Fresh evidence over Peter Mandelson’s appointment has piled more pressure on the Prime Minister as Welsh Labour faces a grim polling picture just weeks before voters go to the polls

FRESH pressure was mounting on Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday (Apr 21) after former senior civil servant Sir Olly Robbins told MPs he faced “constant pressure” from Downing Street to speed Peter Mandelson into post as ambassador to Washington.

The evidence has deepened a row that has already sparked calls for Starmer to quit and threatens to overshadow Labour campaigns heading into the Senedd election on Thursday, May 7.

Robbins, who was sacked last week, told a parliamentary committee there had been an “atmosphere of constant chasing” and “frequent phone calls” from Starmer’s private office as ministers pushed to get Mandelson into the role quickly.

Starmer has admitted the appointment was wrong, but has blamed officials for not telling him that vetting advisers were leaning against clearance.

The timing could hardly be worse for Welsh Labour.

A new ITV Cymru Wales poll published on Tuesday evening put Plaid Cymru and Reform UK level on 29% each, with Labour back on 13 per cent, a result projected to leave the party with only about 12 seats.

The same poll suggested First Minister Eluned Morgan could even lose her own seat, underlining the scale of the threat facing Labour in Wales after decades of dominance.

That bleak picture was reinforced by separate modelling published on Monday (Apr 20), which suggested Labour could be pushed into third place altogether, behind both Plaid Cymru and Reform.

The wider UK backdrop is hardly helping. The latest Westminster voting intention figures put Labour on just 16 per cent, behind Reform UK on 27 per cent and also trailing both the Conservatives and the Greens on 17 per cent.

That suggests Starmer is now leading a government with a serious authority problem well beyond Westminster gossip or internal party grumbling.

Even inside Labour, the language has become more ominous. Ed Miliband said he feared Mandelson’s appointment could “blow up”, a remark that will do little to calm nerves among Labour candidates already facing angry voters on the doorstep.

Although Labour MPs are not believed to expect an immediate move to remove Starmer before the May elections, Robbins’ evidence is likely to heap even more pressure on the Prime Minister at the worst possible time.

For Welsh Labour, the danger is obvious.

Instead of fighting the Senedd election on devolved issues alone, the party now finds itself dragged back into a Westminster scandal centred on judgment, transparency and competence.

In a campaign where voters already appear to be looking for change, that is an ugly place to be.

Whether the Mandelson affair proves fatal to Starmer’s premiership remains to be seen. But with just over a fortnight until Wales goes to the polls, it is becoming harder for Labour to argue that events in London are not poisoning the brand in Cardiff Bay too.

PAUL DAVIES and Samuel Kurtz have reaffirmed that the Welsh Conservatives are the only political party to make an explicit manifesto commitment to protecting services at both Withybush Hospital and Bronglais Hospital.

At a time when health services across Mid and West Wales are under growing pressure, the lead Conservative candidates for Ceredigion Penfro say local people must continue to have access to safe, high-quality care close to home. They argue that means safeguarding and strengthening vital district general hospitals such as Withybush and Bronglais.

Both candidates say they have led sustained efforts to oppose further downgrades at Withybush Hospital, working closely with residents, campaigners and healthcare professionals. They have also backed community campaigns and stood alongside local people in defence of essential services.

In the Senedd, Paul Davies and Samuel Kurtz say they have repeatedly raised concerns about proposed service changes, challenged Welsh Government ministers and pressed for clear assurances over the future of local healthcare. They have also written directly to Hywel Dda University Health Board and the Health Minister calling for action to protect key services.

They say that, if re-elected, they will continue to stand up for local healthcare services regardless of which party forms the next Welsh Government.

Paul Davies said: “We have long been clear that any further downgrading of services at Withybush Hospital is unacceptable. We have stood with our communities, supported local campaigns and used every opportunity in the Senedd to fight for the services people rely on.

“The Welsh Conservatives are the only party to make an explicit commitment in our manifesto to protecting services at both Withybush and Bronglais hospitals. That shows a clear and unwavering commitment to safeguarding local healthcare in West Wales.”

Samuel Kurtz added: “People should not have to travel hours for treatment that could and should be delivered locally. We will continue to hold the Welsh Government to account, whoever forms it after May, to secure proper investment and ensure these hospitals remain at the heart of our communities.

“Let us be absolutely clear: we will be relentless in opposing any attempt to strip services from our rural hospitals, and we will not hesitate to challenge anyone who threatens their future.”

Second winding-up case linked to Rob Edwards and Morley Sports Management adds to concern after Bluebirds’ High Court drama

SUPPORTERS of Haverfordwest County AFC have fresh reason to be concerned after a new winding-up petition emerged in Scotland involving another football business linked to Haverfordwest Chairman, Rob Edwards, and Morley Sports Management.

The latest case is against 1874 Holdings Limited, the company in the ownership chain above Hamilton Academical.

That matters in Pembrokeshire because Haverfordwest County AFC Ltd was only just taken to the High Court in London by HM Revenue & Customs. That case was dismissed, but only after reaching a live hearing, with costs ordered against the club.

Now another football-linked company in the same orbit is facing winding-up action in Scotland.

For Haverfordwest fans, the question is obvious: was the Bluebirds’ court case a one-off, or part of a bigger pattern around the same people and businesses?

A notice published in The Gazette states that a petition was presented at Hamilton Sheriff Court on April 2 seeking to wind up 1874 Holdings and appoint an interim liquidator. The petitioner is Zenith Legal Services Group Limited.

Hamilton has previously said that Morley Sports Management owns 100 per cent of 1874 Holdings, which in turn owns 97.5 per cent of Hamilton Academical FC.

The Scottish club’s latest statement does not deny the petition exists. Instead, it says the claim is disputed, says lawyers are dealing with it, and argues that a winding-up petition is not the right forum for the dispute.

That line is likely to sound familiar to many in west Wales.

During the Haverfordwest case, Rob Edwards described the HMRC petition as “a non-story”, said it related to “a VAT offset against PAYE that wasn’t recorded”, and insisted no debt was owed to HMRC.

But the Haverfordwest matter still remained live until it came before the High Court on April 15, where it was dismissed only after a hearing, with costs payable by the company.

That is why the latest Scottish petition is relevant here. It suggests the recent High Court case involving Haverfordwest may not have been an isolated scare, but part of a broader picture around the same football ownership circle.

There are also growing links between the two clubs at senior level. Earlier this month, Rebecca Nuttall was credited by Haverfordwest for key work behind the scenes in the club’s successful licensing process, while Hamilton also announced she had been appointed chief executive there in a dual role.

Hours after The Herald first reported the HMRC winding-up petition against Haverfordwest County A.F.C. Ltd, the club published a call for additional members to join its Board of Directors, saying it was entering “an exciting new chapter” and looking for commercially experienced people to help drive transition and growth.

Then, on April 8, Haverfordwest announced it had been awarded both its UEFA licence and FAW Tier 1 licence for the 2026-27 season, even though the HMRC petition was still live in the court system at that point and was not disposed of until a week later.

The Herald contacted the Football Association of Wales for comment last week, asking about the licensing position and the live HMRC petition, but no response had been received by the time of publication.

A petition is not the same as a winding-up order, and liquidation is not inevitable in the Hamilton case. But it is a serious legal step.

And when two football-linked companies in the same ownership network face winding-up petitions in the same month, supporters are entitled to ask hard questions.