PEMBROKE & MONKTON Local History Society will welcome a leading Tudor historian to its next meeting on Saturday, March 7, promising a fascinating insight into the lives of women in the sixteenth century.

Guest speaker Melita Thomas will present a talk titled The Life and Times of Tudor Women, drawing on research from her acclaimed book 1000 Tudor People. The talk will explore the social, legal, political and economic challenges faced by women during the Tudor period, while also examining how some were able to carve out their own paths in areas such as trade, literature and even warfare.

Organisers say the event will offer a fresh perspective on whether Tudor women’s lives were as restricted as often portrayed, highlighting both the hardships and opportunities of the era.

Melita is the founder of the popular Tudor Times website and a member of the Tudor Players performance group. Alongside researching and writing books, she is currently undertaking a PhD at University College London.

Doors open at 10:00am for coffee, with the talk beginning at 11:00am. The event takes place at Pembroke Town Hall, where the Pembroke Museum and Council Chamber — located on the first floor — will also be open to visitors. A lift is available for disabled access.

The society has also announced that Pembroke Museum has reopened following its winter closure. The museum is open from 10:00am to 12:30pm Monday to Friday, with hours extended until 3:00pm from Easter. Entry is free.

For more information, visit www.pembrokeandmonktonhistory.org.uk or follow the society on Facebook. Enquiries can be sent to [email protected].

Election law means Labour hopeful’s name cannot be removed after nominations close

THE LABOUR candidate who withdrew from the Hakin county council by-election yesterday will still appear on ballot papers when voters go to the polls next month.

Nicola Harteveld announced she was stepping back from the race after nominations had already closed, meaning election officials are legally unable to remove her name from the ballot or allow Welsh Labour to nominate a replacement candidate.

Under UK election rules, once the deadline for nominations passes and candidates are formally confirmed, the ballot paper is fixed except in very limited circumstances, such as the death of a candidate. Withdrawal after that point does not change the ballot.

As a result, Harteveld will remain listed as the Welsh Labour candidate for the Hakin ward when voting takes place on Tuesday, March 17, even though she is no longer campaigning.

Potential confusion for voters

One elector in the ward told The Herald the situation could lead to uncertainty at the polling station.

“This will cause confusion, and technically means she could still be elected, when in reality she doesn’t want to be,” the resident said.

Any votes cast for Harteveld will still be counted in the election result, as there is no mechanism to invalidate votes for a candidate who has voluntarily withdrawn after the close of nominations.

If a withdrawn candidate were to receive the most votes, further procedural steps could be required, potentially including a fresh election depending on the circumstances at that stage.

Background to withdrawal

Harteveld stepped back from the contest after reporting verbal abuse directed towards her son, in a development that also led to political controversy after the First Minister visited the ward to support her campaign on the same day she did not attend and later confirmed her withdrawal.

Because nominations had already closed by that point, Labour was unable to field another candidate, leaving the party without an active campaign presence in the contest.

Election context

The Hakin by-election was called following the death of long-serving Independent councillor Mike Stoddart.

The remaining active candidates are:

Derrick Abbott (Independent)
Sam Booth (Wales Green Party)
Lee James Bridges (Independent)
Duncan Edwards (Independent)
Brian Taylor (Welsh Conservative)
Scott Thorley (Reform UK)
Sam Warden (Welsh Liberal Democrats)

Polling stations across the ward will be open from 7:00am to 10:00pm on March 17.

Candidate says withdrawal follows ‘abuse’ towards candidate’s son and backlash over Withybush Hospital downgrade plan

THE FIRST MINISTER was left in the embarrassing position of arriving to campaign in the Hakin ward without an active candidate. Labour’s by-election hopeful withdrew from the race on the same day as a high-profile visit to support her campaign.

The visit had been organised to support Labour candidate Nicola Harteveld, but she failed to appear, leaving party activists canvassing in the ward without her and apparently unaware she was about to pull out of the contest.

Harteveld later confirmed she had been considering her position before announcing her withdrawal shortly afterwards.

The former Labour candidate confirmed she was stepping back from the Pembrokeshire County Council by-election following verbal abuse directed towards her youngest son, bringing an abrupt end to the party’s campaign after nominations had already closed.

The development meant Welsh Labour could not field a replacement candidate, leaving the party effectively without representation in the contest despite a scheduled campaign visit by First Minister Eluned Morgan MS and party activists.

‘Abuse’ towards child

In a video statement released on social media, Harteveld said the decision followed an incident in which her son was allegedly shouted at by two men while walking home from volunteering.

“My youngest was walking home… and two men on the opposite side of the road shouted across ‘tell your mother she’s a Labour loving c***’,” she said.

She said her son was “absolutely devastated” by the incident.

“My family comes first. I am not prepared to put them in the line of fire to be targeted because of something that I’m doing,” she added.

Final decision

Harteveld, who currently serves as a town councillor, said she had spent several days reflecting on whether continuing in the election was compatible with her personal values before the incident involving her son became “the final straw”.

“My morals, my views and my values will not allow me to take this by-election any further,” she said.

She explained that she had wanted to stand in order to take residents’ concerns directly to County Hall, rather than relying on others to represent them, and believed standing as a Labour candidate would have allowed her to raise issues more directly with decision-makers.

First Minister visit confusion

Earlier the same day, First Minister Eluned Morgan MS and Labour activists were canvassing in the Hakin ward in support of Harteveld, apparently unaware she was considering withdrawing from the race.

Campaign photographs were later shared on social media showing the First Minister and party members canvassing locally. However, observers quickly noticed the absence of the candidate herself, prompting repeated questions online about her whereabouts.

Multiple commenters asked “Where is the candidate?” beneath the post, with the situation attracting significant criticism from some social media users.

Shortly afterwards, Harteveld confirmed she was withdrawing from the election.

A post by the First Minister praising what she described as a “great response in Hakin for Nicola Harteveld & Welsh Labour” while also addressing concerns about Withybush Hospital services was later deleted after attracting a large number of comments, many of them critical of Labour and Welsh Government health policies.

Healthcare tensions backdrop

The by-election campaign has taken place against the backdrop of continuing anger across Pembrokeshire over decisions affecting Withybush Hospital, which Harteveld acknowledged had “rocked our community”.

She described personal experiences of travelling long distances for medical appointments with her partner, saying such situations contributed to frustration among residents.

The hospital controversy has become a dominant political issue locally, with strong emotions expressed during campaigning and on social media.

Political impact

Because Harteveld withdrew after the legal deadline for nominations closed, Welsh Labour cannot substitute another candidate. Her name may still appear on ballot papers depending on printing arrangements, although she is no longer campaigning.

The sequence of events left Labour campaigning in the ward without an active candidate and represents a significant setback for the party locally, particularly given the personal involvement of the First Minister in the visit.

Election background

The by-election, scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, was called following the death of Independent councillor Mike Stoddart, who had represented the Hakin ward for many years.

The remaining candidates are:

Derrick Abbott (Independent)
Sam Booth (Wales Green Party)
Lee James Bridges (Independent)
Duncan Edwards (Independent)
Brian Taylor (Welsh Conservative)
Scott Thorley (Reform UK)
Sam Warden (Welsh Liberal Democrats)