Cardiff University experts say misinformation, coalition arithmetic, public finances and devolved powers are among the key issues facing Wales

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY academics have warned that clear reporting and proper scrutiny will be vital as Wales prepares for one of the most significant Senedd elections since devolution.

The intervention comes ahead of polling day on Thursday (May 7), when voters will elect a larger 96-member Senedd under a new voting system.

The university has made a number of experts available to comment on the campaign, including specialists in media coverage, Welsh politics, public finance, productivity, disinformation and electoral reform.

Professor Stephen Cushion, from Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture, said UK-wide or English-produced news remained the main source of political information for many people in Wales.

He warned that reporting on devolved issues such as health, education and law and order did not always explain clearly which government was responsible.

Professor Cushion said this could leave people confused about what applies to Wales, particularly when audiences increasingly see political headlines on social media without reading the full context.

Dr Maxwell Modell, a research associate at the same school, said some political news items presented parties arguing with each other without enough independent assessment of their claims.

He said broadcasters sometimes set out several party positions side by side, leaving viewers to make sense of them without journalistic scrutiny.

Dr Keighley Perkins said turnout could be higher than at any point since devolution began, given the possibility of political change.

She said coverage should focus less on perceived disengagement and more on the issues facing the next Welsh Government and scrutiny of party policy positions.

Misinformation warning

Dr Bethan Davies, based in Cardiff University’s Security, Crime and Intelligence Innovation Institute, warned that there was significant scope for misinformation and disinformation to spread during the campaign, particularly with the rise of AI-generated content.

She said inauthentic accounts sometimes used the logos of reliable news outlets on videos to make audiences believe they were genuine.

Professor Martin Innes, co-director of the same institute, said foreign interests seeking to influence or interfere in politics remained a persistent problem.

He said there should be clear ministerial and senior official accountability for combating foreign online political interference, with resources matching the scale of the challenge.

Economy and public finances

Professor Melanie Jones, of Cardiff Business School, said the future performance of the Welsh economy should be a key focus for the next Welsh Government.

She said improving living standards depended on addressing Wales’ productivity gap with the rest of the UK, which would require long-term commitment and investment in people and infrastructure.

Professor Robert Huggins, of the School of Geography and Planning, said Cardiff was developing as a hub for creative and high-tech industries, but regeneration was less obvious in the South Wales Valleys.

He said the next Welsh Government would have “much work to do” to improve prospects for people living in those areas.

Guto Ifan, from the Wales Fiscal Analysis programme, said difficult choices over spending and taxation were likely after the election.

He warned that if the UK Government sticks to its current spending plans, growing NHS spending alongside manifesto commitments on childcare, education, transport, social care and taxation would require significant cuts to some public services or tax rises.

He said manifestos were largely silent on how those trade-offs would be managed.

Welsh identity and coalition arithmetic

Professor Richard Wyn Jones, of the Wales Governance Centre, said Wales was becoming “less British”, with younger voters increasingly identifying as Welsh only or moving away from national identity altogether.

He said those who felt Welsh but not British tended to be more left wing and socially liberal than those who felt both Welsh and British, which he said was good news for Plaid Cymru.

Professor Laura McAllister said the expanded Senedd would need sharper scrutiny and the ability to challenge government if the increase in members was to be justified.

She said Wales also needed to avoid a “race to the bottom” in political behaviour if public trust was to be rebuilt.

Dr Jac Larner said the general polling trend showed the race to be the largest party remained between Plaid Cymru and Reform UK, with other parties competing for third place or below.

However, he said finishing first could matter less than it appeared.

He said whichever party led on seats would face coalition arithmetic, adding that Plaid Cymru had more credible potential partners in Labour and the Greens, while Reform had fewer options.

The Herald has carried detailed election coverage in recent weeks, including candidate interviews, graphics, explainers on the new voting system, and analysis of the Ceredigion Penfro contest.

Cardiff University said the experts were available for further comment throughout the campaign.

A FAMILY dinosaur show 65 million years in the making is heading to Milford Haven this summer.

Dinosaur Adventure Live: Danger on T-Rex Mountain will headline the Torch Theatre on Thursday, July 30.

The interactive stage show promises storytelling, puppetry, humour and science as young audiences join a team of rangers on a mission to recover a data crystal, restore power to the island and save the dinosaurs.

Children will be encouraged to stomp, roar and swish their tails as they meet baby dinosaurs, learn “Dino-Facts” and come face-to-face with a roaring T-Rex.

Created by Mike Newman, the producer behind Exciting Science, the show is now in its fifth year and is aimed at families with children aged four and over.

The performance lasts one hour, with no interval, and there will be a meet-and-greet after the show.

Tickets are available from the Torch Theatre.

RISING IMPORTS RAISE FOOD SECURITY CONCERNS

THE CO-OP has called for stronger government support for British farmers after new figures showed the UK’s imported meat bill rose to more than £5bn last year.

HMRC data obtained by the retailer shows the value of meat imported into the UK increased by 15 per cent year-on-year, from £4.33bn in 2024 to £5.06bn in 2025.

The Co-op said the figures raised fresh concerns about the resilience of Britain’s food system at a time of climate change, global conflict and disruption to international supply chains.

Poultry was the most imported protein, worth almost £2bn in 2025. Poland and the Netherlands accounted for the largest share, while poultry imports from Thailand rose by almost 50 per cent compared with the previous year.

The retailer, which says it sells and uses 100 per cent British meat and poultry, said the UK’s growing reliance on overseas supply chains left shoppers and farmers more exposed to global shocks.

It is now backing proposals from the Co-operative Party calling for agricultural co-operatives to be scaled up and better supported as part of the Government’s long-term farming plans.

The policy paper argues that farmer-owned co-operatives can help producers share costs, reduce risk, invest collectively and secure stronger bargaining power in the food supply chain.

There are currently estimated to be more than 500 agricultural co-operatives in the UK, generating income of more than £9bn.

Paul Gerrard, Director of Public Affairs and Campaigns at Co-op, said: “The issue of supply chain resilience is upon us now and there is a clear and demonstrable benefit to the co-operative business model in agriculture.

“An expansion of agricultural co-operation is both an economic opportunity and a political imperative: it directly addresses the need for a more secure and sustainable food system, one less exposed to the volatility of global markets and the instability in a rapidly changing world.”

Joe Fortune, Leader of the Co-operative Party, said co-operation was “a form of strategic resilience” and called on Government to help grow the sector.

The party’s proposals include clearer government guidance for farmers, stronger representation for co-operatives in policy-making, improved access to finance, support for producer organisations, and greater use of public procurement to back British farming.