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John Rees-Evans: The donkey in the room

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John Rees-Evans: Potential UKIP leader

John Rees-Evans: Potential UKIP leader

ONE of UKIP’s more colourful characters – in a party which has traditionally set the bar for eccentricity quite high – has thrown his hat into the ring for the party leader job.

Following Diane James’ fleeting spell at the helm, the role of party leader is currently occupied (again) by Nigel Farage, although it has been made clear that he is acting on an interim basis this time.

However, following the exit of bookies’ favourite Stephen Woolfe, who left the party after an alleged brawl with another MEP at the EU Parliament building in Strasbourg, John Rees-Evans announced this week that he was standing, alongside Paul Nuttall, Suzanne Evans, and Breitbart UK founder Raheem Kassam.

Mr Rees-Evans previously hit the headlines in 2014, after he was filmed telling protestors outside the opening of UKIP’s Merthyr branch that a male donkey had tried to ‘rape’ his stallion.

A series of the more outré claims made by elected members of UKIP was read out to Mr Rees-Evans, including a quotation from former UKIP Oxford chair Dr Julia Gasper, who claimed homosexuals prefer sex with animals.

His response, immortalised in full, ran thus: “Actually, I’ve witnessed that. I was personally quite amazed.

“I’ve got a horse, it was in the fields, and a donkey came up – my horse is a stallion.

“A donkey came up which is male, and I’m afraid tried to rape my horse.

“My horse bit the side of the donkey, and I had to give my horse a slap to protect the donkey.”

“So, in this case, [she’s] obviously correct but I don’t think that’s what it meant, it’s just a bizarre coincidence.”

It is worth pointing out that neither this incident, or telling a hustings that he urinated in bottles to reduce his CO2 footprint, prevented Mr Rees- Evans from getting 13% of the vote in Cardiff South and Penarth in the 2015 General Election – an increase of 11% on 2010.

Mr Rees-Evans, who grew up in Africa and was educated in 11 different schools, is a former soldier who trained with the parachute regiment.

After leaving the forces, he attempted to work as an ‘expeditioneer’, taking a wide array of jobs including pizza delivery and labouring on a building site to fund expeditions.

However, after the birth of his first child in 2003, he set up a tour company and, according to his biography, has ‘since developed a handful of other small businesses which span the tourism, business development, legal services and real estate sectors in Africa and Europe’.

Since coming to the attention of the British media, Mr Rees-Evans has had to play down a couple of the more headline-grabbing anecdotes which surround him. Prospective voters will be reassured to know that the ‘fortified compound’ in Bulgaria where Vice magazine interviewed him in 2015 is apparently little more than a garden with a wall around it.

Similarly, Mr Rees-Evans explained that rumours stating he persuaded a shop assistant in a Bulgarian Ikea store to let him carry his gun in case terrorists took over the building were also misconstrued. He admitted he did have the gun on him when he entered the store because ‘it wasn’t safe to hand it over to store security and I had some things I had to get.’.

In a recent appearance on the Daily Politics show, Mr Rees-Evans pointed out that the host, Jo Coburn, was focussing on these stories rather than his vision for the party: “Do you know, Jo, it’s really interesting what you’re doing because I am trying to tell you my serious vision for UKIP and you keep trivialising it,” he remarked.

“It [the donkey story] was a bit of playful banter with a mischievous activist. I would be so appreciative if you could please just understand the concept that I am trying to communicate to your viewers.”

One concept which has yet to be discussed was a policy proposal made by Mr Rees-Evans on his blog in the aftermath of the Paris attacks last year.

Warning that ‘a devastating Mumbai/Paris-style attack on UK soil should be considered inevitable and imminent’, he suggested that a ‘volunteer civilian defence force’, using existing Special Forces troops, followed by civilians ‘irrespective of previous military experience’ should be formed. This force, he recommended, should be ‘required to complete an advanced tactical IPSC-standard training course, with a view to obtaining proficiency in the use of several small arms, with emphasis on the Glock 17, and common variants of Kalashnikov’.

“Once qualified, VCDF marshals should be required to carry a concealed Glock 17, spare magazine, and not fewer than 30 rounds at all times, unless logged as inactive,” he suggested.

Marshals would be only permitted to engage combatants at ranges above 30m if ‘there are no innocents/ friendlies within 300 mils of marshal’s sight picture’. Firing a warning shot should also not be required due to the risk of ricochet in built-up environments.

A marshal would only be permitted to engage a target where ‘either a) a shot has already been fired or b) a combatant has raised his/her weapon to aim’.

Given that support for an armed undercover militia is patchy at best in Britain, Mr Rees-Evans may have a better chance of becoming UKIP leader if media attention continues to focus on his horse. However, it is worth mentioning that a YouGov poll taken in 2015 showed that 44% of those who voted UKIP in 2015 could imagine supporting an army coup against the elected government.

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Surrogacy: Carmarthenshire solicitor calls for legal reform

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ON the anniversary of the Law Commission’s call for surrogacy law to be overhauled, JCP Solicitors’ Angela Killa, Director in the Family team, is calling on prospective surrogates and parents to better understand the legal rules around this complicated path to parenthood.

Proposing a new regulatory route for surrogacy arrangements in the UK, the Law Commission’s recommendations for the Government puts forward a change to the law so that intended parents would become parents of the child from birth in certain circumstances. Currently, intended parents must wait months to obtain a parental order ¾ which causes stress and anxiety, not to mention administrative difficulties when registering the child.

A Surrogacy Register would also be created under the new proposals, allowing surrogate children to trace their birth origins later in life. Overall, the recommendations laid out in the report would improve regulation of domestic surrogacy to dissuade UK residents from going abroad, as international surrogacy agreements can bring greater risk of exploitation of women and children in some countries.

A year on from the reform suggestions, surrogacy rates continue to rise in the UK – surging by 350% over the past 12 years. Now, legal experts say it is more relevant than ever to understand the full implications of entering a surrogacy agreement.

Angela Killa, Director in the Family team at JCP Solicitors, explains: “In the UK, a surrogate (and her husband or male civil partner, if relevant) are considered the mother (and father) of a child at birth. Intended parents must apply for a Parental Order, which is heard before the Court ¾ making it highly advisable for those involved in surrogacy cases to appoint a Solicitor.

“We often see immense stresses from both the parents and the surrogate, as the current law means that the parental order can take months to obtain which can be incredibly anxiety-inducing.

“For example, intended parents may worry that the surrogate will change her mind or will not give her consent freely, whereas surrogates may also worry that the intended parents may change their mind(s) or make unreasonable demands during pregnancy.

“This feels particularly difficult given the fact that many intended parents are likely to have dealt with a lot of trauma before considering surrogacy: many have faced fertility struggles and may even have dealt with the devastation of failed pregnancies or baby loss. For LGBTQ+ couples, there may have been additional challenges faced due to discrimination or prejudice. Therefore, empathy and consideration is of paramount importance when discussing this issue.”

The government published an interim response to the report in November 2023, with Maria Caulfield MP stating: “While we appreciate the importance of this work, parliamentary time does not allow for these changes to be taken forward at the moment.” Despite this response, legal experts working in surrogacy encourage the Government to take action and fully consider the proposed amendments. 

Angela explains: “The reforms laid out in the Surrogacy Reform Act by the Law Commission may help to ease the stress and pressure for all involved. The Government are encouraged to provide a full response as soon as possible so progress can be made in this important area of law”.

Angela Killa is a member of Resolution, a family law organisation advocating for a constructive approach to family issues.

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Egg and farm shop to open at award-winning west Wales farm

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A SCHEME for a self-serve egg and farm shop at an award-winning 32,000-chicken Ceredigion farm, to allow it to receive a UK Shared Prosperity fund grant, has been approved by county planners.

Ben Edkins, of Edkins Eggs, Coed Farm, Cilcennin sought permission to site a self-serve farm shop on an existing yard area at the site.

A supporting letter submitted through agent Morgan & Flynn Architectural Services described it as “a more advanced version of an egg stand, with honesty box, which has been a staple for people producing eggs for centuries”.

It added: “This method of selling eggs has already proven to be a hit with communities in Ceredigion, given the success of the already established egg dispenser located in Aberystwyth town centre.”

Family-owned Edkins Eggs, which supplies multiple businesses across the area with eggs, including Aberaeron’s Y Seler, Hive, Harbourmaster, and Costcutters, has been awarded a grant to cover the cost of part of the proposal, on the condition that planning approval is granted, the statement added.

“The grant, which is a UK shared prosperity fund for the Mid Wales region as part of the ‘Cynnal Y Cardi Fund’ provided by Ceredigion County Council was granted in December 2023.

“For this grant to be claimed, it is required that planning permission is granted, the construction is completed and also the egg dispensers are implemented by December 2024. This gives the applicants a 12-month window from the point of the grant awarded to completion of proposal.”
The building itself will include a solar panel array providing the power for the egg dispensing unit and lighting, and it is hoped to create one extra job at 227-acre Coed Farm, home to 32,000 chickens producing free range eggs, 90 beef cattle and 200 sheep.

A green infrastructure statement by the agent added: “The creation of this building to house the self-serve farm shop to enhance the established family-owned business ‘Edkins Eggs’, which also has provisions to allow for other local companies producing items such as vegetables and honey to sell their products, will provide a facility for the local community to purchase locally produced goods directly from the supplier.

“This will not only provide an enhanced shopping experience in terms of being able to purchase directly from the farm, which could act as an educational benefit especially for children, but also provide the additional facility of a small-scale shop to the local area, whereas currently the community would either have to travel to the service centres of either Aberaeron or Felinfach.”

The application was conditionally approved under delegated powers.

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More talks on new Haverfordwest ‘Instagram-friendly’ bridge

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A “CALL-IN” on plans for an “Instagram-friendly” new footbridge in the centre of Haverfordwest, made by Pembrokeshire’s Conservative group and the IPG group will see the matter return to the council’s cabinet.

At the March 11 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, members awarded the contract for the Haverfordwest footbridge and Western Quayside phase two project.

The signature bridge scheme, in the Haverfordwest conservation area, also includes a “plaza” public realm reconfiguration and enhancement and the repair, renewal and refurbishment of the former Cleddau Foundry building.

It forms part of the Heart of Pembrokeshire regeneration project, which was previously awarded a Levelling Up Fund grant.

Concerns about the bridge – and potential costs – have previously been raised, and the design of the new bridge has previously been labelled “Instagrammable” by Councillor Rhys Jordan when raising questions about costs associated with it.

The bridge is also part of a wider regeneration of the county town, which includes the “Ocky White” Western Quayside retail development and a new transport interchange on the site of the former multi-storey car park.

At the March 11 meeting, council leader David Simpson said: “If we cancelled the actual bridge now, we would lose the 90 per cent funding, it would cost us more than for a really nice bridge in the centre of town, and to me is an asset to the community.”

In a letter to the administration, the Welsh Conservative group, led by Councillor Di Clements, asked for the decision to award the contract to be scrutinised further saying that “given its sizeable cost estimation and the high public interest in the matter, the Welsh Conservative group believe that this decision deserves full and proper scrutiny at committee level.”

A similar “call-in” was also made by the Independent Group.

Documents before the March 26 meeting of the council’s services overview and scrutiny committee, where the “call-in” was heard, said the cost of the bridge project amounts to £5.7m out of an overall Heart of Pembrokeshire budget of £25.4m; of that money, external funding of £17.7m (70 per cent) has been secured for the overall project and £5.1m (90 per cent) secured for the bridge project.

This leaves council costs at £7.7m for the overall project, and £600,000 for the bridge and associated works, the report for members said, with costs to date for the two projects amounting to £3.9m for the Heart of Pembrokeshire project, and £1.1m for the bridge only.

Speaking at the meeting, deputy leader Councillor Paul Miller responded to the ‘call-in’ request, saying the bridge scheme was part of the regeneration of Haverfordwest aimed at giving it “a real shot in the arm”.

He said repairing the existing bridge instead of using the levelling-up grants for a replacement bridge, and associated works, would mean the grants would disappear, leaving the council to foot the £1.1m incurred to date, with no new bridge and all bills the council’s responsibility.

Members also herd the option of simply replacing the existing bridge on a ‘like-for-like’ basis was expected to top £900,000.

“Here, where we are today, we’ve effectively got the choice of about £600,000 to carry on or we can do anything else which will definitely at least double the cost, that is the position we’re in today,” Mr Miller said.

Admitting he was channelling the famous phrase of President Kennedy and his 1960s promise to land a man on the moon before the end of that decade, Mr Miller said: “We’re doing this because it’s hard, not because it’s easy.”

Tory group leader Councillor Di Clements’ “call-in” asked: “I’d like to move a recommendation as a committee member that this item is sent back to cabinet for further clarification around the quotes and cost estimations to maintain the bridge to ensure that statements that have been made by cabinet members in the public realm are accurate. This will be the only method for members to see these figures.

“While the committee appreciate the Cabinet member [Mr Miller] was not in attendance at the meeting where this was awarded, the statements have been made nonetheless and the public deserve honesty and clarity on this matter.

“Cabinet should also further discuss the financial implications of this project on the budget going forward as this was not discussed at the previous cabinet meeting where it was proposed.”

Committee members, by seven votes to four, backed Ms Clements’ proposal the matter be referred back to Cabinet.

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