News

Palestine pledge backed by 36 new Senedd Members

Published

27 seconds ago

May 15, 2026

NEARLY 40% of newly elected Senedd Members have backed a Palestine Solidarity Campaign pledge supporting Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel, according to new analysis by the campaign group.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign Cymru says 36 of the 96 Members of the Senedd signed its Senedd Pledge for Palestine before the election.

Those listed include 33 Plaid Cymru MSs, both Green MSs, and Labour MS Mike Hedges.

PSC says the pledge has also been signed by seven of the ten newly appointed members of the Welsh Government Cabinet, as well as two deputy ministers.

The pledge calls on MSs to uphold the rights of the Palestinian people, oppose what it describes as Israel’s “genocide and apartheid”, and ensure the Welsh Government is not complicit, including through support for BDS.

The BDS movement was launched in 2005 by Palestinian civil society organisations and calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Supporters compare it with the international campaign against apartheid South Africa, while critics argue it unfairly targets Israel and can fuel hostility towards Jewish communities.

PSC says the issue has direct relevance in Wales following controversy over a £500,000 Welsh Government grant to a company linked to the F-35 fighter jet supply chain. The campaign says parts used in those aircraft have been exported for use by Israel.

Bethan Sayed, Co-Chair of Palestine Solidarity Campaign Cymru, said the level of support represented a “watershed moment” for Welsh politics.

She said: “Almost 40% of our new Senedd Members have sent a clear message: the people of Wales will not sit idly by while the UK Government fuels the machinery of apartheid and genocide.

“This shows that Palestine was on the ballot paper, and the new Welsh Government must act decisively.”

She added: “We are calling on the Welsh Government to immediately audit all financial ties to companies complicit in Israel’s illegal occupation and ensure that no more Welsh taxpayers’ money, such as the £500,000 grant to the F-35 supply chain, is used to facilitate the obliteration of Gaza.

“The Welsh Government must use its unique voice to demand that the UK Government end its arms export licences to Israel.”

PSC said 141 Senedd candidates had signed the pledge before polling day, including 57 Plaid Cymru candidates, 49 Green candidates, nine Liberal Democrats, seven Labour candidates and seven independents.

News

New First Minister forced into Premier Inn after forgetting flat keys

Published

58 minutes ago

May 15, 2026

Tom Sinclair

WALES’ new First Minister had to book himself into a Premier Inn after forgetting the keys to his Cardiff flat on the night of Plaid Cymru’s historic election victory.

Rhun ap Iorwerth was travelling from an election count in north Wales to Cardiff last Friday when he realised the keys were still at his main home on Anglesey, around 200 miles from the capital.

Fresh from declaring a “new dawn” for Wales, the Plaid Cymru leader found himself unable to get into his Cardiff base late at night and instead checked into the budget hotel chain.

The mishap led to an unexpected family moment the following morning, after his father, Edward Morus Jones, brought the keys down from north Wales.

Mr Jones, a former teacher and Welsh language campaigner, was later pictured embracing his son on the steps of the Senedd as Plaid supporters gathered to celebrate the result.

Speaking to ITV after his son was elected First Minister on Tuesday, Mr Jones said he was “extremely proud and very glad to be alive” to witness the moment.

Last week’s election saw Plaid Cymru win 43 seats, with Reform UK second on 34 and Labour reduced to nine in the expanded 96-member Senedd.

Unlike the UK Prime Minister, who has Downing Street, or Scotland’s First Minister, who has Bute House in Edinburgh, there is no official residence for the First Minister of Wales.

Ap Iorwerth lives on Anglesey with his wife, Llinos, and their three grown-up children, but like many Senedd politicians also keeps accommodation in Cardiff for parliamentary work.

Farming

Pembrokeshire new potato harvest begins as first crop hits shops

Published

2 hours ago

May 15, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Locally grown early potatoes arrive in stores as farmers begin lifting the first Pembrokeshire crop of 2026

PEMBROKESHIRE’S famous new potato season has officially begun, with the first crop of locally grown potatoes being harvested and delivered to shops across the county.

Farmers at Norton Farm began lifting the first Pembrokeshire new potatoes of the year this week, with the freshly harvested crop expected to reach local stores by Friday morning.

The arrival of Pembrokeshire new potatoes marks the unofficial start of the county’s summer growing season and is eagerly anticipated by shoppers keen to enjoy one of Wales’ best-loved seasonal foods.

Photographs shared by the farm show workers hand-picking potatoes from freshly turned soil as machinery lifted the crop from fields overlooking the Pembrokeshire countryside.

The potatoes, prized for their distinctive flavour and soft skins, benefit from the county’s mild climate and coastal growing conditions.

Brian Llewelyn a’i Ferched shared the news on social media, telling customers: “Arriving with us this afternoon!!!!” as excitement builds around the first deliveries.

Locally grown Pembrokeshire new potatoes are expected to be available in selected shops from around 10:00am on Friday.

For many in Pembrokeshire, the arrival of the first new potatoes is a sign that summer is just around the corner — and that it is finally time to get the butter on.