Latest news with #SeneddElection
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
No new policies in next year's budget, says Mark Drakeford
Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford will try to avoid political wrangling before next year's Senedd election by writing a "neutral" told Senedd members his final budget before the election will repeat this year's spending will not pay for new policies because that "will be for political parties to put before the Welsh electorate", Drakeford said it showed the "fragility" of Labour, which runs a minority government and has lost support in recent opinion polls. A draft budget for 2026/27 will be published in October, with MSs voting on a final budget in a statement, Drakeford said he did not want to tie the hands of the next parliament by publishing spending plans in the final weeks of a five-year Senedd the cabinet had agreed to plan "a business-as-usual budget", rising in line with he added he was "open to the possibility of working with other political parties who believe a more ambitious budget could be agreed".Taxpayer funding for public services falls if the Senedd cannot pass a budget - something that would have a "catastrophic impact", Drakeford cabinet's decision to restate this year's budget "is designed to maximise the chances that that risk can be avoided", he said."The politically neutral approach I have set out this afternoon is an attempt to secure stability and certainty for our public services and for our constituents," he said. 'Loss of authority' Drakeford said the next government will inherit a £400m fund to spend on what it wants after the Labour one seat short of a majority in the Senedd chamber, Drakeford needed the support of the Senedd's sole Liberal Democrat MP to pass a budget for this financial year. The Conservatives and Plaid Cymru voted against it in polls suggest a hung parliament is likely again after next May's election, with no party winning an outright MS Sam Rowlands said the "roll-over budget" was "an acknowledgement that there is a real risk of Labour not being in government after the next Senedd election"."I believe that's an admission of fragility and loss of authority by the Labour Party here in Wales," he Cymru MS Heledd Fychan said some voluntary groups and charities "are facing perhaps closure, so will be concerned and looking to next year's budget to see if they can survive or not".
BBC News
02-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Senior Labour MSs face three-way selection fight
Welsh Labour risks losing at least one more big hitter at next year's Senedd election because of a three-way fight for selection in a south Wales for the new Afan Ogwr Rhondda constituency mean three significant figures are being pitched against each other, including the deputy first minister and the woman that won Rhonnda for Labour in Irranca-Davies and Buffy Williams will also face the deputy presiding officer David Rees in the party ballot to decide who will get the best spots on the area's Labour Labour said it would not comment on the selection battle. Labour is already facing a major shake-up after the next Senedd election, with more than a third of current Labour MSs having made the decision not to stand for re-election next first ministers Mark Drakeford and Vaughan Gething are among those standing down. Parties are currently in the process of drawing up lists for each of the 16 new constituencies for the next Senedd can nominate up to eight candidates per constituency, with parties to be rewarded with seats according to the percentage of the vote they Labour would expect to win two of the six seats available in Afan Ogwr Rhondda, it might struggle to win a three of the six seats in any given constituency would roughly require around 36% of the party members will now vote again to decide who will take the first, second and third place on the list in the constituency, with a result is expected in the coming are already indications from some within the party of a degree of anger were Williams, one of the party's highest profile women politicians – to miss would be "fury", said one source. Williams claimed one of the biggest scalps of the 2021 Senedd election, winning Rhondda back from the former Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood with a 19% vote previous year she had been awarded the British Empire Medal for services to communities in Welsh Labour said it was committed to a "diverse slate of candidates" in its selection across Wales's 16 new Senedd constituencies, the Welsh Labour government abandoned plans last September to force parties to ensure at least 50% of candidates were were concerns about their lawfulness and whether the Senedd had the power to make the MS Irranca-Davies has emerged as an important figure in the current government set up, taking on not only the duties of deputy first minister under the leadership of Eluned Morgan, but also the rural affairs brief in which he has sought to placate protesting said last November that he had "listened" after making changes to controversial tree-cover requirements to qualify for subsidies. A former MP, he has served as a minister at Westminster. Rees has been MS for Aberavon since 2011 and deputy presiding officer for the past four years. His current constituency contains the Port Talbot normal circumstances Labour would have realistic hopes of winning three seats in the constituency, but as another source put it: "These are not normal circumstances."Senior figures in Welsh Labour are very concerned about losing voters to Plaid Cymru, while some of the recent announcements from Reform leader Nigel Farage suggested they were now also turning their attention to wooing traditional Labour supporters. A poll last month suggested that Labour had fallen to third behind Plaid Cymru and polls had suggested the three parties were neck and neck. At the next election there will be 16 new constituencies made of up of mergers of existing seats and a system of proportional Ogwr Rhondda takes in the former Aberavon, Ogmore and Rhonnda constituency party of the three MSs are on the party ballot because they were nominated by their respective areas: Rees in Aberavon, Irranca-Davies in Ogmore and Williams in Rhondda. A Labour party spokesperson said: "Welsh Labour has committed to putting forward a diverse slate of candidates, including women, people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, those identifying as LGBTQ+, and Welsh speakers amongst other underrepresented communities."
Sky News
30-05-2025
- General
- Sky News
Adam Price: Former Plaid Cymru leader's re-election uncertain under new voting system
Why you can trust Sky News There is uncertainty whether the former leader of Plaid Cymru will be re-elected under the Senedd's new voting system. People in Wales will be heading to the polls next May to vote in the Senedd election for the first time since 2021. Plaid Cymru has published its candidate list for the new constituency of Sir Gaerfyrddin, which puts Adam Price in third place. For the first time, voters will be electing 96 members to the Welsh parliament - an increase of more than 50%. The 32 Welsh constituencies at UK general elections will be paired to form 16 larger constituencies. Six candidates will be elected to represent each constituency, under a more proportional voting system. The order of candidates on each party's list is decided by party members. The lower a candidate's position on each party's list, the lower their chances of being elected. In a statement to local members, seen by Sky News, the party confirmed that Cefin Campbell, its education spokesperson, had topped the list. Former Senedd member Nerys Evans was placed second, followed by former leader Adam Price in third. Mari Arthur, who the party describes as a social entrepreneur and sustainability campaigner, completes the party's top four candidates. After the result, Mr Price said he would "like to thank the members that showed [him] support during this process and congratulate Cefin on topping the list". Mr Price quit as leader of the Welsh independence-supporting party in May 2023. His departure came after a report into a "toxic" culture within Plaid Cymru, which found a "lack of collective leadership and governance" in responding to the issues. The party commissioned the report by a working group, chaired by Mrs Evans, who now hopes to be re-elected to the Senedd after an initial stint between 2007 and 2011. Mr Price was ultimately replaced as leader by Rhun ap Iorwerth, who currently represents Ynys Môn in the Senedd. A Senedd poll published earlier this month placed Plaid Cymru as the party with the highest vote share, ahead of Reform UK, Labour and the Conservatives.
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Ex-Plaid Cymru leader Price unlikely to be re-elected in 2026
Former Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price is unlikely to be re-elected in next year's Senedd election. Members of the Senedd (MS) Cefin Campbell and Nerys Evans are the top two candidates the party will put forward for the new Sir Gaerfyrddin constituency while Price is third, the BBC has been told. Plaid Cymru's rules aim for gender equality, meaning the second name on each regional list must be a party would expect to win two of the six Sir Gaerfyrddin seats and face a challenge from Reform and Labour at the election in May 2026. Plaid's selection process is more competitive than Labour's or the Conservatives as the party is not giving its current MSs any preferential treatment and is prioritising gender balance in how it determines the order of Sir Gaerfyrddin, this means that if a woman tops the local members' selection, another woman must also be placed second on the list of up to eight candidates on the ballot. If a man takes the top spot, a woman would still be required to take second Campbell and Evans occupying the top spots, the prospects of Price securing a seat seem more exact votes cast for each member is yet to be confirmed but it is understood the selection process concluded on Thursday evening. Who is Adam Price? Price became leader of the Plaid Cymru in 2018 and led the party into the 2021 Senedd election with a pledge to hold a referendum on Welsh independence within five years if it won the party finished third behind Labour and the Welsh Conservatives. Following the election, Price signed a co-operation agreement with the Labour government, helping to deliver policies such as universal free school 2022, the party became engulfed by claims of a toxic culture, culminating in a report by Evans that said it had tolerated "too many instances of bad behaviour".Price stepped down as leader in 2023. Evans was an Assembly Member from 2007 to 2011, with Campbell elected to the Senedd in Price on the list is former Llanelli candidate Mari Arthur, who now works in marketing and the sustainable energy Griffiths, a Carmarthenshire councillor, is fifth, followed by Abi Thomas, a former Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire new election map has 16 seats, each electing six MSs, with the voting system electing members from party Cymru has been asked to comment. Analysis - BBC Wales political editor Gareth Lewis Had Adam Price had his way we could be on the verge of a referendum on Welsh one within five years was central to his pitch at the 2021 Senedd election, but Plaid finished seemed resigned to coming third again - this time in his party's list - when I spoke to him at Plaid's spring conference in some in the party his resignation in 2023 and the scandal surrounding Jonathan Edwards - the former MP in Price's Carmarthen East and Dinefwr constituency - still cast a long is not impossible for Price and Plaid to win three seats in Sir Gaerfyrddin, but they would need a good having topped a recent poll, Plaid's selection process could cost them two big names - Price and economy spokesman Luke Fletcher.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Reform is a one-man personality cult, says Welsh Tory leader
Nigel Farage's Reform UK is a "one-man personality cult" with no serious solutions for Wales, Tory Senedd leader Darren Millar will say on politician will use a speech at Welsh Conservative conference in Llangollen to put "clear blue water" between his party and will claim that Reform UK have "utterly failed" to offer any "real, serious, costed or deliverable solutions".Reform has performed better than the Conservatives in recent polling for the next Senedd election in May 2026, competing for first place with Plaid Cymru and Labour. Opinion polls have suggested a four way split among most voters, with the latest poll indicating that Plaid Cymru had the most support at 30%, with Reform on 25%, Labour 18% and the Tories 13%. Reform came second in 13 Welsh seats at the last general election but failed to win any has yet to pick someone to be the party's main spokesperson or leader, and has not announced who might stand for the party. In his second speech to the conference in Llangollen, Millar is expected to "address the idea that the answer to Labour is to vote Reform".He will say: "I share many of your concerns about unsustainable levels of immigration, the impact of net zero on energy bills and jobs and the woke agenda."But wagging a finger and shouting about these things from the side-lines is easy."Reform have utterly failed to offer any real, serious, costed or deliverable solutions for the problems they spout about."Nor have they been honest about the public about the limitations of the Senedd's powers to address some of these issues." There is "clear blue water between the Welsh Conservatives and Reform", he will say, in a reference to the phrase "clear red water" used to explain the difference between Welsh and Westminster Labour under the late first minister Rhodri Morgan."They are a one-man personality cult – we Welsh Conservatives are a united team."They are a limited company – we are a professional political party."And where they offer slogans – we offer serious solutions."Millar will attack Plaid Cymru, saying the party has been "joined at the hip" with Labour for years."Labour failures are Plaid failures," he's expected to say, calling Labour "clapped out".As the second party in the Senedd, the Conservatives are keen to present themselves as a government in waiting ahead of the next the party has polled in fourth place in recent opinion next Senedd will introduce a new system that will better reflect how people voted in the result. That means that, without a surprise result, it is likely that two or more parties would need to work together to help form the next Welsh could be either through a coalition or a more informal agreement. On Friday Millar said he would be willing to work with "anyone" to get Labour out of power, not ruling out working with Plaid Cymru or laid out a series of policies including a promise to bring down NHS waiting times and reinstate home economics in schools.
