News

Conservatives welcome Starmer’s U-turn on grooming gang inquiry

Published

9 months ago

June 18, 2025

Welsh survivor at heart of call for transparency and justice

TWO prominent Welsh Conservatives have welcomed the announcement of a long-awaited UK-wide public inquiry into the handling of grooming gangs — and are calling on the Welsh Government to cooperate fully and transparently.

Both Samuel Kurtz MS, who represents Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, and Paul Davies MS, who represents Preseli Pembrokeshire, have issued strong statements in support of the inquiry and urged Labour Ministers in Cardiff Bay to meet with a Welsh survivor of grooming and abuse who has become a key voice in the campaign for justice.

The developments follow pressure in the Senedd from Welsh Conservative Leader Darren Millar MS, who earlier this week challenged First Minister Vaughan Gething over his government’s refusal to back a Wales-specific inquiry earlier this year.

Mr Millar has led calls for a comprehensive investigation into how devolved public bodies — including local councils, social services, the NHS, and the Children’s Commissioner — responded to organised sexual exploitation across Wales. He also urged the First Minister to release all relevant correspondence and documentation, and to meet with “Emily,” a Welsh woman who was groomed as a child, trafficked across the UK, and raped more than a thousand times by gangs of men.

Emily’s story, which has already been raised in both the Senedd and Westminster, has prompted renewed scrutiny of safeguarding failures within devolved Welsh services, and calls from survivors and campaigners for a dedicated inquiry focusing on Wales.

Welcoming the UK-wide inquiry, Paul Davies MS said: “Now that an inquiry into grooming gangs has been confirmed, the Welsh Government must cooperate fully by ensuring that all relevant correspondence with police, councils, and social services is published.
Brave victims and survivors like Emily must be heard, and I hope that the First Minister will at least meet with her to listen to her experience.
We must now make sure this inquiry delivers justice for every survivor. There is no room for delay.”

Samuel Kurtz MS added: “This inquiry is long overdue. It should have commenced six months ago, and it is deeply disappointing that the Welsh Government voted against establishing a Welsh inquiry at the time.
Equally concerning was the decision by Pembrokeshire’s Labour MP to oppose a national inquiry during a vote in Westminster.
With a UK-wide inquiry now confirmed, the Welsh Government must demonstrate transparency by publishing all relevant correspondence with the police, local authorities, and social services.
Most importantly, the First Minister should meet with Emily — a courageous Welsh survivor who has spent years campaigning to protect other children. Listening to her story is the very least she deserves.”

The Welsh Government has not yet confirmed whether it will publish the relevant documents or agree to a meeting with Emily. However, support for her campaign is growing across party lines, with several Members of the Senedd now backing a motion calling for full transparency and a direct meeting with survivors.

Earlier this year, Labour Ministers in Cardiff Bay were criticised for voting down a motion to hold a Wales-specific inquiry into the handling of grooming and child sexual exploitation cases, despite mounting evidence that the issue is not confined to English towns and cities.

Campaigners argue that many of the same institutional failings identified in previous high-profile English cases — such as Rotherham, Rochdale, and Telford — may also be present in Wales, but have been overlooked or under-reported.

The UK-wide inquiry, announced after months of pressure and a high-profile campaign, marks a significant U-turn by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, whose party previously voted against a similar proposal in the House of Commons. The new inquiry is expected to examine patterns of grooming, failures in police and council responses, and the extent to which public bodies were aware of the abuse but failed to act.

News

Control of £547m Local Growth Fund returns to Wales

Published

13 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

CONTROL of a £547m Local Growth Fund has been returned to the Welsh Government, with ministers setting out plans to use the money to boost the nation’s economy over the next three years.

During a visit to Ebbw Vale on Friday (Mar 20), First Minister Eluned Morgan is expected to outline details of a new Investment Plan, endorsed by both the Welsh and UK governments. The plan sets out how funding will be allocated across priority areas and within Wales’ four economic regions.

The fund will focus on three key areas: supporting productive and competitive businesses, improving skills and helping people into work, and investing in infrastructure.

Ministers say the programme is designed to empower regional decision-making while targeting areas with the greatest economic need. The aim is to increase productivity, support business growth and create better-paid jobs across Wales.

Funding will be distributed based on tailored regional plans, reflecting local strengths and opportunities, including sectors such as advanced manufacturing and clean energy.

The First Minister, Eluned Morgan said: “I’m really pleased decisions on this post-EU funding, which is so important in supporting regional and local economic growth in Wales, are being returned to the Welsh Government.

“We want to use all the levers we have to stimulate economic growth, especially in parts of Wales where economic inactivity and unemployment are higher and wages are lower.”

The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans added: “The Local Growth Fund for Wales will help create and secure jobs in key industries, providing exciting opportunities for people to develop high-quality, long-term careers.

“We will work with local government and other partners to ensure the fund is used effectively to create jobs, unlock growth and deliver for Wales.”

Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens said: “This transformational funding will create jobs, boost productivity and support economic growth across all parts of Wales.

“Decisions about how funding is used in Wales are best made in Wales, and this agreement delivers our commitment to return control of post-EU funding to Wales.

“It is another example of the UK and Welsh governments working together to deliver for our communities.”

Community

Weather presenter spotted filming in Pembrokeshire

Published

16 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A WELL-KNOWN Welsh weather presenter was spotted in Pembrokeshire as he filmed scenes for a new series celebrating the county’s coastline.

Derek Brockway, who has been a familiar face on BBC Wales since 1995, was in St Davids recently working on another instalment of his popular walking series along the Pembrokeshire Coast.

Local resident Thomas Tudor said it was “lovely” to meet the broadcaster during filming, posing for a photograph alongside his mother, Beryl Tudor, and sister, Bethan Thomas Price.

Brockway, who is based at BBC Cymru Wales in Cardiff, is widely known not only for his weather forecasts across television, radio and online, but also for his programmes showcasing Wales’ landscapes and coastal paths.

The latest filming in St Davids is expected to form part of an upcoming series highlighting the natural beauty and walking routes of Pembrokeshire, an area long regarded as one of the jewels in Wales’ tourism crown.

Ministry of Defence

Defence families in Wales to save up to £6,000 under new childcare scheme

Published

16 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A MAJOR new childcare support scheme for Armed Forces families will be rolled out across Wales from September 2026, the UK Government has announced.

The initiative is expected to save eligible families up to £6,000 per child each year, providing a significant boost to household finances amid ongoing cost-of-living pressures.

The scheme will be delivered through the Ministry of Defence’s existing Early Years childcare reimbursement system and will bring Wales in line with the level of support already available to forces families in England.

Today, 19/03/2026 The Secretary of State for Defence John Healey visited Dreghorn Barracks, Edinburgh, home to 3rd Battalion the Rifles. He met with families to launch a new scheme for Defence Families in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Ministers say the move is part of a wider effort to improve recruitment and retention in the Armed Forces, with childcare costs identified as a key pressure affecting morale.

The new support will cover children from nine months old until they reach three years of age in Wales and Scotland, and up to four years old in Northern Ireland.

Defence Secretary John Healey MP announced the scheme during a visit to Dreghorn Barracks in Edinburgh.

He said: “Our Armed Forces families are at the heart of our nation’s security. As the demands on defence increase, it is right that we step up our support for those who serve.

“This offer will ensure more military families get the childcare support they need, wherever they are posted.”

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens added: “Service families in Wales make huge sacrifices and deserve the best possible support.

“They contribute not only to our national security but also to the Welsh economy. This scheme delivers meaningful help with the cost of childcare.”

The scheme will reimburse the difference in early years childcare costs for eligible working families. To qualify, both parents must be in employment and meet the income thresholds required for a Tax-Free Childcare account.

Hundreds of families across Wales are expected to benefit.

The announcement forms part of a broader package of support introduced since July 2024, including improved military housing, the largest Armed Forces pay rise in two decades, and plans to strengthen the Armed Forces Covenant in law.

Further details will be provided in the coming months, with families encouraged to begin considering childcare arrangements ahead of the scheme’s launch.