Reporting by Will Hayward and Ryan O’Neill
Good morning and welcome to the midweek briefing.
We have got plenty for you to sink your teeth into today including leaked memos, Reform backing 20mph limits (?!?) and some interesting data.
But first, a quick word from our sponsor:
How apprenticeships can transform your business
ACT and sister company ALS support Welsh employers and individuals to upskill through apprenticeships and work-based learning. Before I was a journalist, I worked helping young people get onto apprenticeships in the Valleys. I know how valuable they are.
Apprenticeships are amazing for your business. They are more than just training - they are an investment in your business. They deliver motivated, skilled employees while reducing recruitment and training costs.
With a shared focus on ‘improving lives through learning’, both ACT and ALS help develop talent, improve retention and address future skills needs through fully-funded training. Find out more at acttraining.org.uk.
Starmer’s leaked memo
On Tuesday a leaked memo from Keir Starmer addressed to all members of the UK Gov Cabinet was published by Plaid Cymru. They shared the contents of that memo in First Minister’s Questions.
Within it, the PM wrote to his cabinet “...each of us will maintain a professional and respectful working relationship with our counterparts in devolved governments” but that “an overly deferential or laissez-faire approach to devolved government engagement almost inevitably creates political challenges or misses positive opportunities”.
He then adds:
“We should be confident in our ability to deliver directly in those nations, including through direct spending, even when devolved governments may oppose this.”
Responding to this a No 10 source said:
“We make no apologies for being determined to deliver for people across all four nations of the UK.
“In Wales, Scotland and NI, there are clearly reserved areas of governmental responsibilities and this Government is committed to upholding this devolution settlement with mutual respect and partnership.”
What is telling is that this memo is dated December 12, just 10 days after this newsletter exclusively broke the story that more than a third of Welsh Labour MSs had written a letter accusing the Prime Minister of undermining devolution.
So what to make of this memo? Well UK Gov sources told me that some of the messaging was about areas where the UK Gov is perfectly within its right to make decisions, like defence. This is indeed a contentious issue, especially in Scotland.
However, more than anything it underlines that to the Prime Minister devolution as a concept is a bureaucratic process rather than what it actually is - the hard won right of the nations of the UK to have some control over their own affairs.
It also underlines the now patently misleading promise of “two governments walking in lockstep”.
Plaid blindsided the First Minister with this during FMQs. You can see from the video below how Eluned Morgan is tying herself in knots trying to both defend the UK Government while also differentiating herself from them.
“That is a relationship that you will never have” isn’t the best reply when the other half of that relationship is telling people not to be too deferential to you and to carry out actions even when you oppose them.
Reform can’t make up their minds
Reform have made a lot of noise about “scrapping” 20mph limites here in Wales. We’ve asked them to explain how this would work (they haven’t) and Welsh leader Dan Thomas has even slightly contradicted Nigel Farage by admitting it will probably still apply near hospitals, schools and high risk areas (we are not sure what they actually mean by “scrapping”).
Clearly not everyone in Reform is singing from the same hymn sheet however. In England there are some areas where the party is actively promoting 20mph.
In Kent County Council, which is controlled by Reform, they are running a consultation to roll out 20mph on 35 roads in Kennington, Ashford. An information page on their website enthusiastically describes the policy as “good value for money” and that “fewer casualties and more walking and cycling mean that many schemes pay back in less than a year.” They also say casualty figures fell by 23% specifically in Bath under 20mph limits.
As well as being one of the leading English cities for 20mph, Bath is also where Welsh Reform leader Dan Thomas decided to buy one of his properties. Perhaps he is frustrated by the limit in Wales but likes it when he visits his portfolio in England?
Elsewhere in Lincolnshire County Council, also Reform-led, they are currently pushing ahead with plans to make school streets and residential areas 20mph in Stamford.
It’s interesting that Reform really seems to see the benefits of 20mph in England. Yet here in Wales it is apparently a terrible policy that needs to be scrapped at all costs. It’s almost as if they are being opportunistic.
Senedd politician says sorry for not doing what she’s paid to do
A few weeks ago we published a story questioning why the Senedd’s sole Lib Dem Jane Dodds wasn’t turning up for key votes.
Last month Ms Dodds missed a vote on amendments to a government homelessness bill which would have seen additional protections for domestic abuse victims, access to more advice and safer properties.
The BBC reports that Ms Dodds has now apologised, telling BBC Politics Wales: “I regret missing that, I did not know that there were those critical amendments.”
She added: “I’ve said very clearly to the organisations who drew attention to that and drew the media’s attention, that I should have been there and I apologise for that.”
When we covered this story we approached Ms Dodds and her party; only a spokesperson replied saying she had a prior commitment and it didn’t include an apology.
It was revealed also revealed by the BBC that MS Dodds has missed 50% of votes in the last two years and 63% so far in 2026. She said in response that this was because she was “a sole member, I am somebody who has nobody around me and I’m a party leader as well.
“I’m in the Senedd when there are absolute priorities and I’ve been there for the legislation that’s been passed.”
No costings? No problem…
After last week’s big manifesto launch for Wales Reform UK said they would not be releasing costings for their policies.
Their reasoning? Other parties might steal them. Now they seem to have changed their minds with the BBC reporting that Dan Thomas has now confirmed the costings will be released after all following “a discussion internally”.
Families call for criminal investigation
The group representing families who lost loved ones in Wales during the pandemic have submitted a file to South Wales Police seeking a criminal investigation into the conduct of the Welsh Government.
The complaint has been submitted on behalf of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Cymru, representing around 340 families across Wales who experienced bereavement during the pandemic, in connection with the failure to protect elderly vulnerable residents of care homes during Covid.
The families are seeking accountability for decisions and delays that exposed vulnerable care home residents to avoidable risk during the pandemic. They have pointed to the ongoing investigation in Scotland, Operation Koper, by a dedicated Covid Deaths Investigation Team.
Sam Smith-Higgins, Co-Lead of CBFJC, said:
“We have given very careful consideration before submitting this file and we would not have taken this step unless we believed it was warranted. As this may become a criminal investigation, we have been advised that we cannot comment further.”
This newsletter understands that part of what has prompted this move has been the contents of the leaked Welsh Labour election plan back in December, which this newsletter published.
Within it they included a guide for prospective candidates where they say that Welsh Labour believes that “asymptomatic testing for certain individuals was introduced at the correct time”. Wales was weeks behind England on this back in 2020.
School where kids are in limbo to shut for good
A few months ago we brought you a compelling story by Hayley Jones, who was funded by our investigative journalism fund to report on the issues facing parents at the Manorbier School in Pembrokeshire.
In 2022 the school burned down and children were moved to a cramped, unsuitable village hall for lessons. The council initially said it would look to rebuild the school but later said it would close it, and parents have been fighting tooth and nail against this.
We are sad to report that the council is going ahead with its plans to amalgamate Manorbier with two other schools and transfer children to other schools in the area.
30% of children in Pembrokeshire live below the poverty line. Many who go to Manorbier also have additional learning needs. After years of uncertainty, broken promises and unsuitable conditions they now face the devastation of having the hub of their community ripped out.
Reform politician fails to back up claims that children are being allowed to identify as cats
Laura Anne Jones has been accused of misinformation after claiming Welsh parties were promoting children being able to identify as cats.
Speaking in Plenary on Tuesday March 3, Ms Jones claimed schools had been told to “push gender ideology on small children” adding:
“Welsh Labour, cheered on by Plaid, have even entertained the idea—an utter madness of children self-identifying as cats, treating it as completely normal…”
Minister Jane Hutt did not address this at the time but the Welsh Gov has called Ms Jones’ comment “an irresponsible claim based on social media misinformation.”
The BBC says it has asked Ms Jones for evidence either Welsh Labour or Plaid were promoting what she said they were. Her office has not responded.
People in Wales are living more of their lives in poor health
People in Wales are spending a greater proportion of their lives in poor health, new data shows. The Office for National Statistics data analysing mortality and health surveys has found healthy life expectancy has decreased in Wales between 2022 to 2024 for both men and women.
Healthy life expectancy is the number of years of their life a person can expect to live in good health. In Wales men have lost 2.2 years of healthy life expectancy, down to 60 years, and women have lost 3.3 years, down to 58.5 years, compared with 2019 to 2021.
This data is worrying for Wales for a few reasons. Healthy life expectancy has fallen across the UK but is lowest in Wales (76% for men, 71% for women). Women in Wales now have the lowest healthy life expectancy in the UK.
There’s also a big disparity depending on where you live. For both males and females, Powys (64.2 and 63.8 years, respectively), Ceredigion (63.3 and 63.2 years) and Monmouthshire (63.2 and 63.5 years) had the highest healthy life expectancy.
The lowest were Merthyr Tydfil (51.7 years and 50.1 years) and Torfaen (54.1 years and 52.8 years). Merthyr Tydfil actually had the lowest female healthy life expectancy in the entire UK.
The cost of net zero by 2050 is less than a spike in fossil fuel prices
We hear a lot from politicians how tough it is going to be to hit net zero emissions and how it’s irresponsible to try. A lot of these same politicians were also cheerleading military action on Iran that has spiked the price of oil.
But the Climate Change Committee (which is an independent body) has found the total additional cost of a single fossil fuel price spike is likely to be as large as the total net additional cost of meeting net zero by 2050.
In all scenarios they measured, achieving net zero was found to be a more cost-effective path than continued reliance on fossil fuels.
Something that could make a big difference to the housing crisis
One thing that is hard to understand about the housing crisis is that thousands of homes are currently empty.
The Bevan Foundation think tank has published new research in partnership with Shelter Cymru saying there were 22,528 homes in Wales for 2025/26 which have been empty for six months or more. They say an estimated 3,600 to 4,500 are suitable for purchase as social homes.
They add that a lot more could be done to bring existing buildings back into use with the Welsh Gov set to miss its target of 20,000 social homes by the end of this Senedd term.
But currently barriers include strict requirements on things like room size for social homes and 20% VAT rates for refurbishment works (building new homes is zero-rated for VAT).
The Bevan Foundation says the next Welsh Government should open up more funding and grants for empty homes, change criteria on what properties could qualify and give councils more resources to deal with empty properties.
More people dying from suicide, drugs and alcohol in ex-mining areas
Mortality rates from suicide, drugs and alcohol are higher in former coal mining areas of Wales, a new study has found.
Research by Bangor University using data from England and Wales found deaths from these causes is a staggering 53% higher in former coal mining communities.
The study investigated what is known by some as ‘deaths of despair’, a term for mortality from suicide, alcohol-related causes, and drug poisoning coined in the US.
Mortality rates from these causes were higher in coalfield areas compared with non-mining areas. The increase remains even after adjusting for current deprivation levels (income, employment, etc) which suggests higher mortality can’t only be put down to current poverty but also by the long-term effects of deindustrialisation in the valleys, Merthyr, Neath and Dulais, and other parts of Wales.
More young people to get £40 a week
More young people in Wales are going to get a £40-per-week allowance from the Welsh Government.
The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) payment, which helps young people pay for costs such as travel, meals, and study materials, is being rolled out to at least 1,500 more 16 to 18-year-olds from September, ministers confirmed this week.
A health problem that we really need to tackle
Almost one in three adults in Wales are not getting enough support at the end of life, according to a leading charity.
Marie Curie has published figures suggesting there are more than 10,000 adults in Wales who are not getting the palliative care they need towards the end of their lives. It says this could rise to 37,000 by the 2040s.
Most people hear the word ‘palliative’ and think it only refers to people who are about to die. But this is often not the case. Many people with terminal or long-term illnesses are being cared for in hospitals when they don’t need to be. Often they are not getting the support they need because of the strain on unpaid carers and stretched services not being properly resourced.
Marie Curie has urged the next Welsh Government to sustainably fund palliative care and strengthen out-of-hours and community care so people have 24/7 access at or close to their home. They have written an open letter which you can read and sign here.
New investigations unit to focus on climate issues
A new investigations unit has been launched to look at environmental issues in Wales. Wild Cymru, formerly known as the Initiative for Nature Conservation Cymru, has announced the unit to produce journalism on key environmental issues like biodiversity loss, the mismanagement of legally protected land, climate change, pollution and policy decisions.
The unit includes a highly experienced investigative journalist and award-winning wildlife filmmaker. Rob Parry, CEO of Wild Cymru, said:
“As an independent charity, we do not accept funding from the government, and we will not shy away from holding policymakers and public bodies to account when it comes to nature conservation.
“This marks the next chapter for our organisation. We have ambitious plans for the future, and we are confident that this new team will strengthen our role as a leading and independent voice for wildlife in Wales.”
Election hustings
A number of election hustings are set to take place ahead of the Senedd election.
The Learned Society of Wales has confirmed two husting events will take place online in April where representatives from the Senedd election parties will be invited to talk about their plans.
A Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM) hustings will take place on Tuesday April 14th from 5-6.30pm and a Culture hustings will happen on Wednesday April 22nd from 5-7pm. You can book to join here and here.
Calls to end bailiffs for unpaid council tax
A union has called for an end to the use of bailiffs to collect unpaid council tax. ACORN Wales, which represents residents, tenants and workers, has urged the Welsh Gov to change how unpaid council tax in Wales is collected after May’s election.
The union says 1 in 3 people are reporting intimidation by private bailiff companies used by councils to collect unpaid debt including seizing the wrong items and refusing to discuss affordable payment plans.
It is urging candidates in May’s election to commit to ending the use of bailiffs and a host of other measures to allow residents to address unpaid council tax.
That’s all for this week.
Thanks so much for continuing to support our journalism. If you value it, please consider subscribing and/or referring a friend.
Thanks
Will and Ryan
I am impressed by this mid week briefing as it covered such a wide range of issues.
Thank you for sharing this with us!
I’m always depressed by the “Americanisation” of UK politics. As an American living in the UK, I’d rather not experience stupid things twice - and yet. So that “students as cats” thing is, of course, a 100% US-derived right wing myth that has somehow found itself into Reform talking points (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/07/does-your-child-identify-as-a-cat-theres-a-man-in-texas-who-can-help).
The fwd fwd fwd email to the old folks just changes the name and location of the hoax like a game of telephone (aka Chinese whispers).