News

Empty promises as election looms

Published

10 years ago

January 29, 2016

A PRESS release from Preseli Pembrokeshire AM Paul Davies has claimed that in the event the Conservatives are able to form an administration after May’s elections to the Senedd, it will act to return services transferred from Withybush back to the Haverfordwest hospital.

At the same time, Angela Burns, Mr Davies’s fellow shadow front bench spokesperson issued her own release pledging the reopening of Tenby’s Minor Injuries Unit. With elections upon us later this year, a conversation Mr Davies had with local health campaigner David Williams appears to add more flesh to the bones of Mr Davies’s promise to return clinical specialisms to Haverfordwest. On the Save Withybush SCBU page, David Williams recounts a conversation he had with the AM. And the first question alights upon a key point.

Asked whether he has made the statement because the Conservatives haven’t a hope of a being in power after May 16, Mr Davies denies the promise is an empty one. However, as Mr Davies is wellaware, the chances of the Conservatives being in a position to bring such a policy to fruition is mathematically negligible. As a statement of principle, Mr Davies’s words might merit praise as a promise that can be delivered, it is of no consequence at all. And much the same might be said for Ms Burns’s promise to return an MIU to Tenby.

Clinical priorities take second place

Perhaps more seriously, Mr Davies lays himself open to a potential charge of hypocrisy. When asked how he would tackle the clinical priorities expressed by the Wales Deanery – the body responsible for the postgraduate training of doctors and the allocation of junior doctors to hospitals – Mr Davies suggested that clinical expertise would bow to political will. The very sort of coercion alleged by the Conservatives and hospital campaigners against the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay.

Paul Davies is reported to say: “The Welsh Deanery are appointed and funded by Welsh Government, so we will tell them this is what we are going to do so you have to get the people in place to make it happen, as recruitment & training are the deanery responsibilities.” Bearing in mind that one of the primary complaints of the Welsh Conservatives is that the current Welsh Government has failed to listen to clinical concerns, it now appears to be countenancing listening to some clinical concerns but ignoring others to suit its own political agenda.

Drakeford hits back

Criticism of Mr Davies was swift, Mark Drakeford the Welsh Health Minister was quick to draw attention to inconsistencies between what Mr Davies has published and what he and the Secretary of State for Wales have said to the Minister elsewhere. A Welsh Government spokesperson told The Herald: “During a recent meeting with the Minister for Health, Stephen Crabb MP and Paul Davies AM acknowledged that a sustained effort now needs to be made by all stakeholders to change the public narrative around the future of Withybush Hospital.” The spokesperson continued: “These plans are simply not backed up by any clinical evidence whatsoever.

“A review by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health concluded there is no clinical sense in reversing the decision to remove maternity and paediatric services from Withybush Hospital. It found the new arrangements are safe, sustainable in the long-term, have led to improved outcomes for mothers and babies, there is better compliance with professional standards and more women are being cared for in the Hywel Dda area than previously. “The hospital plays – and will continue to play – an important role in the provision of services for people in Pembrokeshire. It will be important for us all to highlight the many steps being taken to strengthen services at Withybush Hospital, and to help the local community understand Withybush’s future is secure.”

Moving the debate on

That viewpoint is as one with the views of The Health Board itself. Chief Executive of the Health Board Steve Moore has made it abundantly clear in a number of public statements that the Board is not considering returning services transferred to Glangwili elsewhere. In an interview with this newspaper last November, Interim Clinical Lead Iain Robertson-Steel said: “For six months clinicians here have been working towards formulating a viable strategy for Withybush’s service delivery … the decision-making process has been clinically-led.”

Following Mr Davies press release, Health Board Chief Executive Steve Moore said: “As a Health Board we are committed to the future of Withybush Hospital and are working hard to improve and develop services in partnership with the people of Pembrokeshire.” On the particular services referred to by Mr Davies, Mr Moore told The Herald: “I know there has been public concern about changes to some women and children’s services, which is why we asked for an independent review by the Royal Colleges. They were clear in their advice to us that there was no clinical sense in reversing the changes and found evidence of improved outcomes for patients.

“We are however continuing our conversation with patients, staff and the general public to make further improvements to the patient experience of care, such as the transport schemes we have put in place and looking closely at family accommodation as we progress with the Phase Two capital project to improve the environment at Glangwili Hospital.” Even though the Conservatives are most unlikely to put public money where Paul Davies’s mouth is, the AM does not appear to have factored in the capital costs already incurred by the Board and what will be done to replace money spent by the Board in pursuit of clinical policies if they are to be displaced by political ones.

Davies pilloried

Plaid Cymru’s Preseli Pembrokeshire candidate for the Senedd elections was withering in his condemnation of Mr Davies. Herald columnist John Osmond, himself a highly visible and long-term campaigner in support of the Hospital, attacked the loss of services from Withybush as ‘deplorable’ and ‘unacceptable’.

Turning his fire on the Conservative AM, said: “Paul Davies is safe in making all the pledges he likes about returning services to Withybush, blithely confident in the knowledge that the Conservatives will be unable to form a government in Cardiff Bay following the next election. They are miles away from forming a majority administration on their own, and the fact is that no-one with any clout would consider working with them in a coalition. As far as forming a government is concerned the Welsh Tory Party is a busted flush.

“On the NHS Paul Davies and the Tories are complete hypocrites. They claim to be standing up to defend public services, and in particular Withybush hospital, when it is their Westminster Government’s ideologically driven public expenditure cuts that are the prime cause of the predicament the NHS finds itself in. They claim to be ring-fencing the NHS but their spending increases are running behind inflation. “Meanwhile, their swingeing cuts to local government budgets means that social services are in crisis and older people are bed blocking the acute hospital sector. Paul Davies should be ashamed of himself for shouting from the side-lines in west Wales while it is his own Home Counties Tory Party that is hitting the people he claims to represent.”

News

No overall majority in the Senedd: What happens next?

Published

3 hours ago

May 8, 2026

Staff Writer

By Owen Venables

WALES is facing a new political reality after the latest Senedd election produced no overall majority, leaving parties preparing for negotiations that could shape the next Welsh Government.

Plaid Cymru emerged as the largest party following major gains across Wales, while Reform UK recorded a significant breakthrough and Labour suffered its worst Senedd result since devolution began in 1999. However, despite Plaid’s success, the party fell short of the numbers needed to govern alone.

Under the Senedd’s expanded system, 49 seats are required for an outright majority in the 96-seat chamber. No party reached that threshold, meaning Wales has entered a hung Senedd.

This is the first time since devolution that Labour has failed to emerge as the largest party in the Welsh Parliament. The scale of Labour’s losses was further underlined by the defeat of First Minister Eluned Morgan, who lost her own Senedd seat before announcing she would step down as leader of Welsh Labour.

Since the creation of the Senedd in 1999, Labour has either governed alone or led every Welsh administration, sometimes through coalition agreements or cooperation deals with smaller parties.

Attention will now turn to what happens behind closed doors over the coming days.

The most likely immediate step is talks between parties to determine whether a formal coalition government can be formed. Plaid Cymru, as the largest party, will almost certainly have the first opportunity to attempt to form a government, with party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth expected to begin discussions with other parties and independents.

One possible outcome is a coalition agreement involving smaller progressive parties such as the Greens or Liberal Democrats. Another possibility is a confidence-and-supply arrangement, where smaller parties agree to support a government on key votes, such as budgets and confidence motions, without formally entering government themselves.

Labour’s reduced numbers may still leave the party influential despite its heavy losses. In previous Senedd terms, Labour has governed through cooperation agreements, including its 2021 deal with Plaid Cymru. Some political figures may favour cross-party cooperation again in order to provide stability and prevent repeated deadlock votes in the chamber.

Reform UK’s strong performance also changes the political arithmetic significantly. Although the party is unlikely to be part of any governing coalition, its rise means it could become a powerful opposition force within the Senedd. Reform’s gains in former Labour strongholds reflect wider political changes already seen across parts of England, where support for traditional parties has weakened.

If no stable agreement can be reached, the Senedd would continue holding votes to elect a First Minister. Under Welsh parliamentary rules, if no First Minister is successfully appointed within 28 days, another election could potentially be triggered.

The coming days are therefore likely to be dominated by negotiations, compromise and political pressure as parties attempt to determine who can command enough support to govern.

While the election has reshaped Welsh politics, the biggest takeaway is that the era of automatic Labour dominance in Wales has come to an end, and the Senedd is now entering one of the most politically unpredictable periods in its history.

News

Catastrophe for Labour as Plaid and Reform reshape Welsh politics

Published

4 hours ago

May 8, 2026

Jon Coles

ELUNED MORGAN LOSES SEAT AS OLD CERTAINTIES ARE SWEPT AWAY

THE VOTERS of Wales have delivered one of the most dramatic results in the history of devolution, sweeping Labour from power and handing Plaid Cymru a clear path towards forming the next Welsh Government.

After more than a quarter of a century of Labour dominance in Cardiff Bay, the party has been reduced to just nine seats in the Senedd, with its support collapsing across its traditional heartlands.

The final seat tally was:

Plaid Cymru – 43
Reform UK – 34
Labour – 9
Conservatives – 7
Greens – 2
Liberal Democrats – 1

Plaid Cymru is now by far the largest party in the new Welsh Parliament and is expected to seek to form the next government, either as a minority administration or with support from other parties.

Reform UK, which had been tipped to make major gains, finished in second place with 34 seats, an extraordinary breakthrough which places it ahead of Labour and the Conservatives.

But while Reform’s rise is one of the major stories of the election, the biggest political earthquake is Labour’s near-total collapse.

***Claire Archibold and Paul Marr, who both won seats for Reform UK***

The party, which has led every Welsh Government since devolution began, was gutted in the Valleys, south-east Wales, rural Wales and key urban centres.

First Minister Eluned Morgan’s defeat in Ceredigion Penfro will dominate the headlines. Her loss marks a stunning personal and political blow, with Labour failing to win a seat in the new six-member constituency.

In the same constituency, Conservative Paul Davies was returned, while fellow Conservative Samuel Kurtz narrowly missed out. Kurtz later issued an emotional statement saying it had been an “absolute honour and pleasure” to serve as a Member of the Senedd.

He wrote: “That’s the way the cookie crumbles, folks.

“What an absolute honour and pleasure it has been to serve as your Member of the Senedd.”

He said he was pleased Paul Davies had been re-elected, adding: “I owe him so much, and I wouldn’t have been able to do this job without his support and guidance.”

Kurtz thanked his family, staff and supporters, saying he had loved “every single second” of the job.

He added: “So for now, it’s so long. But I don’t think it’s farewell.”

***Emotional goodbye: Paul Davies with Sam Kurtz, who was not re-elected for the Conservatives***

Labour’s humiliation was not confined to west Wales.

Senior backbencher Alun Davies lost his seat after twenty years in the Welsh Parliament, while Huw Irranca-Davies, Eluned Morgan’s Deputy, clung on in sixth place in Afan Ogwr Rhondda.

Former Labour minister Sarah Murphy also only just survived in Pen-y-Bont Bro Morgannwg.

In Carmarthenshire, Labour failed to return a single representative, with Plaid Cymru and Reform splitting the seats between them.

In Swansea Gower, Mike Hedges was the only Labour MS to survive, while Plaid took three seats and Reform claimed the remainder.

Ken Skates also clung on to the sixth seat in Flint Wrexham, where Reform and Plaid both took two seats.

The scale of Labour’s defeat was underlined by its failure to win a single seat in Caerffili and Blaenau Gwent, and by its reduction to two seats in Cardiff, where Plaid Cymru now has more MSs than it has ever had city councillors.

Labour returned just one candidate in Pontypridd and Newport, and only two in Torfaen, once regarded as a nailed-on Labour area.

Reform’s strongest gains came in the Valleys and south-east Wales, but the party also cut into Conservative support across rural, mid and north Wales.

The Conservatives finished on seven seats, a result which leaves them badly squeezed between Reform on one side and Plaid Cymru on the other.

The Greens won two seats, both in Cardiff constituencies. While the result gives the party its first real Senedd breakthrough, it falls well short of the more optimistic projections during the campaign.

Jane Dodds remains the sole Liberal Democrat in the Welsh Parliament.

Labour’s final humiliation came in Gwynedd Maldwyn, the last seat to declare, where the party finished fifth, behind Plaid Cymru, Reform, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

Plaid took four seats there, with Reform winning two.

In her concession speech, Eluned Morgan said the “wind of change” had blown across Wales.

For Labour, that wind has swept away the old certainties.

News

Labour wiped out in Ceredigion Penfro as Plaid tops poll and First Minister loses seat

Published

6 hours ago

May 8, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Shock result sends political shockwaves across Wales as Reform also surges in historic Senedd count

LABOUR suffered one of the worst defeats in its Welsh political history on Friday (May 8) after First Minister Eluned Morgan failed to win a seat in the new Ceredigion Penfro constituency.

The dramatic result, announced following a tense count in Aberystwyth, saw Plaid Cymru emerge as the dominant force in west Wales, while Reform UK surged into second place and Labour was left without representation.

Under the new six-member proportional voting system introduced for the 2026 Senedd election, the seats were allocated as follows:

Plaid Cymru — three seats
Reform UK — two seats
Welsh Conservatives — one seat
Labour — no seats

The elected Members of the Senedd for Ceredigion Penfro are:

Elin Jones (Plaid Cymru)
Kerry Ferguson (Plaid Cymru)
Anna Nicholl (Plaid Cymru)
Susan Claire Archibald (Reform UK)
Paul Marr (Reform UK)
Paul Windsor Davies (Welsh Conservatives)

The result marks a devastating blow for Labour, which has governed Wales continuously since devolution began in 1999. The party’s top candidate in the constituency was sitting First Minister Eluned Morgan, but Labour’s vote collapsed across both Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.

Plaid Cymru topped the poll with 31,943 votes, comfortably ahead of Reform UK on 23,003.

The Conservatives secured 14,789 votes and held on to representation through former Preseli Pembrokeshire MS Paul Davies.

Labour trailed badly on just 6,495 votes.

The full vote breakdown was:

Plaid Cymru — 31,943
Reform UK — 23,003
Welsh Conservatives — 14,789
Welsh Labour — 6,495
Wales Green Party — 6,324
Welsh Liberal Democrats — 4,613
Gwlad — 802
Heritage Party — 442
Aaron Carey (Independent) — 368
George Alexander Chadzy (Independent) — 286
Paul Haywood Dowson (Independent) — 88

A total of 89,402 votes were cast, with 247 rejected ballots.

Turnout was confirmed at around 57%, significantly higher than many analysts had predicted for the first election held under the new expanded Senedd system.

The result had been widely anticipated as one of the key battlegrounds of the election, with journalists from across Wales and national broadcasters gathering at the count amid growing speculation that the First Minister could lose her seat.

As counting progressed through the afternoon, it became increasingly clear Labour was heading for disaster in the constituency, with Plaid performing strongly in Ceredigion while Reform UK made major gains across Pembrokeshire.

The new Ceredigion Penfro “super constituency” combines the whole of Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion under the new 96-member Senedd system, replacing the previous Westminster-style constituencies.

The result is likely to intensify questions over Labour’s future direction in Wales and represents a major breakthrough for Reform UK in west Wales politics.

Plaid Cymru supporters celebrated loudly as the declaration was read out, while Labour activists left the hall visibly stunned.

The defeat of a sitting First Minister in her own electoral region is expected to send shockwaves through Welsh politics for days to come.