News

Sunak set to hit 50,000 small boats milestone says Welsh Labour

Published

1 week ago

June 23, 2024

THE NUMBER of people crossing the English Channel in small boats during Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s tenure is poised to exceed 50,000 within the next 24 hours. This milestone comes as Sunak nears the end of his twentieth month in office, a stark contrast to the thirty-five months it took his predecessor, Boris Johnson, to reach the same figure.

The UK government says it wants to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda to deter people from crossing the English Channel in small boats.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says if he wins the general election, the first flights will leave for Rwanda later in July.

But Keir Starmer has pledged to scrap the Rwanda scheme if Labour wins and would instead use counter-terrorism powers to stop gangs smuggling people across the Channel.

As of Saturday evening, the tally of small boat arrivals under Sunak’s leadership stood at 49,709. With three Border Force catamarans already active in the Channel and favourable weather conditions predicted for the next day, the count is expected to increase significantly before midday on Monday.

Currently, 2024 is on track to be the most challenging year on record for small boat arrivals. The total number of arrivals this year stands at 12,646, with projections indicating it will surpass 13,000 within the next 24 hours. This would be the first time such a figure has been reached before the midpoint of the year.

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Paymaster General, criticised Sunak’s handling of the situation, stating, “Rishi Sunak will always be known as the Prime Minister who broke his promises to Britain. He pledged to stop the boats, yet 50,000 people have made the crossing on his watch. This year is shaping up to be the worst ever for small boat arrivals.”

Ashworth also highlighted other areas where he believes Sunak has failed, including rising national debt, increased NHS waiting lists, and economic recession. He pointed out that Sunak’s promise to cut taxes resulted in the highest tax burden in 70 years and accused the Prime Minister of not maintaining integrity in Downing Street.

On Sunday morning, three of the five Border Force catamarans were deployed from Ramsgate to assist with operations in the Channel. Additionally, RNLI lifeboats were in use. Historical data shows that 2024 has seen a 16% increase in arrivals compared to the same period last year, with the total number of arrivals since 2018 now standing at 126,968. Notably, nearly 40% of these crossings have occurred during Sunak’s premiership.

Labour’s Five-Point Plan

Labour has proposed a comprehensive five-point plan to reform the asylum system:

Border Security Command: Establish a new elite Border Security Command to combat people smuggling gangs.
End Hotel Use: Halt the use of hotels for asylum seekers within 12 months and expedite returns to safe countries.
Resettlement Reform: Redesign resettlement schemes to include a clearer process for refugees with UK family connections.
International Agreements: Negotiate new agreements for safe returns and family reunions for child refugees.
Humanitarian Aid: Address humanitarian crises at their source and restore the 0.7% aid commitment when fiscally possible.

Ashworth concluded by urging voters to choose Labour for meaningful change, stating, “Change will only come if you vote for it with Labour.”

News

Labour and Plaid Cymru are expected to win Pembrokeshire seats

Published

54 mins ago

June 30, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

LABOUR and Plaid Cymru are expected to win the two new general election seats of Mid and South Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion Preseli, with as much as half of all votes, according to the highest estimates of 12 election polls.

In collated results of different polls from Britain Predicts, The Economist, electionmaps, Electoral Calculus, Focaldata, the FT, Ipsos, More in Common, Savanta, Survation, WeThink, and YouGov, Labour is expected to win the Mid and South Pembrokeshire seat with vote percentages ranging from 33 per cent to as high as 50 per cent.

For the top three parties in Mid and South Pembrokeshire, the poll figures as a percentage of votes are listed below.

Labour: 39, 41, 42, 45, 42, 48, 43, 50, 47, 45, 44, and 33.

Conservative: 28, 27, 27, 20, 26, 23, 30, 29, 24, 36, 22, and 29.

Reform: 14, 15, 15, 23, 16, 17, 8, 9, 15, 14, 20, and 19.

The fourth poll, Electoral Calculus, puts Reform as the second-highest polling party for the seat, with 23 per cent, against 20 for the Conservatives.

Ceredigion Preseli polls are predicting a Plaid Cymru win, ranging from a narrow 27 per cent of votes win to as much as 48 per cent.

It includes a few variations about who is in second, third and fourth positions.

Plaid Cymru: 36, 34, 36, 48, 33, 42, 39, 27 – a narrow win over Labour by one percentage point, 42, 34, 37, and 36.

Labour: 21, 22, 23, 16, 24, 28, 22, 26, 21, 23, 28, and 14.

Conservatives: 20, 13, 11, 12, 12, 10, 14, 19, 12, 15, 13, and 14.

The Reform party polls see some potential upsets for Labour and the Conservatives, with the party gaining third place in four polls (one jointly), and even second, in one poll.

Reform: 8, 14, 13, 17 – ahead of Labour by one point, 14, 9, 10, 12, 10, 7, 10, and 14.

Labour, Conservatives and Reform are all tied on 14 per cent each in the Ceredigion Preseli seat according to the YouGov poll.

Candidates standing in the 15-candidate battle for the two seats are listed below.

Ceredigion Preseli: Ben Lake for Plaid Cymru, Liberal Democrat Mark Williams, Welsh Labour’s Jackie Jones, Conservative Aled Thomas, Tomos Barlow for the Green Party, Karl Robert Pollard for Reform UK, and Taghrid Al-Mawed for the Workers Party of Britain.

Mid and South Pembrokeshire: Hanna Andersen (Women’s Equality Party); Alistair Cameron (Welsh Liberal Democrats); Stephen Crabb (Welsh Conservative); Stuart Marchant (Reform UK); James Purchase (Green Party); Vusi Siphika (Independent); Cris Tomos (Plaid Cymru); and Henry Tufnell (Welsh Labour).

Crime

Pembrokeshire man admits to child sex offences in court

Published

59 mins ago

June 30, 2024

Court Reporter

A MAN from Pembrokeshire, Paul Stuart Chesher, 66, has pleaded guilty to serious child sex offences at Swansea Crown Court.

Chesher, from Herbrandston, appeared in court on Friday, 21 June, where he admitted to multiple charges.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, specifically masturbation, without believing she was over 16.

These offences occurred in September 2021.

Additionally, Chesher admitted to attempting to engage in sexual communication with the same victim for sexual gratification, also without reasonably believing she was over 16. This communication occurred between August and October 2021.

Chesher, who has admitted all charges, is scheduled to be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court next month.

Community

The Crymych Arms set to host Election Day special

Published

4 hours ago

June 30, 2024

Tom Sinclair

ON Election Day, the Crymych Arms Community Pub is inviting voters to enjoy a special menu inspired by political figures. After casting your vote on Thursday, drop by for a Voter’s Meal and Drink. The pub, owned by the community, is offering a £10 voucher for the best names of political-themed meals submitted on their Facebook page by noon on Wednesday (Jul 3).

Some imaginative entries already include “Sunak Soup of the Day,” “Farage Fish & Chips,” “Starmer Steak Roll,” “Ap Iorwerth Apple Pie and Custard,” and “Davey Danish Pastry Selection.”

Don’t forget your Voter ID when you head to the polls, and join Crymych Arms for a post-election meal. There’s even talk of an exit poll karaoke!

The pub, which the community purchased in October 2023 after a two-year closure, reopened in December 2023, now stands as the village’s sole pub. Experience the refurbished venue and its lively atmosphere. For pre-bookings, call 01239 831435.