BARCLAYS has been urged to reopen bank branches in west Wales after reports that the banking giant is preparing to rebuild its high street presence.

Paul Davies MS, Senedd Member for Ceredigion Penfro, has written to Vim Maru, Chief Executive of Barclays UK, calling on the bank to restore full branch services in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.

Mr Davies said Haverfordwest and Aberystwyth should be treated as priority locations, with Tenby and Cardigan also considered as part of any future review.

The call comes after reports that Barclays is looking again at its high street network, including opening new branches, expanding some existing sites and reviving the traditional role of local bank manager.

Mr Davies said west Wales should not be overlooked if Barclays is serious about returning to communities.

Barclays closed its Haverfordwest branch in May 2024, while branches in Aberystwyth and Cardigan also shut that year. The closures left many customers in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion without access to a full Barclays branch.

Mr Davies said the loss of face-to-face banking had hit residents, small businesses and community organisations across two largely rural counties.

He said: “It’s extremely disappointing that Barclays Bank currently has no branches in either Pembrokeshire or Ceredigion. This represents a significant reduction in service provision for both personal and business customers across the two counties.

“However, I welcome the bank’s recent announcement and have written to the Chief Executive to encourage Barclays to take this opportunity to restore banking services in our area by reopening branches in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.

“Access to face-to-face banking services remains vital for many residents, businesses and community organisations, and I hope the bank will give serious consideration to reopening the high street branches in west Wales.”

The withdrawal of bank branches has become a growing concern in towns across Wales, particularly for older residents, people without reliable internet access, rural customers who depend on public transport, and businesses that need to deposit cash.

While some banking services are available through the Post Office, Barclays Local sites and banking hubs, campaigners have argued that these do not always provide the same service as a fully staffed branch.

Mr Davies said Barclays now had an opportunity to show that rural communities would not be left behind.

He is asking the bank to place Haverfordwest and Aberystwyth at the front of the queue if it proceeds with plans to expand its branch network.

The Herald has contacted Barclays for comment.

NIGEL FARAGE has announced he will resign as MP for Clacton and stand again in the by-election he intends to trigger, as pressure grows over questions about his finances.

The Reform UK leader said voters in Clacton should be the ones to judge him following reports about undeclared gifts and financial support linked to cryptocurrency figures.

In a dramatic statement on Tuesday afternoon, Farage denied wrongdoing and said he had “done nothing wrong” and “not broken the law in any way at all”.

He said he would resign from Parliament, forcing a by-election, and would put his name forward again as the Reform UK candidate.

“This will be a people versus the establishment by-election,” he said.

Farage said the final straw had been media coverage involving his daughter, claiming a photograph showing where she lives had been published and accusing journalists of putting his family’s safety at risk.

He said: “I will not tolerate intimidation of my family. I will not tolerate the location of where they live being revealed.”

The announcement comes as Farage faces scrutiny over a £5m gift from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne, which he has described as a personal gift and compared to a “lottery win”.

He said the money had been given on an unconditional basis, adding that he needed funds for personal security. Farage claimed he was the “most physically and verbally attacked” politician in modern Britain and said police had failed to properly act on threats against him.

Reports have also focused on alleged support linked to George Cottrell, a crypto entrepreneur and long-time Farage ally who has previously been convicted of fraud in the United States. Farage said he was now facing a further standards investigation as a result of recent reporting.

Farage used the statement to accuse Labour, the media and the wider political establishment of trying to stop Reform UK’s rise.

He also criticised proposed restrictions on political donations from people living abroad, claiming Labour was “coming for our money” and comparing the move to “living in a communist country”.

The Clacton seat was won by Farage at the 2024 general election, when he became an MP at the eighth attempt. He secured a majority of 8,405 over the Conservatives.

The timing of any by-election will depend on the formal parliamentary process. MPs cannot simply resign from the House of Commons and must instead be appointed to a nominal Crown office, such as the Chiltern Hundreds or Manor of Northstead, which disqualifies them from sitting.

Farage said he would fight the contest to win and continue what he called Reform UK’s “political revolution”.

Addressing Clacton voters directly, he said: “If I win, you win, because if I lose, they win.”

A CONSERVATIVE Senedd Member has criticised a petition calling for Wales to be officially renamed Cymru, warning that the move would risk excluding non-Welsh speakers.

Andrew RT Davies, Member of the Senedd for Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg, said the name Wales was part of the nation’s history, identity and culture, and claimed attempts to scrap it should be resisted.

The petition, submitted to the Senedd, calls for “Cymru” to replace “Wales” as the official name of the nation. It also calls for English place names to no longer be used where Welsh names already exist.

It argues that the name Wales was imposed from outside and says the country should present itself internationally through the Welsh language.

The petition states: “Wales is not the name of our nation,” adding that now is the time for the country to assert how it is seen across the world.

Supporters of the proposal say adopting Cymru would strengthen Welsh identity, promote the language and bring Wales into line with other countries that have changed the way they are officially known internationally.

The petition also points to the use of Welsh names by national parks, including Eryri and Bannau Brycheiniog, as examples of Welsh-language names gaining wider recognition.

But Mr Davies said the proposal went too far and would alienate many people in Wales.

He said more than 80 per cent of people in Wales do not speak Welsh, warning that removing the English-language name would leave many people feeling excluded from their own national identity.

Mr Davies said: “I was born and brought up in Wales and have lived here my whole life.

“The name Wales is an important part of our history, identity and culture.

“This attempt to scrap it must be resisted.”

Census 2021 figures showed that 17.8 per cent of people aged three and over in Wales reported being able to speak Welsh, meaning more than four in five did not.

The petition has already passed the 250-signature threshold needed for consideration by the Senedd’s Petitions Committee once it closes.

If it reaches 10,000 signatures, it could be considered for a debate in the Senedd.

The row comes amid continuing debate over the use of Welsh-language names in public life, with some arguing that greater use of Cymraeg is vital to protecting national culture, while others say Wales’ bilingual identity should be preserved.

The petition remains open until December.