SIMON HART, the former MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, is set to lift the lid on the political turmoil of recent years with his new book, Ungovernable: The Political Diaries of a Chief Whip, due for release on February 27, 2025.

The memoir promises a rare, behind-the-scenes account of life inside the Conservative government during one of its most chaotic periods. Hart, who served as Chief Whip under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, provides an unfiltered look at the party’s internal struggles, resignations, and public controversies that rocked Westminster between 2019 and 2024.

From power to crisis

Having first been elected in 2010, Hart represented South Pembrokeshire and parts of Carmarthenshire for over a decade before boundary changes saw him lose his seat in 2024. His political career saw him rise to the role of Secretary of State for Wales under Boris Johnson before taking on the crucial but often misunderstood position of Chief Whip in Sunak’s government.

In Ungovernable, Hart describes how he witnessed the Conservative Party unravel from a position of strength to electoral vulnerability. He provides firsthand insight into the party’s inner workings, dealing with rebellious MPs, scandal-ridden colleagues, and the battle to maintain discipline within the government.

Westminster’s scandals and secrets

Among the most revealing aspects of the book are Hart’s accounts of the defection of Conservative MPs to Labour, the fallout from Liz Truss’s 49-day premiership, and the struggles to manage a party fractured by Brexit, infighting, and scandal. He details the dramatic moments that saw fifteen Tory MPs leave their seats under his tenure, including high-profile figures such as Nadine Dorries, whose controversial resignation caused months of political tension, and Matt Hancock, suspended after his infamous appearance on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.

Hart also delves into Lee Anderson’s suspension over inflammatory remarks about the London Mayor, and the internal battles over government policies, leadership, and media spin.

Praise for an insider’s account

The book has already attracted attention from senior political figures. Rory Stewart, former MP and political commentator, described it as “a remarkable insight into a critical moment”, while Michael Dobbs, author of House of Cards, praised Hart’s blunt honesty, calling it a “balls-up-to-break-down account of how the Tories managed to fall flat on their faces”.

For Pembrokeshire readers, Ungovernable provides a unique perspective from a local politician who operated at the very heart of Westminster’s power struggles. Whether a supporter or critic of his time in office, Simon Hart’s memoir promises to be a fascinating and controversial account of one of the most dramatic chapters in modern British politics.

THERE is now a new number to contact social services in emergency situations outside normal work hours with a bilingual call centre on hand to support residents.

Calls to the Emergency Duty Team will be answered out of hours by Galw Gofal, a compassionate, supportive and professional service designed to assist residents during evenings, weekends and Bank holidays.

The team is trained to handle a wide range of urgent social care calls.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Emergency Duty Team are here to help people with personal, family or accommodation problems which may have reached a crisis point and cannot wait until the next working day.

This can include difficulties with children and young people, concern about a child outside your family, acute mental health problems, older or people with a disability at risk and emergency housing advice.

The Galw Gofal team will liaise with the emergency duty team and arrange contact with an experienced social worker.

It’s hard to think straight when there’s a crisis, and many callers can be helped by advice given over the phone. If you already have a social worker, the team can offer advice to help you until you can make new plans with your social worker, and can send them a message to let them know what has happened. If you do not have a social worker, a referral can be made to your local daytime social work team if this would help your situation.

The new out of hours emergency contact number – 0300 123 5519 – goes live on February 19, 2025.

Anyone with concerns or issues during working hours can contact Pembrokeshire County Council on 01437 764551.

A SENIOR member of Pembrokeshire County Council will be able to speak and vote for himself in a forthcoming call for him not to be allowed to work for the local MP.

In a Notice of Motion submitted to the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, Independent Group leader Cllr Huw Murphy appeared to target deputy leader of the Labour Group and Cabinet Member for Corporate Finance and Efficiencies Cllr Joshua Beynon, the man who will present the county council’s budget.

In the registration of interests for the eight members of Leader Cllr Jon Harvey’s Cabinet, only Cllr Beynon lists a politician as an employer, in his case newly-elected Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell.

Cllr Murphy’s motion said: “While it is acceptable for Cabinet members to hold other employments, no serving county councillor should hold a Cabinet position within Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) while simultaneously being employed by a sitting Member of Parliament (MP) or Member of the Senedd (MS).

“Cabinet members hold executive responsibilities, and such dual roles risk potential conflicts of interest, particularly if Cabinet decisions conflict with the policies of their employer, often a political party. This concern is heightened in a council where most members are Independents.”

Cllr Murphy’s notice of motion was heard at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, where it was agreed the matter be referred to a future Constitutional Review Committee.

At Pembrokeshire County Council’s standards committee meeting of February 13, Cllr Beynon sought a dispensation to both vote and speak on the notice of motion, describing it as “a politically motivated effort to target my lawful employment as a Cabinet Member and a part-time parliamentary employee”.

“The assertion that such roles inherently create a conflict of interest is unfounded. My professional obligations are entirely distinct, and I have taken all necessary steps to ensure that no conflicts arise.”

He added: “To adopt such a motion would not only contravene established principles of fairness and freedom but also set a dangerous precedent of overreach by the council.”

At the February 13 meeting, chair Nick Watt said he had been a member of the committee since 2018 and had “never seen anything like this before”.

Cllr David Edwards – who moved Cllr Beynon be allowed to vote and speak on the matter – expressed his concerns: “I’m a bit concerned that what we seem to be addressing is an application by a member to be able to speak as a member of the county council just because he has a particular form of employment.”

He added: “I’m at a loss to see really why Cllr Beynon should need a dispensation to be able to work as a normal member. The motion, what it seeks to do is fetter the council leader as to his choice of who he has in his Cabinet; I find that a little bit difficult to get my head around as well.

“Having considered everything, I’m quite happy to support Cllr Beynon in what he’s seeking to do.”

He finished: “I find it difficult to see any reason to curtail a member’s rights to be able to speak on who should be appointed to any particular role in the authority.”

A voice of concern was raised by Moira Saunders, who said her only concern was “the public’s idea of what is happening,” adding there could be “a public worry about him [Cllr Beynon] voting and speaking on his own behalf”.

Members backed the proposal by five votes to one, with two abstentions.

Cllr Beynon will now be allowed to vote and speak on matters connected with this notice of motion.