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ITV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- ITV News
Two Conwy Councillors in Wales defect to Reform UK
Two more councillors in Wales have defected from their political party to join Reform UK. Cllr Thomas Montgomery and Cllr Louise Emery, both councillors in Conwy, have announced their resignation from the Conservative Party to join Reform UK. The announcement follows yesterday's news that former Conservative Member of the Senedd Laura Anne Jones had also joined Reform UK. A string of councillors in Merthyr Tydfil also announced their own defections in June. Who else has joined Reform UK in Wales? Reform remains without a leader in Wales, however a number of councillors and politicians in the country have now announced that they have joined the party. Stuart Keyte was Wales' first elected Reform UK councillor in February this year. He won the Trevethin and Penygarn seat on Labour-dominated Torfaen council. David Thomas, Jason O'Connell, and Alan Slade are also Reform UK councillors, representing the Llantarnam ward in Torfaen. In March, four councillors from Powys joined the party. Cllr Geoff Morgan, Ithon Valley Ward, Cllr Claire Jonson-Wood, Llanyre with Nantmel Ward, who were both formerly Independent councillors, joined the party. Cllr Iain McIntosh, Yscir with Honddu Isaf and Llanddew ward and Cllr Karl Lewis, Llandinam with Dolfor Ward, both formerly Conservative, also joined Reform UK. Owain Clatworthy won a seat on a second Welsh council following a by-election in May for the Pyle, Kenfig Hill and Cefn Cribwr ward in Bridgend. Cllr Thomas Montgomery, Cllr Louise Emery, and Member of the Senedd Laura Anne Jones have all announced that they have joined Reform UK this week. David Jones, former Conservative MP for Clwyd West and Welsh Secretary, also announced he had joined Reform UK earlier this month. Andrew Barry and David Hughes were both Independent councillors for Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council they before defected to Reform UK, announced in a speech by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in Port Talbot last month. It takes the number of Reform councillors in Wales to 13. As Wales prepares for the Senedd Election next year, a recent ITV Cymru Wales poll showed a large surge in support for Reform, which took 25% of the vote share. That would make them the second-largest party in Wales, behind Plaid Cymru, at 30%. In a press release from Reform UK, Cllr Thomas Montgomery said he and Cllr Emery had "joined the tens of thousands of people across our country who realise that the big two parties have failed to deliver the change we need."He continued: "Our politics and our country are broken. We need a party with vision, passion, and policies that deliver for working people and small businesses up and down Wales and the United Kingdom."That is why we are backing Reform – to see a Government cut taxes for working people, support our high streets, deliver smart immigration policies, cut Government waste, and so much more."Whilst we are saddened to be leaving behind incredible friends and colleagues in the Welsh Conservative Party, we cannot stand by any longer. Our communities, our County, and our Country need Reform." Cllr Louise Emery said: "Today I am joining Reform UK because they have a manifesto of common-sense policies – the only way to set this country back on course and ensure local and national government work as they should: for the taxpayer."Reform UK will deliver policies such as a single funding stream for social care, a new Education Curriculum in Wales with better funding for Pupil Referral Units, a line-by-line review of council spending, incentives for work over benefits, support for entrepreneurs, scrapping net zero and energy tax subsidies, and smart – not mass – migration with proper border control."The Conservative Group on the Council are great people who work hard for their residents, and I want to thank them for all their support over the years."This is an exciting new chapter for me, to represent my residents and be part of Reform UK, a party that will deliver change at local government level, in the Senedd, and in Westminster." A spokesperson from Reform added: "Their decision to join Reform UK Wales reflects a growing movement for real change and common-sense politics across Wales."Both Councillors will continue to represent their wards in Conwy, working tirelessly for local residents and fighting for policies that deliver real results."
New Statesman
18-06-2025
- Politics
- New Statesman
Keir Starmer's grooming gang cowardice
Photo by Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street A prime minister who only acts when forced to do so by others inspires neither confidence nor respect. But this is something we have seen repeatedly with Keir Starmer and this Labour government. The latest – and arguably most egregious – example is the U-turn on holding a full national inquiry into grooming gangs. In January, Starmer accused politicians calling for such an inquiry of jumping on the 'bandwagon of the far right'. Robust debate, he said, 'can only be based on the true facts'. But the facts today are as they were six months ago; as they have been for years. Thousands of vulnerable girls have been groomed and raped by groups of men, disproportionately of Pakistani heritage. We knew from Alexis Jay's report in 2014 – 11 years ago – that 1,400 children were sexually exploited in Rotherham alone between 1997 and 2013. And that was a 'conservative estimate'. Stories first appeared in the media in 2007, by Julie Bindel in the Sunday Times Magazine. The late Andrew Norfolk of the Times published hundreds of articles from 2011 on child rapes perpetrated across England. Some of those closest to the Prime Minister privately warned him last year in stark, emotional terms about the scale of the collective failure to protect the most vulnerable girls; that some of the responsibility lay with Labour-run or Labour-dominated local authorities – in Rotherham, Rochdale and elsewhere; that this was one of the most shameful episodes of British history. And yet. As Louise Casey points out in her National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, released on 16 June, 'we are talking about multiple sexual assaults committed against children by multiple men on multiple occasions; beatings and gang rapes'. Earlier this month, survivors of the abuse spoke to BBC Newsnight. Kate (not her real name) was raped 'almost daily' by 'multiple men a day'. Fiona was plied with drugs and violently raped from the age of 14, shortly after she was taken into care. Chantelle was also in the care system when she was first abused and drugged at 11 years old. The perpetrators of these crimes were all gangs of British Asian men. That Starmer had to ask troubleshooter-in-chief Casey to decide whether a national inquiry was needed is cowardice. For the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, to declare on the day Casey's report was published that the systematic rape of girls marked 'a stain on our society and a failure of those who were meant to protect them' – only after someone else gave the government permission to say so – was pure chutzpah. Even when confirming his change of heart, the Prime Minister made no compelling case of his own for why these crimes needed proper examination. Rather, Casey had 'come to the view there should be a national inquiry' and he would 'accept her recommendation'. But this shameful U-turn is part of a wider pattern of this government effectively subcontracting out difficult decisions to others. It looks weak, directionless and lacking in conviction as a result. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Having refused to take a consistent position on the clash between women's rights and the rights of trans people, it was left to the Supreme Court to rule that 'sex' in the Equality Act meant 'biological sex'. The official Labour line had been that no clarification was needed, even when the case was scheduled to be heard. Senior party figures saw the issue as a 'distraction'. The best Starmer could muster in response to the judgement was to say he was pleased it had brought 'clarity'. But what about the issue, Prime Minister? Where do you stand? Do you support the judgement, or does it prompt a rethink in the law? If Starmer and senior cabinet ministers think the ruling was wrong, they should say so. Stop hiding behind process. Lead. Into this mix of inaction, we can throw in the decision to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Had the government not done so, the Defence Secretary, John Healey, said, 'Within weeks, [it] could face losing legal rulings.' Framing it this way – in effect, 'the courts made us' – hardly screams political conviction. It's the same on Palestinian statehood. Recognition of a Palestinian state is a manifesto pledge, but according to Sky News's Sam Coates, 'the UK will only recognise a Palestinian state once other countries also do so'. And then there's the cut to pensioners' winter fuel allowance: despite insisting it was the right thing to do – for 11 months – Chancellor Rachel Reeves later bowed to public pressure to reverse it. Politicians must be allowed to change their minds. Admitting you were wrong, being open-minded and receptive to new evidence are signs of strength. But that is not what's happening with this Prime Minister and his government. Time after time, they seem unable to make a positive argument for either action or inaction. Each Labour government since the war has made a strong moral case for its reforms. Attlee and Bevan with the NHS. Wilson and Jenkins on decriminalising homosexuality. Blair and Brown on international development and child poverty. When will this government do the same? The danger is that into the void come others – Reform especially – who seem more 'authentic', better in touch with what many Britons think and feel. With a big majority, Labour can afford to be bold and principled. To govern is to choose. But those choices should be choices of direction and policy – not of who to ask to make those decisions for you. [See more: Is Trump the last neoconservative?] Related
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Labour blocks proposal for ‘swift bricks' in all new homes in England
Providing every new home in England with at least one 'swift brick' to help endangered cavity-nesting birds has been rejected by Labour at the committee stage of its increasingly controversial planning bill. The amendment to the bill to ask every developer to provide a £35 hollow brick for swifts, house martins, sparrows and starlings, which was tabled by Labour MP Barry Gardiner, has been rejected by the Labour-dominated committee. Despite the Labour party having supported the swift brick amendment when it was tabled on Conservative government legislation in 2023, housing minister, Matthew Pennycook, told the House of Commons committee: 'We are not convinced that legislating to mandate the use of specific wildlife features is the right approach, whether that is done through building regulations or a freestanding legal requirement.' A new petition calling for swift bricks to be made mandatory for new homes has rapidly reached 80,000 signatures in recent days, two years after activist Hannah Bourne-Taylor won a parliamentary debate to help the rapidly declining migratory birds after 109,896 voters signed a government petition. Bourne-Taylor said there appeared to be 'no logic' to the government's opposition to swift bricks when they precisely meet its ambition of creating win-wins for the economy and nature. 'They are going to be building millions of bricks into walls. I don't understand why there's such a problem with a brick with a hole in it. It seems ludicrous,' she said. 'Why say your new legislation is a win-win for new homes and the environment and exclude the only measure that is a true win-win? 'They are tone-deaf. This is such a tiny thing they could do, but it's brewing such a distrust and sense of betrayal among the people who voted for them.' Although some housebuilders are incorporating swift bricks in new builds, a recent University of Sheffield study found that 75% of bird and bat boxes demanded as a condition of planning permission for new housing developments had failed to materialise when the housing estates were complete. Asked if he would meet MPs to discuss how to encourage the building industry to adopt swift bricks more widely, Pennycook said he would be happy to have conversations with MPs despite claiming his correctly reported opposition to mandatory cavity-nesting bricks had been 'spun' in a Guardian report. These comments follow Pennycook's recent defence of the planning bill's proposed amendments to the Protection of Badgers Act that MPs warned would lead to 'hostile treatment' of the much-persecuted animal in which the minister joked: 'I would just like to make very clear, for the Guardian article that will no doubt appear tomorrow, that I have no particular animus against badgers in whatever form.' Bourne-Taylor said she hoped that the swift brick amendment would now be championed by the House of Lords. If that fails, Bourne-Taylor hopes to take her campaign to the wider public once again. The rising new petition for swift bricks 'just goes to show the public concern,' she said. 'The government are not listening to the public or the experts.' • The headline and text of this article were amended on 29 May 2025 to make clear that the proposed amendment had applied only to England.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
First Reform councillor says no Labour seat safe
Wales' first elected Reform UK councillor has claimed his by-election victory means no Labour seat in the country is safe. Stuart Keyte won the Trevethin and Penygarn seat on Labour-dominated Torfaen council. The by-election was called following the resignation of a councillor from the ruling group, which retains a majority of 17. "I would imagine there isn't a Labour councillor, assembly member or MP who thinks their seat is safe if Trevethin and Penygarn is no longer a safe seat," said the former army major, who won by nearly 200 votes. "Perhaps then we can have a realisation that councillors, AMs and MPs are supposed to be servants not the bosses, they are not the masters supposed to impose an ideology." The election, held on Thursday, was the first time Reform - rebranded from leader Nigel Farage's Brexit Party - had won a seat at an election in Wales. But the new councillor will join an established group at the Civic Centre in Pontypool, as three previously independent councillors joined Reform in August last year. And the victory is in step with a trend towards success for the party in Wales, after it came second in 13 of the 32 Welsh constituencies at last summer's UK general election, securing 16.9% of the vote across Wales, compared to 5.4% in 2019 when it stood as the Brexit Party. Its council group leader David Thomas hit the headlines on the eve of the by-election when Reform denied he had composed crude songs, posted online more than a decade ago, credited to him and others, and linked to a record label he ran. Reform could win next Senedd election, party says Reform to challenge Labour at Senedd poll - Farage Reform could win lots of Senedd seats, says Farage Anthony Hunt, Labour leader of Torfaen council, said Mr Thomas should apologise and Labour MP for neighbouring Monmouthshire, Catherine Fookes, called for him to resign. On the day of the election, Mr Thomas and his two fellow Reform councillors were embroiled in a row over the opening of a Lidl supermarket in their Llantarnam ward in Cwmbran earlier in the week. The supermarket said there had not been an official opening. Mr Keyte said he had no concerns about the row over the "happy hardcore" dance tracks credited to his council group leader. He said: "It's not my type of music, I'm more of a classical music type. It's not something that concerns me. "I take it for what it is, I believe it's a smear campaign." The new councillor added he had been "too focused" on his campaign to raise it with Mr Thomas, who was a prominent supporter in the by-election. He added: "It didn't seem to be an issue when Mr Thomas was a Labour councillor." He also said it was "farcical" to suggest his colleagues would have attended a supermarket opening with their own scissors and ribbon and for staff to have posed for photographs with them. The semi-retired 64-year-old, who has been a volunteer with the Citizens Advice Service in Cwmbran and in Pretoria in South Africa, said he had "no doubt" his victory was a sign of potential further success in Wales, with the party targeting elections to the expanded Senedd next year. He said people were "looking for a change in support from somebody other than Labour or any other established parties for that matter". Mr Keyte, who lives in Wainfelin, Pontypool said as a councillor he wants to "get back to basics and see the place cleaned up, fences put back up and get a police presence". Labour won both Trevethin and Penygarn seats at the 2022 local government elections, with the Conservatives the only other party standing. Turnout in 2022 was 23%, which is slightly below the 24.7% of the electorate who voted in the by-election. Meanwhile, the Welsh Conservatives won a by-election, also held on 13 February, to fill the New Inn Upper vacancy on Pontypool Community Council, called due to the resignation of former Labour councillor Sue Malsom. Lidl denies Reform councillor officially opened shop Councillor not behind 'offensive' songs, Reform says Tories suffer first Welsh wipeout since 2001
New European
05-02-2025
- Politics
- New European
Migrants not learning the local language? No problem, says GB News
In search of a better life? Then simply move to another country – and don't even bother learning the local language. That – confusingly for its viewers, who are used to foam-flecked rants against immigration – is the view of GB News! The channel has run an interview on its website with an 'expat in Cyprus' named only as Jack raving about the benefits of migrating to the Mediterranean island. 'You feel relaxed here, with a holiday mood and ambience,' boasts Jack. Can't be bothered learning the local lingo? No bother. 'It is very common for individuals to speak English,' notes GB News. 'The only times a language barrier is noticeable is in the high mountains and rural villages, but Jack said the majority of expats do not go there.' And, anyway, you probably don't even need to mix with the natives. As the article points out, 'the country is home to lots of expat hotspots such as Limassol and Larnaca' so you can just mix with them. All worth remembering the next time a GB News host launches into a monologue about foreign ghettoes in Britain where people insist on speaking their own language! Meanwhile, 'Nigel Farage announces two huge defections in key seats', ran a headline in the Daily Express at the weekend on a story of such enormity it required two reporters, including the paper's deputy world news editor, Alice Scarsi. And who were these huge defections? Household names Cathy Hunt and Joe Quinn, who represent Woodhouse Close and Ferryhill respectively on Durham Council. Quinn defected directly from the Conservatives, while Hunt went via a brief spell as an independent after quitting the Tories when she wasn't selected for a seat under the council's soon-to-be-redrawn boundaries. 'The defections mean Reform now has a total of three councillors on Labour-dominated Durham County Council, which has a total of 163 councillors, according to the local authority,' the paper reported breathlessly (it actually has a total of 126 councillors, of which Labour holds 56, or 44%, which is a peculiar definition of 'Labour-dominated'). If that's not 'world news', what is?
