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Stephen Crabb MP: ‘Boris Johnson should resign and he should resign quickly’

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STEPHEN CRABB has commented at length regards the ongoing poltiical critis surrounding the Prime Minister, Boris Johnston.

The Preseli Pembrokeshire MP. himself a former junior government minister, say he voted against the PM during the confidence vote.

In is article, written excusively for The Pembrokeshire Hearld’s edition this Friday, Stephen Crabb MP said: “For a full eight months our national politics has been dominated by one theme above all others: the fitness of Boris Johnson to be Prime Minister.

He writes: ‘Ever since he asked his MP’s to vote to blow up the standards procedures in Parliament, in order to protect one colleague who had fallen foul of the rules about second jobs, an increasing number of Conservatives have come to the conclusion that he is not the right person to be leading our country.

‘Many of us who refused to support that vote back in November were willing to give the Prime Minister another chance to show that he could lead with good judgement. But we made clear that we did not want to see further episodes like this.

‘The Ukraine crisis has provided an opportunity for the Prime Minister to play to his strengths. He has shown a clarity and sense of purpose about the Russian threat that some other European leaders have shied away from.

‘But, at the same time, he struggled to fight off the questions over his handling of the allegations about Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street. As loyal Conservative voters expressed their anger and frustration to us about the reports of parties and other gatherings, the response from inside Number 10 fell short of being an honest and straightforward account.

‘Given the outcome of the Police investigation, and the damning content of the Gray Report into the matter, a majority of us on the backbenches came to a clear view that the only way for a line to be drawn properly under the matter would be for Boris Johnson to resign.

‘I voted against the Prime Minister when we were given the opportunity in the vote of confidence a month ago. The majority of backbenchers did likewise. But he was able to stay in post as a result of the votes of ministers and others on the so-called government ‘payroll’.

‘In the run-up to that vote a handful of constituents contacted me to urge that we give Boris another chance. Pembrokeshire was a Brexit-voting County and many local people credit Boris with getting it across the line.

‘But I have no doubt whatsoever that a majority of my constituents now want to see him move aside to allow fresh leadership to come forward. Every day I open my email inbox; every Q&A session I hold in the constituency; every time I visit Tesco or Morrisons in Haverfordwest, the feedback I receive is consistent and overwhelming: Boris Johnson should resign.

‘The latest episode that has dominated the news this week has just shone a spotlight again on the same basic questions about honesty that have hung over the Prime Minister all year. But the truth is that, among voters, the dial has already shifted.

‘On Tuesday night some senior members of the Cabinet decided to take the difficult decision to leave Government. After months of trying to hold the line and give the Prime Minister some cover, they too now realise that things cannot continue like this.

‘At a time of soaring prices and increasing hardship for many families, basic trust in government is essential. Trust is what gives governments permission to take difficult, sometimes painful, decisions. That trust has been draining away month after month as the controversies have piled up.

‘This issue is far more important than the electoral fortunes of the Conservative Party. For the good of the country, Boris Johnson should resign and he should resign quickly.’

Business

Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

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PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

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Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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Welsh Water has increased sewage discharges into waterways ‘by 40%’

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NEW figures released by the Environment Agency have shown that Dwr Cymru discharged sewage into waterways for a staggering 23,354 hours last year, a 40% increase on 2022. 

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are now calling for tougher action against sewage dumping in Welsh waterways.

The party has also called for a halt on bonuses for water company bosses whose firms have dumped sewage into waterways.

Conservative MPs have consistently voted against measures which would have helped to tackle the crisis.

The Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said: “It is a complete scandal that filthy sewage is being pumped into our nation’s rivers and waterways without consequence.

“It’s beggars’ belief that both the UK Conservative Government and the Welsh Labour government are allowing water firms to get away with this environmental vandalism.

“We as a party are calling for tougher action to stop sewage being dumped in local waterways. We have also called for a halt on bonuses for water company fat cats whose firms have pumped filth into our waterways.”

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