
Tory conference to be held in ‘smallest house in the world', Welsh minister jokes
The home, which sits on Conwy's seafront in north Wales, is believed to be the smallest house in the United Kingdom.
Measuring just 72 inches wide, the house, which has not been lived in for some time, has become a tourist destination.
Welsh North Wales and transport minister Ken Skates (Welsh Government/PA)
The minister's comments followed a question about the impact a proposed tourism levy would have on the north Wales economy from Gareth Davies, Tory MS for the Vale of Clwyd.
The Visitor Levy Bill, which is going through the Senedd, will allow councils to charge up to £1.30 per person per night for staying in tourist accommodation, with the money going towards local infrastructure.
Mr Skate's joke also comes 10 months ahead of the next Senedd election, where recent polls have put the Tories in a predicted fourth place.
The Westminster party was also wiped out in Wales in the general election last year, going from 14 seats to zero.
However, Labour is also expected to face a difficult battle in May's elections.
Recent polling by Survation placed them at 27%, with Reform and Plaid Cymru close behind on 24% each, while previous YouGov polling had the incumbent party in third place.
Mr Skates told Mr Davies he visited Conwy following the Welsh Labour Conference, which was held in Llandudno last weekend.
Addressing Mr Davies, he said: 'At the end of the conference, I thought I'd just spend a little more time in the area.
'I actually went over to Conwy as well, which is a fabulous place too.
'You'll be aware that it has the smallest house in the world on the seafront there.
'I was told that your party is going to be holding your post-election conference in the porchway, in that particular tourist attraction next year.'
Mr Skates added that he would be discussing the visitor levy with the north Wales business council on Friday, calling the fee an 'opportunity,' which he insisted had been welcomed in other areas like Manchester.
Mr Davies said he 'appreciates the sharpness and the wit of the Cabinet Secretary' but argued the levy could lead to a decrease in people staying in Wales, with many councils having already ruled out implementing it.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
44 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
UK's most beautiful railway station ranked in tiny fairytale village
In a ranking of the most beautiful railway stations in the country, this Edwardian-era gem in Wales with a stunning view of the River Dee has secured the top spot This railway station set in a picturesque village has ranked among the most beautiful in the UK. Located in Wales, this station topped the list with its impressive view - beating out architectural gems in Scotland and well-known hubs like St Pancras. Travel site, Love Exploring, has ranked the most beautiful railway stations in the UK of 2025, featuring a mixture of countryside gems and sleek city hubs. Of the 24 stations on the list, the top spot was secured by a little-known hub in Wales. Berwyn Station in Denbighshire is the most beautiful railway station in the UK, according to Yahoo. Despite being top of the list, you likely haven't heard of - let alone visited - this lovely stop. Known as 'The Station in the Gorge' Berwyn first opened in 1865 as part of the Llangollen Corwen Railway. It is situated between the A5 road and the River Dee. From the platform, commuters and locals can enjoy a beautiful view of the river as well as the surrounding Welsh countryside. The river can be crossed by the restored Chain Bridge, which leads to the town's Chain Bridge Hotel. The station itself is a half-timbered Tudor building designed to match the historic Chain Bridge Hotel. It closed to passengers in the 1960s but reopened in the 1980s, as part of the heritage Llangollen Railway. Berwyn stations was restored to its Edwardian glory by a group of dedicated railway volunteers. It was reportedly built for the convenience of locals and continues to be a popular hub for holidaymakers headed for Dee Valley. Llangollen Railway is the only standard gauge heritage railway in North Wales. The journey from Berwyn is a peaceful 10 miles travelling through some of the most beautiful scenery in Wales. The line is located within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and remains close to the waters of the river for most of its stretch, gently weaving through the Dee Valley. The views from the carriages are a real treat, no matter the season. According to the official Llangollen Railway website, all the stations along the track are of a classic Victorian design and each station has been recreated in a 1950s Great Western colour scheme. In the heyday of railway transport, it carried people to the seaside on holiday and today it is a premier tourist attraction of North Wales. Visitors can travel to Glyndfrdwy, Carrog and Llangollen from Berwyn. There are also special journeys that take place annually to really enjoy the majesty of the area. One such journey is the Santa Special where visitors can ride on the Llangollen Railway steam train to meet Santa and his elves on board. A great idea for a family-friendly winter holiday. The most beautiful UK railway stations listed Berwyn Station, Denbighshire, Wales St Pancras International, London, England Cromford Station, Matlock, Derbyshire, England Oakworth Station, Keighley, West Yorkshire, England Edinburgh Waverley, Edinburgh, Scotland Ribblehead Station, Carnforth, North Yorkshire, England Grange-over-Sands Station, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, England Wemyss Bay Station, Renfrewshire, Scotland Great Malvern Station, Malvern, Worcestershire, England Glasgow Central, Glasgow, Scotland Shrewsbury Station, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England Bristol Temple Meads, Bristol, England Kings Cross Station, London, England Stamford Station, Stamford, Lincolnshire, England Huddersfield Station, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England Nottingham Station, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England York Station, York, North Yorkshire, England Norwich Station, Norwich, Norfolk, England Cardiff Central, Cardiff, Wales Newcastle Central, Newcastle, England Paddington, London, England Whitehead Station, County Antrim, Northern Ireland Birmingham New Street, Birmingham, England Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool, England


South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Ministers face fresh challenge to welfare reforms in Wednesday votes
The Department for Work and Pensions will try to steer the Universal Credit Bill through its final Commons stages, including clause-by-clause scrutiny, on Wednesday. The Bill, if agreed to, would roll out two different rates of benefit for claimants who cannot currently work. It would also freeze the limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCW and LCWRA) elements of the benefit until 2030. The PA news agency understands that a 'substantial number' of Labour rebels have agreed to vote to gut the Bill of these reforms, if they can trigger a division. When MPs debated the reforms last week, Government frontbenchers rolled back on their plan to reform the separate personal independence payment (Pip) benefit, vowing to revisit any proposed changes only after a review by social security minister Sir Stephen Timms. 'The Government for all the goodwill of pulling clause five on Pip, they've lost it over being so stubborn and obstinate over clauses two and three,' Labour MP for York Central Rachael Maskell said. Clause two of the Bill includes a framework for two rates of LCWRA, with claimants who are eligible for the benefit before April 2026 able to claim a higher rate than later applicants. Claimants who are terminally ill or who have severe symptoms of an illness which 'constantly' apply would also be eligible for the higher rate, regardless of when they become eligible. Ms Maskell has proposed a change to the reforms, so that someone who has slipped out of and then back into the LCWRA eligibility criteria either side of April 2026 would still be able to claim the higher rate. Approving this change would be like 'gathering up the crumbs rather than getting the full course meal', she said. Asked what the Government should do to tackle welfare costs, Ms Maskell told the PA news agency: 'We've got to put the early interventions in to take people off this path of ill health. 'We've got quite a sick society at the moment for all the reasons that we know, a broken NHS, you know, social care not being where it should be, and of course long-term Covid. 'All of that is having its impact, and the endemic mental health challenges that people are facing. 'But to then have the confidence that your programme is so good that it's going to get loads of these people into work and employers are going to have to fulfil their obligations in the future hopefully after the Charlie Mayfield report (the Keep Britain Working review) will make those recommendations – all of that, great, as far as it goes. 'But what we can't do is leave those people that can't work in poverty, because they would love to work and earn money, but they can't, so we have to pay for it. 'And therefore the people who've got the good fortune of earning money, whether it's through income or assets, they're the people that are going to have to support a wider society.' Labour MP for Poole Neil Duncan-Jordan proposed gutting the Bill through a series of draft amendments, to strike clause two and cancel the freeze in clause three. He and Ms Maskell were two of 49 MPs who unsuccessfully tried to block the Bill at second reading, when it cleared its first Commons hurdle by 335 votes to 260, majority 75. Amid fears the Bill had been rushed through Parliament, and referring to the Liberal reformer William Beveridge who published a post-war blueprint for the welfare state in 1942, Mr Duncan-Jordan asked: 'Beveridge didn't design the welfare state on the back of a postage stamp, did he?' Beyond changes to parts of the benefit specifically for people who cannot currently work, the Bill would demand an above-inflation rise to the universal credit standard allowance each year until 2030.


Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Whole of society must respond to threats bringing ‘war to the doorstep', MPs say
A new homeland security minister should co-ordinate the response to 'grey zone' actions which fall short of all-out military conflict. The chairman of the Commons Defence Committee Tan Dhesi warned grey zone threats 'bring war to the doorstep' of ordinary citizens. The cross-party committee said 'current grey zone attacks indicate that Russia already believes it is in an existential struggle with the West'. Grey zone activities can include propaganda, economic pressure, espionage including computer hacking, the weaponisation of migration, sabotage and assassination. The committee warned that the increase in defence funding to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027 must include 'sufficient resources' to address grey zone threats, rather than focus on the UK's ability to fight a war. The committee's Labour chairman Mr Dhesi said: 'Our adversaries have purposefully blurred the line between peace and war. 'Grey zone threats pose a particularly insidious challenge – they unsettle the fabric of our day-to-day lives and undermine our ability to respond. 'Grey zone threats bring war to the doorstep of each and every one of us. 'These attacks do not discriminate; they target the whole of our society and so demand a whole of society response, in which we all must play our part.' The Novichok incident in Salisbury was an example of Russia's grey zone activities, MPs said (Andrew Matthews/PA) He added: 'We must now assume that any vulnerability will be exploited against us. 'The industries and technologies we rely on most are clear targets for hostile states. 'This is why, in today's report, we are calling for a shoring up of our digital and cyber skills and protections.' The committee heard that in Finland there were lessons on detecting disinformation in primary schools. The MPs said the Ministry of Defence should do 'far more' engagement with wider society 'both public and private—for example, critical national industries, schools and communities—to help generate a dialogue around those threats to the UK and build consensus around a common response'. The UK and allies should also do more to protect seabed cables and infrastructure, including by reinforcing the bows of new Royal Navy destroyers to allow them to operate more effectively in the Arctic. Additional military capabilities should be based in the Baltic region for extended periods, the MPs suggested, to 'enhance their deterrent value against adversaries' and increase the ability to respond to grey zone threats. Mr Dhesi said: 'The damage repeatedly caused to undersea cables highlights the importance of protecting critical infrastructure. 'The UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force needs additional capabilities to provide further deterrence against Russian sabotage, and the MoD should consider increasing our military presence in the Baltic.'