First Minister Eluned Morgan tops Labour’s Senedd candidate list for Ceredigion Penfro

Under Labour’s rules, incumbent Members of the Senedd are automatically placed at the top of their constituency lists. Morgan has represented Mid and West Wales on the regional list since 2016 and became First Minister in 2024, having previously served as Health Minister and International Relations Minister.

Just two of Labour’s candidates on the Ceredigion Penfro list have direct links to the area. Marc Tierney, Morgan’s current office manager, is a county councillor for Narberth Urban and Cabinet Member for Young People, Communities and the Wellbeing of Future Generations. Joshua Phillips, a local activist, chairs Welsh Labour’s Solva & St Davids Branch, is vice chair of Solva Community Council, and is founder of the Edge Festival as well as director of Solva Gin.

Other names on the list include Margaret Greenaway, Swansea‑based President of The Open University Students’ Association; Tansaim Hussain‑Gul, a Cardiff‑born British Gas worker and trade union activist; Luke Davies‑Jones, a chartered accountant and Unite union member born in Swansea and now living in Cardiff; and Peter Huw Jenkins, a county councillor for Llandaff on Cardiff City Council.

Labour’s candidate list for Ceredigion Penfro

Eluned Morgan
First Minister of Wales and incumbent MS, automatically placed at the top of Labour’s slate.

Marc Tierney
County councillor for Narberth Urban, Cabinet Member for Young People, Communities and Wellbeing of Future Generations, and Morgan’s current office manager.

Joshua Phillips
Local activist, chair of Welsh Labour’s Solva & St Davids Branch, vice chair of Solva Community Council, founder of the Edge Festival and director of Solva Gin.

Margaret Greenaway
Swansea-based President of The Open University Students’ Association (OUSA).

Tansaim Hussain-Gul
Cardiff-born British Gas worker and trade union activist.

Luke Davies-Jones
Chartered accountant and Unite union member, born in Swansea and living in Cardiff.

Peter Huw Jenkins
County councillor for Llandaff on Cardiff City Council.

New constituency and projections

Ceredigion Penfro is one of the new multi‑member constituencies created under Senedd reforms, combining parts of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. Each of the new constituencies will elect six Members of the Senedd using proportional representation, replacing the old mix of constituency and regional seats.

Polling averages suggest Labour could secure around two seats in Ceredigion Penfro, with Plaid Cymru expected to perform strongly in the area and Reform UK also polling competitively. That would give Labour a foothold in a constituency where Plaid has historically dominated, but where Pembrokeshire’s Labour vote could now play a bigger role under the new boundaries.

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#candidates #ceredigion #ceredigionPenfro #elunedMorgan #elunedMorganMs #firstMinister #labour #pembrokeshire #senedd #seneddElection #seneddElections2026 #welshLabour

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Join us for Parliament Live from Holyrood with a Scottish Government Debate on Supporting Scotland’s Fishing Industry.

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Join us for First Minister’s Questions live from the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, starting with General Questions to Ministers and followed by First Minister’s Questions.

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Citation de Winston Churchill.
#citation #FirstMinister #Angleterre #french

Row over £38m cut to Welsh funding under new Local Growth scheme

First Minister admits settlement is “slightly smaller”

The Welsh Government confirmed it will launch a consultation later this month to decide how the money is spent. Ministers in Cardiff say the fund will be used to support skills, help businesses in key sectors such as health and AI, and tackle barriers to growth.

First Minister Eluned Morgan said the settlement represented around 22% of the UK‑wide fund and pledged it would “reach all parts of Wales”. She admitted, however, that the package was “slightly smaller” than the previous scheme, adding: “Let’s remember, we always knew there was a price to pay for Brexit.”

UK Government Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens said decisions about spending were “best made by people in Wales” and stressed that ministers in London were working with Cardiff to deliver growth and opportunity.

Kurtz: “Wales was promised more, not less”

Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Energy, Samuel Kurtz MS, said the change represented a broken promise to Wales.

“Under Labour, Wales was promised more funding, not tens of millions of pounds less,” he said.

“The Welsh Labour Government getting to hold the purse strings does not fill me with hope, as they routinely waste taxpayers’ money on vanity projects like the creation of more politicians or on non‑devolved areas like their pointless overseas embassies and Ugandan tree planting.

“This funding should be used to support struggling Welsh businesses who have had to contend with Labour Governments at both ends of the M4 hitting them with higher taxes.”

Plaid Cymru and Reform also weigh in

Plaid Cymru’s economy spokesperson Luke Fletcher MS said the new fund only “notionally” replaced the EU structural funds Wales lost after Brexit, warning that £500m over three years “falls far short of what’s required to tackle decades of underinvestment and deep‑rooted deprivation.”

A Reform UK Wales spokesperson also criticised the settlement, claiming Labour and Plaid Cymru were responsible for the poor state of the Welsh economy.

From EU billions to a smaller UK pot

Large parts of Wales qualified for EU structural funds during Britain’s membership, receiving around £375m a year. That support was replaced by the Shared Prosperity Fund, worth £585m over three years, but structured without direct Welsh Government control.

The new Local Growth Fund replaces that scheme, with a framework now agreed between the Labour UK Government and ministers in Cardiff. The £547m allocation will be split between capital spending on infrastructure and revenue for services, though the exact balance has not yet been confirmed.

The announcement comes ahead of the Welsh Government’s draft budget, due to be published on Tuesday. Ministers will need to secure support from another party in the Senedd to pass it early next year.

Related coverage

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#Budget #ElunedMorganMS #FirstMinister #funding #LukeFletcherMS #politics #SamuelKurtzMS #SharedProsperityFund #WelshGovernment

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Digital ID plans spark political row in Wales

UK Government sets out plan for smartphone IDs

The UK Government confirmed last week that a digital ID scheme will be rolled out before the next general election, due by 2029. Under the plans, every adult working in the UK will be required to hold a digital ID card stored on their smartphone.

The IDs will include details such as name, residency status, date of birth, nationality and a photo. Ministers argue the system will make it harder for people without legal status to work, while also simplifying everyday checks for services such as driving licences, childcare and welfare.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the scheme would “make our borders more secure.”

🖥️ What is a digital ID?

Digital ID card
Stored on smartphones, showing name, residency status, date of birth, nationality and a photo.

Purpose
Used for Right to Work checks and access to services like driving licences and childcare.

Rollout
UK Government says it will be introduced before the next general election, due by 2029.

Concerns
Critics warn of costs, civil liberties risks, and digital exclusion for those without smartphones.

First Minister backs rollout and demands Welsh flag on IDs

In Wales, First Minister Eluned Morgan has given her backing to the policy, telling BBC Wales she wants the Welsh flag to appear on IDs issued here.

“That is something that I’m definitely going to be pushing with the UK government,” she said.

Morgan added that she is pressing for additional funding to ensure the rollout does not disadvantage Wales.

Opposition brands digital ID a ‘red line’ for civil liberties

The proposals have been met with fierce criticism from opposition benches.

David Chadwick MP, who represents Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe for the Welsh Liberal Democrats, described the idea of a mandatory digital ID as “crossing a red line.” He warned it risked undermining long‑standing civil liberties while doing little to fix problems in the immigration system.

Chadwick argued that the billions earmarked for the scheme would be better spent on clearing the asylum backlog through properly resourced processing centres, or on improving the NHS.

Welsh Conservatives have also voiced strong opposition. In the Senedd, Darren Millar MS challenged the First Minister to justify her support, claiming the scheme would cost Wales up to £1 billion in lost funding.

“Labour’s plans for digital IDs will not stop illegal migration and will come at an unacceptable cost to taxpayers,” he said.

Poll shows Wales more opposed than rest of UK

The debate comes against a backdrop of divided public opinion. A YouGov poll published on 26 September found 42% of people across Britain supported the introduction of digital ID cards, while 45% opposed them.

In Wales, opposition was stronger, with 35% of respondents saying they were “strongly opposed” compared to just 13% who strongly supported the idea.

Rollout due before 2029 with consultation promised

The UK Government insists the scheme will be free to download, with alternatives for those without smartphones, and says a public consultation later this year will help shape the design.

For now, though, the announcement has opened up a new political fault line in Wales, with the First Minister pressing for a Welsh‑branded rollout while her opponents warn of costs, risks and a loss of civil liberties.

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#CivilLiberties #DavidChadwickMP #DigitalID #ElunedMorganMS #FirstMinister #IDCard #KierStarmer #polling #PrimeMinister #UKGovernment #WelshConservatives #WelshFlag #WelshLabour #WelshLiberalDemocrats #YouGov

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“Shameful” answer from First Minister on replacement for demolished Swansea Valley school

School closed over landslide risk

Godre’r Graig Primary was shut in July 2019 after a geotechnical report identified a medium risk of landslide from a quarry spoil tip above the playground. Pupils were moved into portable classrooms near Cwmtawe Community School in Pontardawe, more than three miles away. The original building has since been demolished.

Neath Port Talbot Council has submitted an application to Welsh Government for funding to build a replacement school. But uncertainty over the bid, and how it is being assessed, has raised concerns among staff and parents about the school’s long‑term future.

Clash in the Senedd

Raising the issue in the Senedd on Tuesday (30 September), South Wales West MS Sioned Williams said correspondence seen by the school suggested the application was being treated as if it were for a brand‑new school, rather than a replacement forced by “the scars of our industrial legacy.”

In response, the First Minister said:

“Well, my understanding is that the Plaid council blocked the new school proposal, and that is something that you may want to reflect on.”

The remark referred to the previous Labour administration’s controversial “super school” plan, which would have merged Godre’r Graig with Alltwen and Llangiwg primaries on a new site at Parc Ynysderw, Pontardawe. That proposal was overturned by the council’s new rainbow coalition in 2022 following strong community opposition.

“Children deserved a better response”

Speaking afterwards, Ms Williams said:

“The children, staff and community of Godre’rgraig deserved a better response to their situation than that given by the First Minister today.

This building was closed through no fault of the school, its staff or its pupils but rather the scars of our industrial legacy – that are continuing to impact our children to this day.

It was shameful to see the First Minister play politics with the future of Godre’r Graig Primary School without even trying to answer my question about the need to recognise the exceptional circumstances that led to the school requiring a new building.”

She confirmed she will be writing to the First Minister to demand a “substantive response more befitting of her office.”

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• Senedd Member calls for Pontardawe super school plan to be rejected

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• Three Swansea Valley schools could be replaced with one new one under latest council plans

  Proposals outlined to merge Godre’r Graig, Alltwen and Llangiwg primaries into a single new build.

#coalTipSafety #CwmtaweCommunitySchool #ElunedMorganMS #FirstMinister #GodreRgraig #GodreRGraigPrimarySchool #landslide #landslideRisk #NeathPortTalbotCouncil #newSchool #PlaidCymru #Pontardawe #quarryTip #SionedWilliamsMS #superSchool #SwanseaValley #WelshGovernment #WelshLabour

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First Minister warns ‘Wales will fall into chaos’ if Plaid or Reform win Senedd election

Wales’ First Minister Eluned Morgan has warned that next year’s Senedd election could plunge the country into “chaos” if voters back Plaid Cymru or Reform UK.

Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Morgan said only Labour could provide “experience and stability in an age of instability,” while accusing her opponents of making empty promises that would damage communities across South West Wales and beyond.

‘Fantasy politics’ vs ‘stability’

Eluned Morgan, Welsh Labour leader and First Minister, told delegates: “Wales will fall into chaos if either Plaid or Reform wins in May. What we need is experience and stability in an age of instability.”

She accused Reform of planning to “gut the NHS, axe free prescriptions, and flog off and frack everything that moves,” while branding Plaid’s independence drive as “fantasy politics” that would leave families worse off.

Morgan also pledged new licensing powers to curb the spread of vape shops on high streets, and confirmed that businesses seeking Welsh Government support would need to pay the Real Living Wage, end exploitative zero-hours contracts and support trade union access.

UK Labour backs Welsh delivery

Jo Stevens, Secretary of State for Wales, reinforced the message, warning that Plaid’s independence plans would mean “billions of pounds of tax rises and biting austerity forced on working people across Wales.”

She highlighted joint UK and Welsh Labour investment in South West Wales, including employment schemes in Neath Port Talbot, nearly half a billion pounds in rail upgrades, and the £200 million Pride in Place Programme to regenerate high streets.

“Labour has ended austerity in Wales. Don’t let Reform or Plaid impose it again,” she said.

Election battle lines drawn

The Senedd election is scheduled for May 2026, with Labour positioning itself as the party of delivery and stability. Both Morgan and Stevens framed the contest as a choice between Labour’s record of investment and what they called the “division” of their opponents.

Plaid Cymru responded by accusing Labour of “talking Wales down,” while pointing to policies such as the two-child benefit cap as evidence that working families are struggling under Labour’s watch.

With polls showing Labour under pressure, the party is betting that a message of stability versus “chaos” will resonate with voters across Swansea, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend.

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First Minister leads tribute to Llanelli MP Jim Griffiths, father of the Welfare State

First Minister Eluned Morgan led tributes at a special event at Llanelly House marking the 50th anniversary of Griffiths’ death, describing him as a “forgotten hero” whose values still resonate today.

Griffiths, a former collier from Betws, became Wales’ first Secretary of State and was instrumental in the creation of Family Allowance and the wider welfare system that supported millions across post-war Britain.

“He may be gone,” the First Minister told the audience, “but what he stood for, what he fought for, what he achieved, is as alive today as it ever was.”

She said Griffiths would be “frustrated” by the persistence of child poverty, homelessness, and the housing crisis in modern Britain, but praised his enduring influence on Labour’s values of solidarity, equality, community and hope.

“The boy from Betws who went down the pit and came up fighting would be proud of what we’ve achieved. But he’d also challenge us to do more. To be better. To never give up the fight for a fairer, more equal Wales.”

The event was attended by Llanelli MP Nia Griffith, Labour councillors, and party members, with many calling for a more prominent memorial to Griffiths in his home communities of Llanelli and Ammanford.

Who was Jim Griffiths?

• Born: 1890, Betws, Ammanford
• Background: Began work as a coal miner before becoming active in the trade union movement.
• Political career: Elected Labour MP for Llanelli in 1936, serving until 1970.
• Father of the Welfare State: As Minister for National Insurance in Clement Attlee’s post‑war government, he introduced the Family Allowance and laid the foundations of Britain’s social security system.
• First Secretary of State for Wales: Appointed in 1964, he established the Welsh Office and became a key advocate for devolution.
• Local legacy: Instrumental in bringing the Trostre tinplate works to Llanelli, boosting jobs and industry.
• Died: 1975, aged 85.

Griffiths is remembered as a man of principle who rose from the coalface to Cabinet, shaping modern Britain while never losing touch with his community roots.

Calls for a lasting tribute

Deputy Mayor of Ammanford Calum Higgins said Griffiths’ contribution deserved recognition on the same scale as Gwynfor Evans in Carmarthen.

“Ammanford and Llanelli were once linked as a constituency and shared Jim Griffiths as their MP. He came from the working community of Ammanford and Betws, and represented his people at a national level. We haven’t given him the profile we should have.”

Llanelli town councillor Shaun Greaney described Griffiths as “undoubtedly a forgotten hero”:

“Everyone knows Nye Bevan founded the NHS, but few know the story of Jim Griffiths. A mural declaring Llanelli the cradle of devolution would be a fitting tribute.”

County councillor Janet Williams, who helped organise the event and install the plaque at Llanelli Library, said:

“Jim was a progressive politician and played a major role in bringing the Trostre tinplate works to Llanelli. He was a man of principle, and a man of the people.”

While funding for a larger memorial may be challenging, councillors say grant support could help realise a tribute that reflects Griffiths’ national impact and deep local roots.

#Ammanford #CalumHiggins #ElunedMorganMS #FamilyAllowance #FirstMinister #JanetWilliams #JimGriffiths #Llanelli #LlanellyHouse #WelfareState #WelshLabour

#JohnSwinney #FirstMinister of #Scotland openly but ineffectually critical of #ElonMusk in #BBC Radio interview on today's #GoodMorningScotland
Sounds like he & his #Government should come over to the #Fediverse & ditch #Xitter
See also dropping Microsoft, Google & other #DigitalEnclosure barons #Technofeudalism