Welsh Liberal blogs

Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer.322 A young person’s ability to benefit from education should never be determined by their background or personal circumstances. Narrowing the attainment gap, between pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers, is at the heart of our national mission to raise standards and deliver an education system that is a source of national pride and enjoys public confidence. Secured as part of a budget deal between the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the then Welsh Government, the pupil development grant has led to over £475 million additional investment which has directly supported over half a million young people eligible for free school meals in reaching their potential.323 Year on year the PDG has been expanded both in terms of the groups of learners it now supports and the scale of the investment. It focuses funding where it has the greatest impact, which we know is in the early years, so we have increased this element of th

Vale of Glamorgan council leader John Thomas is set to be ousted as head of the authority by fellow Conservatives. Local party members are backing Vincent Bailey to take over following their annual general meeting last night. For such a change, Councillor Thomas would have to lose a council vote of no confidence or voluntarily step down. The row over the future of Llancarfan Primary School is understood. Several councillors had joined parents in opposition to a decision to relocate pupils to a new school to be built in Rhoose, which they claimed amounted to a closure of Llancarfan. Gordon Kemp was the only cabinet member to object to the plan, and he was later sacked when he joined ten other Conservative councillors in refusing to back last month's council budget . The LDRS is also aware of "serious discontent" with Councillor Thomas among Tory backbenchers over a series of PR blunders, including proposals for new parking charges thro

Deputy Minister for Culture Sport and Tourism, Lord Elis Thomas, has today announced Roger Lewis as President of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales. The Deputy Minister met the new President and the National Museum’s Director General, David Anderson at National Museum Cardiff for a sneak preview of the David Nash exhibition as the final touches were ahead of its public opening on Saturday, 4 May 2019. Mr Lewis’ appointment is the latest in a career dominated by music, media, sport, arts and business. Over the past 40 years, he has held senior executive positions at the BBC, ITV, Classic FM, EMI, Decca and the WRU. Speaking of his appointment, Mr Lewis, said: “ This is a great honour and I am acutely aware of the significant responsibility of this important office. I am passionate about the special place our great cultural organisations occupy within the lives of the people of Wales. They play a unique role to inspire us and encourage us and to ch

Plaid Cymru has blamed the Greens for the two parties failing to work together in the European elections. Voters in Wales will have eight parties to choose from, with at least four calling for another Brexit referendum. Plaid candidate Patrick McGuinness says his party had spoken to the Greens about forming a "Remain alliance" but claimed the Greens had "felt unable to take it forward". The Green Party has said no approaches had been made to it by other parties . In an article published by Plaid Cymru on Saturday , Mr McGuinness, the party's number three candidate for the European elections, said: "Like many, we had hoped for a formal cross-party Remain alliance. "Indeed, we had been in conversations with the Green Party to that effect, and were disappointed that they felt unable to take that idea forward with us." He said it could have been "an effective means of strengthening the Remain vote".

People could then choose between an independent Wales at Europe's "heart" or a "forgotten second-class region in a dying British state," he said. The independence call goes further than his party conference speech in March. Polling for BBC Wales has put support for independence at less than 10% since 2011. Mr Price said Wales should hold a "new national conversation" about the country's future whatever happens with the UK's departure from the European Union. In last month's speech to party members, in Bangor, he called for an independence referendum if a series of post-Brexit demands were not met . His demands included a call for European funding for Wales to be guaranteed, cuts in VAT for tourism and construction, the devolution of powers over air passenger duty, and control over migration policy. But now Mr Price has gone further by making a Welsh independence referendum dependent on whether Brexit goes

The Welsh assembly has said it was not aware a Christian charity with links to a "homophobic" pastor held events on its premises. The Evan Roberts Institute, led by two Welsh Conservative AMs, hosted numerous events in 2018 and 2019. The institute has a close relationship with Singaporean pastor Yang Tuck Yoong who called homosexuality a sin. An assembly spokesman said it was AMs' responsibility to ensure facilities were used for "appropriate reasons". Leading human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has called on A Ms Darren Millar and Russell George to cut all links with the pastor. Mr Yang was reported to police in 2013 after saying : "Homosexuality is a sin and it is far more rampant, militant and organised than most of us actually believe it to be." he AMs are trustees of the Evan Roberts Institute, which has financial links with the pastor's Cornerstone Community Church. B oth Mr Millar and Mr George previ

A recall petition for a Conservative MP convicted for a false expenses claim will open on 9 May. Chris Davies tried to split the cost of photographs between two office budgets by faking invoices,  when he could have claimed the amount by other means. Voters in Brecon and Radnorshire will have six weeks to sign the petition in six locations across the constituency. If 5,303 eligible voters sign it, 10% of the electorate, a by-election will be held. House of Commons speaker John Bercow confirmed the recall petition on Wednesday , after Mr Davies was given a community order of 50 hours unpaid work and a £1,500 fine, at Southwark Crown Court, the previous day. People registered for postal votes will receive a signing sheet to return if they want to sign the petition .

An MP convicted for a false expenses claim will face a recall petition, House of Commons speaker John Bercow has confirmed. Chris Davies tried to split the cost of photographs between two office budgets by faking invoices, when he could have claimed the amount by other means. If 10% of eligible voters in the constituency sign it a by-election would be held. It comes as Mr Davies' local constituency association backed the MP. Brecon and Radnorshire Tory chairman Peter Weavers said Mr Davies had been caught by an "arcane" law, and said he would be happy to see him run again if a by-election takes place . Mr Bercow confirmed in the Commons on Wednesday that Mr Davies will face a recall petition. The House of Commons Speaker told MPs he will write to the relevant petition officer following Mr Davies' conviction - it will then be up to Powys County Council to organise the exercise. Mr Davies was given a community order of 50 hours unpaid w

On the 23 May voters in Wales and across the UK will take part in elections to the European Parliament - maybe. They may become redundant if Labour and the Conservative-led UK government strike a deal to get Brexit passed in the House of Commons. But there is little time and it is looking more likely than not that the polls will take place. The prospect of the election has thrown the parties into action stations in the second unexpected election in three years. Those who are successfully elected will take their seats in July and hold them until the current Brexit deadline of October, unless matters are resolved sooner or another extension is agreed. The UK has 73 seats in the parliament - split into different areas. Wales will be electing four MEPs. Who is standing? For European Union elections, parties stand on lists. You get one vote to support the party of your choice. Candidates have not yet been officially confirmed - that will not ha

An MP convicted of a false expenses claim has been ordered to complete 50 hours unpaid work and fined £1,500. Conservative MP for Brecon and Radnorshire Chris Davies pleaded guilty to providing false or misleading information for allowances claims and attempting to do so in March. Davies, 51, made an "unreserved apology" following his sentencing at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday. He now faces a recall petition amid calls for his resignation. Davies must complete the community order within 12 months and was also ordered to pay £2,500 in costs. Tom Forster QC, defending , said it was likely Mr Davies's career was in "tatters " Labour and the Liberal Democrats have called for him to resign, but in a statement,   Davies said he wanted to "move on and continue" his role as an MP. "I have accepted today's ruling and want to take this opportunity to make an unreserved apology," he said. "I would li

Two assembly members have been urged to sever their links with a controversial pastor who claimed homosexuality is a "sin". Yang Tuck Yoong called homosexuality an "abomination" during a sermon. Darren Millar and Russell George are trustees of the Evan Roberts Institute which has financial links with the pastor's Cornerstone Community Church. They say they do not share his views but human rights campaigners are calling for all ties to be cut. The pastor was reported to police in 2013 after giving a sermon entitled " The Sin of Sodom ". He said: " Homosexuality is a sin and it is far more rampant, militant and organised than most of us actually believe it to be . "The battle lines are now drawn and it is time for the Church in Singapore to rise up and make a stand It has emerged the Pentecostal minister and his church in Singapore have strong ties with Welsh charity, The Evan Roberts Institute. Named a

G ynhadledd... Gynhadledd ddiolch i chi bawb am ddod heddiw. Dyma fy nhrydedd gynhadledd fel arweinydd ac mae'r angerdd a'r brwdfrydedd sydd gennym yn ein plaid wedi creu cymaint o argraff arnaf. Conference thank you for all coming today. This is my third Conference since becoming your leader and I am still so impressed with the passion and enthusiasm we have within our party. So, what is going on?  Let’s take ourselves back to that strange broadcast from Theresa May 2 weeks ago.  In the past few months we’ve seen increasing instability, a lack of political leadership and the national embarrassment that is this government’s handling of Brexit. And while Brexit dominates every debate, every storyline, just spare a moment’s thought for the issues that have been ignored. Poverty rising, money for our public services cut and climate change forgotten. Conference, have we ever seen a Westminster Government that’s more of a mess and a shambles than the one we ha