. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here The most recent poll for Wales suggests Reform is in line to take its first seats in the Senedd at the election in May 2026. Its only representation in Wales at the moment is with councillors, but a YouGov/Barn Cymru poll which asked people their voting intention for the Welsh Parliament in May put Reform UK in second with 25% of the vote. They were only behind Plaid Cymru who were projected to get 30% of the vote and ahead of Labour's 18%. You can read that here. In an opinion piece for WalesOnline, the party leader has given his first glimpses of policies ahead of the election. Mr Farage has said the party would allow coal mining again in Wales and says its long term plan is to "reopen the Port Talbot steelworks". The steelworks, owned by Tata, have not closed but its remaining blast furnaces were closed in 2024, with work now ongoing to build an electric arc furnace which will recycle previously-used steel. Thousands of jobs are being lost as part of the change. The Indian-owned company said the blast furnaces were at the end of their operational lives and too expensive to replace. The Port Talbot steelworks were, the company said, losing £1m a day before the blast furnaces were turned off. Reform UK say it would "use Welsh Development Grants to support real industry. We'll redirect economic funding from consultants and NGOs to actual factory floors, machinery, and industrial jobs in places like Llanelli, Shotton, and Ebbw Vale". Nigel Farage has also said the party would also set up "regional technical colleges" for people to have a "path into proper trade". The party would also, it says, stop any building being used for asylum seeker accommodation, end funding to the Welsh Refugee Council and scrap the Welsh Government's "Nation of Sanctuary". It also vowed to set up an Elon Musk style department to cut costs. "A Reform UK Senedd will also save hundreds of millions each year by cutting bureaucracy, waste and bad management." "The establishment of Welsh DOGE will help us uncover where there is woke and wasteful spending and we will make sure those funds are redirected to frontline services," Mr Farage pledges.
Wales Online
19 hours ago
- Business
- Wales Online
Nigel Farage on 20mph, coal mining and steel, as he explains vision for future for Wales
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Reform UK leader NIgel Farage has spoken about his vision for the future of Wales, at a press conference today. He took to the stage just after 12pm in Port Talbot, with less than a year until the Senedd elections. His introduction had to be hastily rewritten given the UK Government's announcement, which went live at noon, that the winter fuel payment cuts are being partially reversed. Mr Farage said that Labour "knowing this press conference was taking place", announced they would make a fuel payment announcement at noon, as he was due to speak, but called it a "step in the right direction". He also announced independent councillors Andrew Barry and David Hughes, both members of Merthyr Tydfil council, have joined Reform UK, as they also took to the stage to explain how they had become disillusioned and moved to Reform. The most recent poll for Wales suggests his party is in line to take its first seats in the Senedd at the election in May 2026. Its only representation in Wales at the moment is with councillors, but a YouGov/Barn Cymru poll which asked people their voting intention for the Welsh Parliament in May put Reform UK in second with 25% of the vote. They were only behind Plaid Cymru who were projected to get 30% of the vote and ahead of Labour's 18%, reports Wales Online. In an opinion piece for WalesOnline, the party leader has given his first glimpses of policies ahead of the election. Mr Farage has said the party would allow coal mining again in Wales and says its long term plan is to "reopen the Port Talbot steelworks". The steelworks, owned by Tata, have not closed but its remaining blast furnaces were closed in 2024, with work now ongoing to build an electric arc furnace which will recycle previously-used steel. Thousands of jobs are being lost as part of the change. The Indian-owned company said the blast furnaces were at the end of their operational lives and too expensive to replace. The Port Talbot steelworks were, the company said, losing £1m a day before the blast furnaces were turned off. Reform UK say it would "use Welsh Development Grants to support real industry. We'll redirect economic funding from consultants and NGOs to actual factory floors, machinery, and industrial jobs in places like Llanelli, Shotton, and Ebbw Vale". Nigel Farage has also said the party would also set up "regional technical colleges" for people to have a "path into proper trade". (Image: Getty Images) The party would also, it says, stop any building being used for asylum seeker accommodation, end funding to the Welsh Refugee Council and scrap the Welsh Government's "Nation of Sanctuary". It also vowed to set up an Elon Musk style department to cut costs. "A Reform UK Senedd will also save hundreds of millions each year by cutting bureaucracy, waste and bad management. The establishment of Welsh DOGE will help us uncover where there is woke and wasteful spending and we will make sure those funds are redirected to frontline services," Mr Farage pledges. During the press conference Mr Farage also took aim at the controversial 20mph policy, saying he would reverse it. as he said he doubted the electric arc furnace at the Port Talbot Tata site would "every be switched on", but says their plan is to "reindustrialise Wales". He says in the coming years more steel will be needed and the UK should produce its own steel, and its own coal. "I'm not saying let's open all the pits, there are certain types of coal for certain types of uses, for the blast furnaces, we can use here," Mr Farage said, insisting it would be a small scale, specific mining and not like the "heydays of mining in Wales". Mr Farage also said there would be no going back on devolution, but criticised the running of Wales since. In response, a Welsh Labour spokesperson said: "Nigel Farage has no plans for steel - just a camera crew. You can't restart a blast furnace with a press conference. "Nigel Farage says that hopefully they mightthey'll bring back mining. The people of Wales will see through the false hope and false promises of a public-school boy from England who does not understand them and does not understand Wales. "His answer is to bring back the mines. The only thing Nigel Farage is trying to mine is votes from communities that have already gone through tough times. Nigel Farage has today brought his fantasy politics and magic money tree to Port Talbot. He's gambling with real people's livelihoods." Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Find out what's happening near you
North Wales Live
20 hours ago
- Business
- North Wales Live
Nigel Farage on 20mph, coal mining and steel, as he explains vision for future for Wales
Reform UK leader NIgel Farage has spoken about his vision for the future of Wales, at a press conference today. He took to the stage just after 12pm in Port Talbot, with less than a year until the Senedd elections. His introduction had to be hastily rewritten given the UK Government's announcement, which went live at noon, that the winter fuel payment cuts are being partially reversed. Mr Farage said that Labour"knowing this press conference was taking place", announced they would make a fuel payment announcement at noon, as he was due to speak, but called it a "step in the right direction". He also announced independent councillors Andrew Barry and David Hughes, both members of Merthyr Tydfil council, have joined Reform UK, as they also took to the stage to explain how they had become disillusioned and moved to Reform. The most recent poll for Wales suggests his party is in line to take its first seats in the Senedd at the election in May 2026. Its only representation in Wales at the moment is with councillors, but a YouGov/Barn Cymru poll which asked people their voting intention for the Welsh Parliament in May put Reform UK in second with 25% of the vote. They were only behind Plaid Cymru who were projected to get 30% of the vote and ahead of Labour's 18%, reports Wales Online. In an opinion piece for WalesOnline, the party leader has given his first glimpses of policies ahead of the election. Mr Farage has said the party would allow coal mining again in Wales and says its long term plan is to "reopen the Port Talbot steelworks". The steelworks, owned by Tata, have not closed but its remaining blast furnaces were closed in 2024, with work now ongoing to build an electric arc furnace which will recycle previously-used steel. Thousands of jobs are being lost as part of the change. The Indian-owned company said the blast furnaces were at the end of their operational lives and too expensive to replace. The Port Talbot steelworks were, the company said, losing £1m a day before the blast furnaces were turned off. Reform UK say it would "use Welsh Development Grants to support real industry. We'll redirect economic funding from consultants and NGOs to actual factory floors, machinery, and industrial jobs in places like Llanelli, Shotton, and Ebbw Vale". Nigel Farage has also said the party would also set up "regional technical colleges" for people to have a "path into proper trade". The party would also, it says, stop any building being used for asylum seeker accommodation, end funding to the Welsh Refugee Council and scrap the Welsh Government's "Nation of Sanctuary". It also vowed to set up an Elon Musk style department to cut costs. "A Reform UK Senedd will also save hundreds of millions each year by cutting bureaucracy, waste and bad management. The establishment of Welsh DOGE will help us uncover where there is woke and wasteful spending and we will make sure those funds are redirected to frontline services," Mr Farage pledges. During the press conference Mr Farage also took aim at the controversial 20mph policy, saying he would reverse it. as he said he doubted the electric arc furnace at the Port Talbot Tata site would "every be switched on", but says their plan is to "reindustrialise Wales". He says in the coming years more steel will be needed and the UK should produce its own steel, and its own coal. "I'm not saying let's open all the pits, there are certain types of coal for certain types of uses, for the blast furnaces, we can use here," Mr Farage said, insisting it would be a small scale, specific mining and not like the "heydays of mining in Wales". Mr Farage also said there would be no going back on devolution, but criticised the running of Wales since. In response, a Welsh Labour spokesperson said: "Nigel Farage has no plans for steel - just a camera crew. You can't restart a blast furnace with a press conference. "Nigel Farage says that hopefully they mightthey'll bring back mining. The people of Wales will see through the false hope and false promises of a public-school boy from England who does not understand them and does not understand Wales. "His answer is to bring back the mines. The only thing Nigel Farage is trying to mine is votes from communities that have already gone through tough times. Nigel Farage has today brought his fantasy politics and magic money tree to Port Talbot. He's gambling with real people's livelihoods."
Wales Online
a day ago
- Politics
- Wales Online
Two more Welsh politicians defect to Nigel Farage's Reform UK
Two more Welsh politicians defect to Nigel Farage's Reform UK The announcement was made as Nigel Farage delivered a keynote speech in Port Talbot Leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage speaks at the Plaza on June 9, 2025 in Port Talbot (Image: Getty Images ) Reform leader Nigel Farage has used a keynote speech in Wales to announced that two more Welsh councillors have defected. Speaking in Port Talbot, he announced independent councillors Andrew Barry and David Hughes, both members of Merthyr Tydfil council, have joined Reform UK. They were welcomed to the stage during a speech that has given his first glimpses of policies ahead of the election. Mr Farage said the party would allow coal mining again in Wales and says its long term plan is to "reopen the Port Talbot steelworks". Cllr Barry, who has had the cabinet brief for finance, says he has seen "waste" in the system during his time. He said: "The people making the decisions on those hundreds of thousands of pounds are unelected members of the council. "I see Reform as the only opposition in Wales." You can follow live updates from the speech here. Meanwhile David Hughes, who had previously had the housing and social services brief, spoke of "waste" within councils. "I've come over to Reform because there's so much waste where money is being spent, we need to get into procurement to make sure money is being spent correctly". "It sounds like every Welsh council needs a DOGE," Mr Farage joked. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here Article continues below The most recent poll for Wales suggests Reform is in line to take its first seats in the Senedd at the election in May 2026. Its only representation in Wales at the moment is with councillors, but a YouGov/Barn Cymru poll which asked people their voting intention for the Welsh Parliament in May put Reform UK in second with 25% of the vote. Nigel Farage speaks at the Plaza (Image: Getty Images ) They were only behind Plaid Cymru who were projected to get 30% of the vote and ahead of Labour's 18%. You can read that here. In an opinion piece for WalesOnline, the party leader has given his first glimpses of policies ahead of the election. Mr Farage has said the party would allow coal mining again in Wales and says its long term plan is to "reopen the Port Talbot steelworks". The steelworks, owned by Tata, have not closed but its remaining blast furnaces were closed in 2024, with work now ongoing to build an electric arc furnace which will recycle previously-used steel. Thousands of jobs are being lost as part of the change. The Indian-owned company said the blast furnaces were at the end of their operational lives and too expensive to replace. The Port Talbot steelworks were, the company said, losing £1m a day before the blast furnaces were turned off. Reform UK say it would "use Welsh Development Grants to support real industry. We'll redirect economic funding from consultants and NGOs to actual factory floors, machinery, and industrial jobs in places like Llanelli, Shotton, and Ebbw Vale". Nigel Farage speaks at the Plaza (Image: Getty Images ) Nigel Farage has also said the party would also set up "regional technical colleges" for people to have a "path into proper trade". The party would also, it says, stop any building being used for asylum seeker accommodation, end funding to the Welsh Refugee Council and scrap the Welsh Government's "Nation of Sanctuary". It also vowed to set up an Elon Musk style department to cut costs. "A Reform UK Senedd will also save hundreds of millions each year by cutting bureaucracy, waste and bad management." "The establishment of Welsh DOGE will help us uncover where there is woke and wasteful spending and we will make sure those funds are redirected to frontline services," Mr Farage pledges. Article continues below
Wales Online
a day ago
- Politics
- Wales Online
Reform UK's Nigel Farage's eight election policies for Wales
Reform UK's Nigel Farage's eight election policies for Wales It includes a pledge to resume coal mining in Wales Reform UK leader Nigel Farage attends a press conference (Image: Getty Images ) Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has given his first glimpse of policies the party will campaign on ahead of the Senedd election in 2026. These include resuming coal mining in south Wales and changing the order in which people can access social housing. There is also a pledge to "reopen" the steelworks at Port Talbot- although owner Tata has different plans. Polling suggests that Reform UK will get its first seats in the Senedd at the election next May. The new look Senedd will have 96 rather than 60 MSs as part of sweeping changes. A YouGov/Barn Cymru poll asked people their voting intention for the Welsh Parliament in May put Reform UK in second with 25% of the vote. They were only behind Plaid Cymru who were projected to get 30% of the vote and ahead of Labour's 18%. You can read that here. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here In an opinion piece for WalesOnline ahead of a visit to Port Talbot, the party leader has given his first glimpses of policies ahead of the election ahead of a speech at noon today (June 9). There are live updates from that here. Article continues below Admitting that Reform is starting from a low base with only a handful of councillors in Wales, he says: "It is clear that the people of Wales want Reform. Our growth in Wales has been extraordinary. We now have almost 11,000 members and tens of thousands of supporters. We are winning Council by-elections in Wales with almost 50% of the vote," he writes. He has also said: "Welsh politics, we're coming to get you". You can read that here. His policies are: Article continues below More coal mining in Wales . Farage says: "We would allow coal, if suitable, to be mined in Wales". . Farage says: "We would allow coal, if suitable, to be mined in Wales". Reopen Port Talbot steelworks. Farage says that is, "part of Reform's long-term ambition to reopen the Port Talbot Steelworks but we know this will not be quick or easy". Farage says that is, "part of Reform's long-term ambition to reopen the Port Talbot Steelworks but we know this will not be quick or easy". Redirect funding to factories. He says Welsh Development Grants would "redirect economic funding from consultants and NGOs to actual factory floors, machinery, and industrial jobs in places like Llanelli, Shotton, and Ebbw Vale." He says Welsh Development Grants would "redirect economic funding from consultants and NGOs to actual factory floors, machinery, and industrial jobs in places like Llanelli, Shotton, and Ebbw Vale." Set up regional technical colleges. The Reform leader says these would teach welding, plumbing, robotics, electrical trades, and industrial automation The Reform leader says these would teach welding, plumbing, robotics, electrical trades, and industrial automation End funding to the Welsh Refugee Council. He says: "We would end funding to the Wales Refugee Council and scrap the 'Nation of Sanctuary' for asylum seekers and any funding that goes with it." He says: "We would end funding to the Wales Refugee Council and scrap the 'Nation of Sanctuary' for asylum seekers and any funding that goes with it." Social housing systems waiting change . The Reform leader says: "We will put the interests of the Welsh people first and make sure that local people go to the front of the social housing queue". . The Reform leader says: "We will put the interests of the Welsh people first and make sure that local people go to the front of the social housing queue". Stop building housing for asylum seekers . Farage says: "We'd stop the use of any building for asylum seeker accommodation". . Farage says: "We'd stop the use of any building for asylum seeker accommodation". Cut bureaucracy: He says "Reform UK Senedd will also save hundreds of millions each year by cutting bureaucracy, waste and bad management. The establishment of Welsh DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] will help us uncover where there is woke and wasteful spending and we will make sure those funds are redirected to frontline services."
