Politics

Strange bedfellows

Published

10 years ago

November 19, 2015

Tom Sinclair

Stephen Crabb: Cross-party consensus favouring amendment he voted
against

THE LAST week has seen causes close to the hearts of many people receive support from somewhat unlikely quarters.
Last Tuesday, (Conservative) MPs voted against a proposed amendment to the finance bill, which would have forced George Osborne to outline a strategy for negotiating with the EU to remove the 5% VAT from tampons.
In the end, only three Conservative MPs voted in favour of the amendment, but prior to the vote, rumours of strong cross-party support for the amendment were rife, and commentators believed that Eurosceptic Tories would vote against the party line and follow their own agenda, as UKIP’s solitary MP did.
It will be interesting to see how many times Douglas Carswell votes in favour of a motion put forward by a Labour MP who has described herself as a ‘feminist and Trade Unionist’ in the future.
The three Conservatives who defied the Whip – Philip Davies, Philip Hollobone and David Nuttall, are all confirmed opponents of Britain remaining in the EU. Their vote in this matter, like that of Carswell, would appear to be an attempt to put Mr Osborne in a position where he was unable to secure EU approval, which would serve to highlight perceived problems with Britain’s EU membership ahead of a referendum.
The reasons given by Conservative MPs for voting against the amendment made for amusing reading. Realising, perhaps, that around half of their constituents were female, they queued up to tell local papers that they were in favour of reducing VAT for tampons – even though they voted against an amendment which was specifically about doing just that.
A Herald journalist contacted Stephen Crabb to ask his reasons for voting against the amendment The Secretary of State for Wales said that there was ‘cross party consensus’ that the UK should be able to abolish VAT on sanitary products.
“Ministers are about to commence discussions with the European Commission and other EU Member States.
“Given that the Minister has already promised to report back to the House of Commons on these negotiations, the amendment was unnecessary and so I voted against.”
The prospect of a Labour amendment succeeding presumably did not cross Mr Crabb’s mind when he cast his vote. The same could not be said for Gower’s Byron Davies, who was happy to say: “People also need to realise that it’s not that I voted against the abolition of the tax. I’m all for abolishing the tax or at least making it lower.
“But, I am a member of the Conservative Party; hence I am unable to vote in favour of a motion proposed by Labour.”
Mr Davies also said: “There is a lot of miscommunication around this issue at the moment.
“The decision to lower the VAT on sanitary items is not within the power of the UK government. This power lies with the European Union, who introduced the tax because they are not considered essential items.”
Whether or not this is the result of miscommunication, the amendment quite clearly stated that:
“Within three months of the passing of this Act, the Chancellor of the Exchequer shall lay before both Houses of Parliament a statement on his strategy to negotiate with the EU institution an exemption from VAT for women’s sanitary protection products.”
As such, arguing that it is not within the power of a UK government seems to be a flawed premise. However, it is one shared by Conservative MP for Monmouth David Davies, who also voted against the amendment.
“The problem is we’ve got the ludicrous EU regulations. They’ve got to change,” he told a local newspaper.
“People blame the government for things like this, but we don’t have any control over it.
“It’s something we need to bear in mind when there’s a referendum on our EU membership.”
It is perhaps surprising that David Davies voted against this amendment, given that he is willing to support other groups with, shall we say, differing political beliefs against the common enemy that is the EU.
The People’s NHS Wales have been vocally campaigning for the NHS to be made exempt from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Readers in Pembrokeshire will be aware of their numerous attempts to meet with Stephen Crabb to discuss the issue with him, including attending two (cancelled) constituency surgeries.
The People’s NHS is fiercely critical of NHS privatisation, and the current Conservative government. The Welsh group has been attempting to raise the profile of TTIP, and the possible effects that privatisation in England could have on the Barnett differentials for Wales, as well as the risk that any privatisation would be irreversible.
This would, on the face of it, appear to be a fairly socialist agenda, in that it encourages government spending in the public sector. However, Mr Davies has lent the group his support, and has written what the People’s NHS Wales describe as a ‘strongly worded letter’ to the Minister for Trade and Investment calling for the Government to ensure that the NHS is protected.
In his letter to Francis Maude, Mr Davies said: “I therefore hope the UK government will call on the EU to change the wording of the TTIP proposal in a way that would rule out the privatisation of the NHS. If the EU ignores our wishes as is sadly possible, then I will advise all those who have lobbied me to take account of this when they vote on Britain’s membership of the EU in the forthcoming referendum.”
The wording of this missive carefully avoids making any reference to the role of the Conservative Party in this matter, or that one of the main concerns of the People’s NHS is that the Conservative Government will use TTIP as a means to a programme of privatisation which will be irreversible as a consequence of multinational companies being given the power to sue governments which make decisions that cost them money.
It appears that, to the hardened Eurosceptic, any cause that furthers the ‘Brexit’ agenda is to be championed regardless.

News

Welsh Labour confirms ranked candidates for Sir Gaerfyrddin

Published

1 hour ago

November 17, 2025

Tom Sinclair

WELSH LABOUR has confirmed the ranked list of candidates for the new Senedd constituency of Sir Gaerfyrddin.

The party selected a shortlist for each of Wales’ sixteen new constituencies earlier this summer, with local members taking part in recent weeks to determine the order of their preferred candidates.

Candidates have already been announced for Clwyd, Sir Fynwy, Torfaen, Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr, Gŵyr Abertawe, and Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd.

Welsh Labour’s ranked candidates for Sir Gaerfyrddin are:

Calum Higgins
Dawn Evans
Martyn Palfreman
David Darkin
Lewis Davies
Andre McPherson

The rankings remain provisional and will require formal endorsement by the Welsh Executive Committee. Further announcements for the remaining constituencies are expected in the coming weeks.

Ministry of Defence

DAVIES: “Failure to investigate Afghan resettlement complaint untenable”

Published

5 hours ago

November 17, 2025

Tom Sinclair

MS raises alarm over lack of transparency as ICO refuses to probe MOD silence

A SENEDD Member has accused the Information Commissioner’s Office of taking an “untenable” position after it refused to investigate a complaint about the Ministry of Defence’s failure to provide details on Afghan resettlement in Wales.

South Wales Central Conservative MS Andrew RT Davies said the ICO’s handling of his office’s request “defies common sense” and risks fuelling public suspicion about the level of scrutiny applied to the UK Government’s Afghan relocation schemes.

Complaint dates back to October request

Mr Davies’ office first wrote to the Ministry of Defence on 15 October 2025 seeking detailed information about Afghan resettlement activity, including the MOD’s decision to utilise the Holiday Inn Express in Rhoose for housing evacuees under government schemes.

The request also sought figures relating to criminal incidents, safeguarding issues and public safety linked to the various Afghan resettlement programmes operating across the UK.

When repeated follow-ups went unanswered, a member of Mr Davies’ staff submitted a formal complaint to the ICO on his behalf — a standard practice in parliamentary offices.

**Protest at the Holiday Inn, Rhoose, have come from both the left and the right side of politics**

ICO: complaint rejected because staff member sent it

However, an ICO case officer informed the staff member that the complaint would not be investigated because the individual who submitted it was not the same person who made the original request for information.

Mr Davies said this was “highly unusual,” noting that elected representatives routinely submit correspondence through staff. He warned that the ICO’s decision risks undermining confidence in public oversight mechanisms.

Sky News raised concerns over alleged misuse

The row comes against a backdrop of increased public scrutiny of Afghan resettlement schemes following a recent Sky News investigation. The report alleged that some applicants had exaggerated or fabricated claims of assisting British forces during the Afghanistan conflict.

The investigation cited cases of allegedly fake Taliban threat letters, staged videos purporting to show torture, and claims of attacks that could not be verified. These allegations have driven renewed calls for transparency in how resettlement decisions were made.

Davies: public safety questions remain unanswered

Mr Davies said that the MOD’s silence — and the ICO’s refusal to intervene — leaves elected representatives unable to fulfil their responsibilities to constituents.

“There are serious questions regarding the government’s various Afghan resettlement schemes – relevant both nationally and to my own constituency,” he said.

“It is concerning how obstructive authorities have been regarding the release of information, particularly that concerning crime rates and public safety. There are serious concerns many people may have been brought to Britain under false pretences and the MOD’s failure to be open and transparent will only exacerbate this.”

Formal complaint lodged

Mr Davies has now written directly to the Information Commissioner urging a review of the decision and calling for immediate steps to secure disclosure from the MOD.

He argues that without access to accurate statistics, the public cannot have confidence in oversight of the Afghan resettlement programme or the processes used to verify applicants’ claims.

Politics

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park issues financial update

Published

10 hours ago

November 17, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PEMBROKESHIRE’S national park is expected to have a far better financial situation than previously feared, with a current underspend of nearly £600,000, and an expected balanced budget at the end of the financial year.

At the November meeting of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s Audit & Corporate Services Review Committee, a report for members said, as of September 30, the half-way mark in the financial year, the authority’s revenue position showed a net surplus of £563,000 against an expected budget deficit of £371,000; £934,000 better than expected.

It said the overall income generated by the park is £577,00 higher than budget, with trading income £232,000 over budget, through higher centre admission fees (£86,000), café sales (£23,000) and car park income (£139,000).

“The good summer weather and increased admission prices has contributed to this result,” it said.

Other financial boosts include a one-off sum of £113,000 received as compensation for increased national insurance costs, £165,000 received for capital expenditure, a payment for the National Designated landscapes Scheme received in advance, and increased merchandising sales making an additional £68,000 of profit.

It said costs overall are £404,000 under budget, but the capital programme for the year has increased from the original budget of £1,675,000 to a revised budget of £1,979,000 due the inclusion of Phase 2 of the Traeth Mawr/Newport Sands redevelopment.

It says that, at the end of the financial year, the position is forecast to be even better, with a £591,000 surplus.

“However, this assumes there is no catch-up of underspends by departments,” the report says, adding: “If we do spend in accordance to budget, then we will continue to expect a net deficit which will be met out of earmarked reserves.

“The most realistic scenario is a balanced budget for the year buffered by the additional revenue funding of £1.4m received from Welsh Government in the prior year, carried forward as an EMR and used to balance the budget.

“No deficit is therefore forecast for 25-26. Note this is estimated, before the impact of pension reserve movements and depreciation adjustments. This forecast assumes income targets are achieved and costs remain under control.”

Speaking at the meeting, Chief Executive Tegryn Jones said: “From a medium to long term the financial situation is very bleak, however it’s been a fairly positive year for us.”

He said a two per cent increase in the settlement from Welsh Government was predicted for next year, equating to a £0.75m pressure.