Politics
John Rees-Evans: The donkey in the room

John Rees-Evans: Potential UKIP leader
ONE of UKIP’s more colourful characters – in a party which has traditionally set the bar for eccentricity quite high – has thrown his hat into the ring for the party leader job.
Following Diane James’ fleeting spell at the helm, the role of party leader is currently occupied (again) by Nigel Farage, although it has been made clear that he is acting on an interim basis this time.
However, following the exit of bookies’ favourite Stephen Woolfe, who left the party after an alleged brawl with another MEP at the EU Parliament building in Strasbourg, John Rees-Evans announced this week that he was standing, alongside Paul Nuttall, Suzanne Evans, and Breitbart UK founder Raheem Kassam.
Mr Rees-Evans previously hit the headlines in 2014, after he was filmed telling protestors outside the opening of UKIP’s Merthyr branch that a male donkey had tried to ‘rape’ his stallion.
A series of the more outré claims made by elected members of UKIP was read out to Mr Rees-Evans, including a quotation from former UKIP Oxford chair Dr Julia Gasper, who claimed homosexuals prefer sex with animals.
His response, immortalised in full, ran thus: “Actually, I’ve witnessed that. I was personally quite amazed.
“I’ve got a horse, it was in the fields, and a donkey came up – my horse is a stallion.
“A donkey came up which is male, and I’m afraid tried to rape my horse.
“My horse bit the side of the donkey, and I had to give my horse a slap to protect the donkey.”
“So, in this case, [she’s] obviously correct but I don’t think that’s what it meant, it’s just a bizarre coincidence.”
It is worth pointing out that neither this incident, or telling a hustings that he urinated in bottles to reduce his CO2 footprint, prevented Mr Rees- Evans from getting 13% of the vote in Cardiff South and Penarth in the 2015 General Election – an increase of 11% on 2010.
Mr Rees-Evans, who grew up in Africa and was educated in 11 different schools, is a former soldier who trained with the parachute regiment.
After leaving the forces, he attempted to work as an ‘expeditioneer’, taking a wide array of jobs including pizza delivery and labouring on a building site to fund expeditions.
However, after the birth of his first child in 2003, he set up a tour company and, according to his biography, has ‘since developed a handful of other small businesses which span the tourism, business development, legal services and real estate sectors in Africa and Europe’.
Since coming to the attention of the British media, Mr Rees-Evans has had to play down a couple of the more headline-grabbing anecdotes which surround him. Prospective voters will be reassured to know that the ‘fortified compound’ in Bulgaria where Vice magazine interviewed him in 2015 is apparently little more than a garden with a wall around it.
Similarly, Mr Rees-Evans explained that rumours stating he persuaded a shop assistant in a Bulgarian Ikea store to let him carry his gun in case terrorists took over the building were also misconstrued. He admitted he did have the gun on him when he entered the store because ‘it wasn’t safe to hand it over to store security and I had some things I had to get.’.
In a recent appearance on the Daily Politics show, Mr Rees-Evans pointed out that the host, Jo Coburn, was focussing on these stories rather than his vision for the party: “Do you know, Jo, it’s really interesting what you’re doing because I am trying to tell you my serious vision for UKIP and you keep trivialising it,” he remarked.
“It [the donkey story] was a bit of playful banter with a mischievous activist. I would be so appreciative if you could please just understand the concept that I am trying to communicate to your viewers.”
One concept which has yet to be discussed was a policy proposal made by Mr Rees-Evans on his blog in the aftermath of the Paris attacks last year.
Warning that ‘a devastating Mumbai/Paris-style attack on UK soil should be considered inevitable and imminent’, he suggested that a ‘volunteer civilian defence force’, using existing Special Forces troops, followed by civilians ‘irrespective of previous military experience’ should be formed. This force, he recommended, should be ‘required to complete an advanced tactical IPSC-standard training course, with a view to obtaining proficiency in the use of several small arms, with emphasis on the Glock 17, and common variants of Kalashnikov’.
“Once qualified, VCDF marshals should be required to carry a concealed Glock 17, spare magazine, and not fewer than 30 rounds at all times, unless logged as inactive,” he suggested.
Marshals would be only permitted to engage combatants at ranges above 30m if ‘there are no innocents/ friendlies within 300 mils of marshal’s sight picture’. Firing a warning shot should also not be required due to the risk of ricochet in built-up environments.
A marshal would only be permitted to engage a target where ‘either a) a shot has already been fired or b) a combatant has raised his/her weapon to aim’.
Given that support for an armed undercover militia is patchy at best in Britain, Mr Rees-Evans may have a better chance of becoming UKIP leader if media attention continues to focus on his horse. However, it is worth mentioning that a YouGov poll taken in 2015 showed that 44% of those who voted UKIP in 2015 could imagine supporting an army coup against the elected government.
News
Key questions ‘remain unanswered’ as Welsh Government introduces Environment Bill

THE CHARTERED Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has welcomed the introduction of The Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Bill but say that key questions remain unanswered regarding vital elements of how the Bill is to be implemented.
On Monday, the Minister for Climate Change, Julie James MS, tabled the Bill in the Senedd with the Bill being debated yesterday.
CIEH were an important stakeholder in helping shape and influence the Bill via its partnership with Healthy Air Cymru, and sat on regular Cross-Party Group meetings on the Clean Air Bill Cymru, as it was previously known. CIEH had already raised concerns about various sources of emissions of PM2.5, the possibility of introducing regulations on domestic wood burners in urban environments, as well as highlighting the role noise has to play in the wider public health debate around air quality.
It is promising that the Welsh Government have taken steps to reflect CIEH’s input with the last-minute decision to broaden the Bill by renaming it to include ‘soundscapes’ within its focus. CIEH has welcomed the commitment from the Welsh Government to publish a soundscape strategy and is urging the Welsh Government to continue its engagement with CIEH and environmental health professionals across the nation.
However, key questions remain as to how the Bill will operate in practice.
For example, CIEH are asking why the Welsh Government have missed a golden opportunity to set national targets for PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide in line with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guidelines.
Furthermore, CIEH have sought clarification on intentions to bring national and local authority air quality monitoring regimes together, as the current system of air quality review is disjointed and not fit for purpose.
Finally, the Bill says nothing on introducing regulations on domestic wood burners in urban areas where there are on-grid alternative heat sources. CIEH has asked why the Welsh Government have not considered introducing regulations that would tackle one of the primary sources of PM2.5 emissions which are so deleterious to public health.
Ross Matthewman, Head of Policy and Campaigns at CIEH, said: “The Welsh Government have missed a golden opportunity to introduce ambitious, robust environmental protection targets with this Bill.
There was an opportunity to lay down a marker by introducing robust targets for both PM2.5 and NO2 in line with WHO guidelines, yet what has emerged has been rather underwhelming.
However, we welcome the decision by the Welsh Government to publish a soundscape strategy. Such a move acknowledges the role that soundscapes play in the wider air quality discussion, and we hope the Welsh Government engages with CIEH and our members with regards to producing this strategy when the time comes.”
News
Hundleton: Less houses means £9k community payment reduction

A CALL to reduce the amount of community payments connected to the development of a Pembrokeshire housing estate by more than £9,000 was given the thumbs-up by county planners.
The request to reduce payments made in connection with a Section 106 community payments agreement was made after the developer built less homes than previously planned.
The Section 106 agreement required financial contributions to secondary education provision, public open space, transportation and affordable housing, in relation to the building of 32 dwellings at the Bowett Close site in Hundleton.
Members of the March meeting of the county council’s planning committee heard 29 homes had been built by applicants WH & NL Developments, with a recommendation the commuted sum – relating to an initial 2014 planning application and a later 2021 application for a lower number of homes – be reduced to reflect the lower number.
The 2021 application had sought to regularise changes to the earlier scheme, reducing the number of properties on-site.
A report for planners said the applicant sought to reduce financial contributions proportionately, seeking an affordable housing contribution drop of £7,631.25 to £73,768.75, a drop in the highways contribution of £562.50 to £5,437.50; a secondary education contribution reduction of £1,054.17 to £10,190.31 and a public open space contribution reduction of £685.68 to £6,628.24, which would lead to a total reduction of £9,933.60.
The report said the reductions in all but the highways aspect could be supported.
“With regard to the highways contribution of £6,000, this figure was required in connection with the impact the housing development would have on local highways infrastructure.
“A reduction in the number of dwellings would not significantly reduce the impact of the development on local highways infrastructure as a development of 29 dwellings still requires a basic level of infrastructure such as footway links.”
Members of the committee supported the recommendation to lower the contribution, with the total reduction amounting to £9,371.10.
News
No affordable housing contribution for holiday lets at Fishguard restaurant

A NEW restaurant on the site of a disused former garage site in Fishguard’s Lower Town will avoid paying a £15,000 affordable housing contribution if its three associated apartments stay as holiday lets.
The application in the town’s conservation area, submitted by Orwell Pine Co Ltd, for the restaurant/café and three apartments was recommended for conditional approval, subject to the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement, and conditions including the implementation of flood mitigation measures.
A report for members of Pembrokeshire County Council’s March 14 planning committee said: “The application submission proposes residential apartments for the open market.
“The applicant has advised that this is in order to obtain development funding on the wider lending market. However, the intention is for the three apartments to be used as holiday let accommodation.
“Accordingly, the applicant is of the view that a financial contribution towards affordable housing should not be required of the development and requests that it be recognised that the proposal, inclusive of the [business] use, represents a large investment to support local employment, bringing a continued inward investment to the visitor economy, whilst enhancing the conservation area.”
In the absence of an assessment providing evidence that it would be unviable for the development to proceed, policy normally requires a 10 per cent contribution to affordable housing.
This would amount to £15,262.50 for the three properties.
Fishguard & Goodwick Town Council support the application, subject to the prevention of new developments being used at any time as holiday lets.
The report for planners states: “Given the intention is for the units to be occupied as holiday lets it is considered reasonable that a recommendation of approval be subject to a Section 106 agreement, only triggering the required affordable housing contribution should the units be occupied as residential (Use Class C3), there being a permitted development right for properties to move between the C3, C5 and C6 use classes.”
At the March planning meeting, agent Rob Howell said the application offered “an exciting opportunity to bring more to Fishguard and Lower Town,” adding it would bring “year-round employment for local people as well as additional seasonal employment.”
Committee Vice-Chair Cllr Jordan Ryan, who moved the recommendation, said it was a “currently unused site that doesn’t look very nice”.
The application was supported by committee members.
Speaking after the meeting, a spokesman for Pembrokeshire County Council said: “A contribution towards local needs affordable housing will only be required of the development if it is occupied as a sole or main residence.
“If once constructed the apartments are occupied as holiday lets then a contribution is not required.”
“It is permitted to change the use of a residential unit between a sole or main residence (Use Class C3) and a holiday let (Use Class C6) without the need to submit a planning application.
“Following construction of the development, should the apartments first be occupied as holiday lets and then later be used as a sole or main residence this change in use would trigger the requirement to contribute towards affordable housing.”
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