Western Mail
Burnham promises new path for Britain
ANDY Burnham told the Labour Party his election was “a final chance to change” as he laid down what appeared to be a direct challenge to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The outgoing Greater Manchester mayor said he wanted to “lay out a new path for...
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Patient died of overdose after drug prescribed by mistake
APATIENT was wrongly given morphine when discharged from hospital and died of an overdose two days later. The patient was given the drug without being made aware of the risks or given guidance on using it safely. An inquiry by the ombudsman has said...
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Rail crash tragedy failures laid bare
AN INVESTIGATION into the first fatal head-on train collision to cause a person’s death in the UK in 25 years has criticised Transport for Wales’ processes and training. The report found that the Welsh Government-owned transport authority TfW did not...
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Science teaching in Wales’ schools under fire
WEAK teaching, curriculum planning and assessment “often” limits pupils’ progress in science at schools across Wales, a damning report from education watchdog Estyn says. Science teaching and quality of science provision “remains too variable” in...
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TWO PLAYED KEY ROLES IN RIOT, COURT TOLD
TWO people accused of playing leading roles in the Ely riot appeared in the dock at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday. Matthew Evans, who used an aerosol can as a makeshift flamethrower to torch a car, and “prolific missilethrower” Cameron Carter both...
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UK set to ban social media for under-16s
SIR Keir Starmer has vowed to “call time on a system that’s failing our kids” ahead of his expected announcement of an under-16s social media ban. The Prime Minister will announce sweeping reforms to protect children online at a press conference...
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EX-WALES ACE KENNY JACKETT DIES, AGED 64
MULTIPLE failings and system breakdown caused the death of a man wrongly injected with insulin during his operation, an inquest has found. No-one intended to kill greatgrandfather Donald Gough at Wales’ biggest hospital, coroner David Regan concluded...
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HISTORIC PUB HIT BY BLAZE
A300-YEAR-OLD village pub was ravaged by fire yesterday. Fire crews were called to the scene of the blaze at the award-winning Hare & Hounds in Aberthin, Cowbridge. The pub’s owners said yesterday there were still working out what comes next following...
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Our agony – mum of teenager who lost leg after stabbing
THE distraught mother of a teenager who is in hospital in a critical condition after an alleged stabbing at Barry Island has told how her son’s life has changed forever. The 17-year-old had to have part of his leg amputated after being stabbed during...
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Power supply delay for steelworks plan
THE opening of Tata’s new electric arc furnace at the Port Talbot steelworks could be delayed by up to 12 months, bosses have said, although they say they are hopeful that time can be reduced. The £1.25bn scheme aims to build one of the largest...
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DVLA worker altered records in £1.3m swindle
ATRUSTED DVLA employee abused his position with the agency to alter or delete vehicle records to boost their value and to issue new identities for stolen or crashed cars, a court has heard. Matthew Holloway accessed computer and paper-based systems to...
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Apocalyptic scenes in steel plant blaze
ALARGE fire at the Tata Steel site in Port Talbot is said to have caused “substantial damage to a vital production line”. Concerns have been raised about the impact of the devastating fire on jobs and Tata’s downstream operations across Wales because...
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History of Wales is vital for all pupils – academics
TOO many children leave school with “at best limited knowledge and understanding of the history of their own nation”, many of Wales’ leading academics write in an open letter to the Welsh Government. The historians, educationalists and individuals...
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FROM OLYMPIC RINGS TO WEDDING RINGS FOR LAUREN
OLYMPIC gold medallist and boxing world champion Lauren Price has married her partner Carlie Jones at a stunning ceremony in Wales. The happy couple tied the knot at Sant Ffraed House in Abergavenny on Saturday on a day filled with love and laughter...
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RUGBY MOURNS DEATH OF COACHING GREAT KEAR
FORMER Wales coach John Kear has passed away at the age of 71. The celebrated former rugby league coach, who also led England, Sheffield, Hull, Wakefield, Batley, Bradford and Widnes, had provided commentary on the Challenge Cup final for the BBC on...
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STUDENT UNABLE TO FLY HOME AFTER HORROR INDIA GAP YEAR CRASH
AUNIVERSITY student suffered serious brain injuries in a horror gap year scooter accident in India just days before she was due to fly home. Olivia North, from Aberystwyth, is believed to have hit a pothole and was left unable to remember her beloved...
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Unis face more job losses as deficits mount
UNIVERSITIES in Wales are more than £97m in operating deficit with matters likely to get worse before they get better and more job cuts likely. The financial blackhole has swelled by £20m, compared to the £77m deficit in 2023-24, although some of the...
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OVER IN A FLASH
CARAVANS were struck and trains punched out of service as a thunderstorm descended on north Wales on Wednesday night. Lightning strikes were so numerous that Anglesey was entirely obscured on weather maps showing where they had struck. But the wild...
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DAME SIÂN SET TO RETURN TO STAGE
DAME Siân Phillips is to return to the stage as she joins Welsh National Theatre’s production of Samuel Beckett’s Rockaby. The Olivier and Tony-nominated star, who is 93, has a career that’s spanned more than eight decades across the West End,...
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BRIER BREAKS 44-YEAR-OLD 200m RECORD
HANNAH Brier underlined her status as the fastest Welsh woman of all time, breaking her country’s long-standing 200m record with a time of 22.79 seconds at the Stratford Speed Grand Prix in London. The Welsh record had been held for 44 years by...
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WARMEST MAY DAY ON RECORD IN WALES
THE UK has recorded its alltime hottest May temperature as a part of London hit 34.8°C. The high was at Kew Gardens, the Met Office said shortly after 4pm on the bank holiday. Yesterday was also the hottest May day ever in Wales as temperatures of...
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THE AWARDS WINNERS
WITH the regular rugby season now over, it’s a natural time to reflect on who has impressed over the course of the year. Cardiff might still have a United Rugby Championship quarter-final left to play – with their season still having another 80 minutes...
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‘WE LOST OUR CONNECTION WITH PEOPLE’
IN 2021 Ken Skates secured 10,448 votes in the Senedd election. Of those who turned out 43% voted for him. That was up from five years previously when he got 35% of the vote. Yet just a few weeks ago, in the new-look Fflint Wrecsam constituency –...
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TANDY’S BEST WALES TEAM TO FACE FIJI
WALES begin their summer campaign against the Barbarians, but the real business starts with Fiji in the opening match of the inaugural Nations Cup. With the Barbarians clash falling outside World Rugby’s official international window, the Test against...
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WHY LABOUR COLLAPSED AT SENEDD ELECTION – DRAKEFORD SPEAKS OUT
VOTERS in Wales are “fed up” with Labour, former First Minister Mark Drakeford has said, as he explained why he thought the party was so comprehensively defeated in the Senedd election. Mr Drakeford, a key supporter and voice in devolved politics, has...
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‘WE WERE IN TEARS’ – TV’S GABBY TELLS OF FINAL MOMENTS WITH FOOTBALL ACE DAD TERRY
GABBY Logan says the outpouring of tributes helped her family work through the pain of losing father Terry earlier this year, and says an out-the-blue email left them both in tears shortly before his death. Former Wales boss Yorath, who also won 59...
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THE TOWN THAT CHARMED JEREMY CLARKSON
TV STAR Jeremy Clarkson has heaped praise on part of “real Wales” after a recent trip. The Clarkson’s Farm presenter said west Wales was the perfect place for a UK-based holiday as trips abroad become increasingly unaffordable amid the US and Israel’s...
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WOODEN SPOON WOE FOR WALES WOMEN
WALES Women finished the Six Nations with the wooden spoon for the third year in a row after falling to a heavy defeat against Italy at the Arms Park. This defeat will pile pressure on head coach Sean Lynn following a desperate set of results. Tries...
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‘My life is destroyed’ – mum after son killed
AMOTHER has said her life has been “destroyed” after her son was killed after being punched in the head outside a Wetherspoons pub. She told a court she would never get over her son’s death, saying: “Mine and my family’s life will never be the same...
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Starmer ‘on the brink’ as Streeting resigns
SIR Keir Starmer said he was “truly sorry” that Wes Streeting had resigned after he quit as UK Health Secretary and called for a leadership contest. Mr Streeting had criticised the “drift” at the top of UK Government and told the Prime Minister it is...
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‘I THINK MY BODY IS TELLING ME SOMETHING’ – WALES ACE BALL HANGS UP HIS BOOTS
WALES and Scarlets secondrow Jake Ball has announced his retirement from the game. The 34-year-old initially retired from rugby in November 2024 but made a remarkable U-turn and returned to the Scarlets whom he left in 2021. Ball made a strong start...
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‘Our best days lie ahead of us’
RHUN ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, has been named the next First Minister of Wales. Watched on by his family, he became the first non-Labour politician to be named First Minister of Wales when the newlook Senedd met for the first time...
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Top Welsh MP blasts Labour’s mistakes
THE only Welsh MP to sit in the UK Government cabinet has launched a blistering attack on former First Minister Mark Drakeford and her own administration in Westminster as the Labour Party in Wales seeks to understand the causes of the collapse in its...
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Rhun’s challenge to Westminster
PLAID Cymru leader and likely next First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth insists the UK Government has two choices following a seismic Senedd election – it can “punish” Wales for voting Labour out of power after 27 years or “reflect” on how to better serve...
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‘A moment 100 years in the making’
WALES needs a government that “represents the change people have voted for”, Plaid’s Rhun ap Iorwerth said as he declared his intention to be the nation’s next First Minister. Mr ap Iorwerth will lead the largest party in Wales’ Parliament for the...
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The last moments of shamed singer Ian Watkins
APRISONER accused of murdering paedophile Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins told jail staff: “If I’ve killed him, you could be talking to someone famous,” prosecutors have told a jury. Former rock star Watkins was stabbed to death in his cell at...
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WHY WALES COULD FACE DEMOCRACY TRUST CRISIS AFTER MAY 7
ONE of Wales’ leading political experts has warned the nation may face a crisis of confidence in the electoral system after next month’s Senedd Election. Dr Jac Larner, of Cardiff University, fears that Reform may be the largest party after the...
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AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
A BRILLIANTLY “subversive” statue of Monty Python star Terry Jones was unveiled on the beach near his hometown of Colwyn Bay on Saturday. Hundreds turned out in glorious sunshine after more than £120,000 was raised to immortalise the comic genius in...
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Missed targets for NHS deal blow to Welsh Labour
THE Welsh Government will miss key NHS waiting time targets, latest data shows. With just two weeks to go before the Senedd election, this is the last monthly data being released ahead of polling day. In April 2025, Welsh Government published details...
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PUFFIN NUMBERS AT RECORD LEVELS ON WELSH ISLAND
ARECORD number of puffins have been recorded on Skomer Island, an internationally important island for seabirds, conservationists have said. The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) said it had recorded 52,019 puffins in this year’s count on...
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‘This is about people’s livelihoods’ – green energy firm risked spreading bovine TB across Wales, High Court told
WORKERS for a green energy company planning new electricity pylons across Wales risked spreading disease among cattle by entering lands “under active bovine TB restrictions”, the High Court has heard. Natalie Barstow, the Campaign for the Protection...
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Driver guilty of killing ex-Wales manager in crash
ADRIVER who killed a woman on her way to a Take That concert, and subsequently claimed she had suffered an epileptic seizure at the wheel, has been convicted of causing her death by careless driving. Following a week-long trial, a jury determined that...
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Race tightening as Plaid lead narrows
PLAID Cymru could be forced to share power in Wales if it wants to govern as a majority, a new poll suggests. The survey puts Plaid Cymru narrowly ahead of Reform to become the largest party in the Senedd after the election on May 7. However, it is...
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WRU Y11 deal ‘on brink of collapse’
Y11 Sports & Media’s bid to buy Cardiff Rugby is on the verge of falling through, with the Welsh Rugby Union set to own the club indefinitely. The likely development looks set to be the latest twist in Welsh rugby’s ongoing drama, casting further...
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ADORATION AND ABUSE AS FARAGE GOES ON ELECTION TRAIL IN WALES
UNMISTAKABLE in his mustard-coloured corduroy trousers, tweed jacket, broadchecked shirt and tie, Nigel Farage cut a distinctive figure as he made his way up Merthyr Tydfil High Street. With the man he selected to be Reform UK’s Wales leader, former...
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‘Halt space radar over Trump’s hostility’ – Eluned
FIRST Minister Eluned Morgan has called on Keir Starmer to pause plans for a key defence project in Wales due to Donald Trump’s “hostility towards the UK”. Ms Morgan said the United States is “not the partner it once was” and urged the UK Government...
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FROM FLANKER TO FLOOR-FILLER – JOSH NAVIDI’S NEW SPIN ON LIFE AFTER RUGBY
IT IS three years since Josh Navidi was forced to bring down the curtain on his rugby career, yet retirement has proved anything but a retreat into quiet obscurity. At 35, he is as industrious and in demand as ever – only now, his stage lies far...
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Anger as key Wales cancer facility shut
ACANCER facility in Wales that cost £8m of taxpayer’s money and is vital to pioneering clinical trials has ceased operation, we can reveal. Staff who worked on the Cardiff cyclotron have been laid off – and whistleblowers have accused the Welsh...
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Anger over lack of jobs for new nurses
STUDENT nurses across Wales, who have put in thousands of hours of unpaid work and taken out vast student loans, have spoken of their fury and devastation at being told there now aren’t enough jobs for them. A jobs crisis for student nurses about to...
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Car wash people smugglers jailed
PEOPLE smugglers based at a car wash in Wales who acted as “travel agents” for migrants who were smuggled into Europe by lorry and boat have both been jailed for 19 years each. Dilshad Shamo, 41, and Ali Khdir, 40, made several thousands of pounds by...
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We won’t bend to London, says Plaid leader
APLAID Cymru government will not bend to Westminster’s will, the party leader has promised. Speaking at the launch of Plaid’s Senedd election manifesto yesterday, Rhun ap Iorwerth said there will be “no more saying no to Wales” if his party forms a...
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JAC’S BACK, SO WHO GETS LEFT OUT?
ANEW road to relieve congestion on the M4 around Newport is now firmly back on the political agenda. The two parties leading in the polls are both going into May’s Senedd election in favour of building a road to take traffic away from the Brynglas...
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Cardiff Airport wins £205m subsidy row
THE Welsh Government has seen off a legal challenge from Bristol Airport over plans to provide £205m of subsidy support to Cardiff Airport. The ruling is a major boost for the Rhoose airport as it seeks to expand its passenger numbers and grow non...
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Warning as e-bike fires hit record high
E-BIKE and e-scooter fires reached a record high last year, an investigation has found, leading to riders being warned about online marketplaces. Fire brigade figures obtained by the Press Association show 432 e-bike blazes were recorded across the UK...
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‘You’ve really got to make friends with vegetables’
CHEESE used to be one of Diane Morgan’s great loves – but just four weeks after going vegan, the comedian feels very differently. Best known for playing Philomena Cunk on Charlie Brooker’s Wipe series and the spinoff Cunk mockumentaries, Diane says...
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Union questions cost of school watchdogs
ATEACHERS’ union has questioned the value of what it estimates are tens of millions of pounds spent on education watchdogs in Wales amid a crisis in schools funding. The NASUWT official for Wales claimed there is “little accounting for what that money...
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GIFTS FROM THE KING
THE King yesterday distributed Royal Maundy gifts at the annual service, as it was held in Wales for only the second time. Charles, accompanied by the Queen, attended St Asaph Cathedral yesterday for the ceremony, which was last held in Wales in...
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No jobs in Wales for new paramedics
NEWLY-QUALIFIED paramedics in Wales have been advised to apply for jobs across the border or abroad because of a hiring freeze. The Welsh Ambulance Service said that it was facing a “difficult financial and operational landscape” as it confirmed that...
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GREENS WILL BE THE KINGMAKERS IN WALES – POLANSKI
THE leader of the Greens has said his party will be kingmakers in next month’s Senedd election. Speaking at the campaign launch in Jacob’s Market, Cardiff yesterday, Zack Polanski said the Green Party will be open to negotiations with other political...
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COURT REJECTS CARDIFF CITY £100m CLAIM FOR DAMAGES OVER SALA DEATH
CARDIFF City FC’s claim for compensation against Nantes following the death of Emiliano Sala in a plane crash has been thrown out by a French court. The tribunal of Nantes, announcing its decision yesterday, ordered Cardiff to pay more than £400,000...
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Labour’s time is up, claims Plaid leader
THE battle for power in the Senedd is heating up as Plaid Cymru claims Labour is out of the running to win the May 7 election. The party’s leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “Labour’s time is up, they are now out of the picture – this campaign will be a...
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WRU chair says he’ll stand down this summer
WELSH Rugby Union chairman Richard Collier-Keywood is to step down in July. Collier-Keywood, who was facing an EGM vote to oust him next month, will depart at the end of his term this summer. The news is a surprise development in Welsh rugby’s...
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Schools ‘in survival mode’ over funding
ONE IN FOUR Welsh schools are overspent, with a combined national deficit of £72m, official figures show. The eye-watering sum comes as headteachers warn they are “in survival mode”, with job cuts, increased class sizes and reduced subject choices in...
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Son jailed for hammer murder of own mother
ATEENAGER who murdered his mother with a hammer and recorded his attack on a dictaphone has been jailed for a minimum of 22 years and six months. Tristan Roberts, 18, later “boasted” online about the fatal attack on Angela Shellis, a 45-year-old...
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A&E waits linked to nearly 1,000 deaths
ALMOST 1,000 people died in Wales last year due to long waits in accident and emergency (A&E), according to new analysis. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) said that on average 18 people died each week due to delays in A&E. The RCEM says...
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Brace for long-term Iran war, warns PM
BRITAIN must be prepared for the Iran war to continue “for some time”, the Prime Minister has said. Sir Keir Starmer told MPs yesterday it was “hard to answer” how long the crisis would continue and that he had warned his team not to fall into the...
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BELLAMY TIPS JOHNSON TO FIRE FOR WALES
JEREMIAH Azu is ready to turn his attentions to the summer season after losing his grip on the men’s 60 metres title at the World Indoor Championships. The Welsh sprinter won a surprise gold medal in Nanjing last year but had to settle for an agonising...
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