These events show we must double down on regenerating Swansea city centre – building on progress like Y Storfa, the Palace Theatre restoration, the Arena and the Castle Gardens redevelopment.
I’ll keep pushing for the best outcome for staff and for Swansea.
My message to M&S about their future in Swansea was clear:
- Support the 92 staff who may be affected by the central store closure
- Work with Swansea Council to find a new site
M&S have a decades-old presence in Swansea. I'm pleased they're open to maintaining it.
On my way to meet with senior M&S figures for urgent talks, I bumped into a woman petitioning for the store to stay.
M&S has been a major part of life in Swansea for decades. Losing them from Swansea would be a huge disappointment for many.
9/ This is a fast-moving situation. I’ll continue updating constituents about the work being done to protect British lives, uphold our values and safeguard our national interest.
8/ In the next month, households will see £150 come off their energy bills because of decisions made by the UK Government.
Longer term, we must get off the gas price rollercoaster with clean power produced in Britain - not least at new nuclear sites like Wylfa.
7/ The Chancellor’s plan to ensure sustainable public finances is the right one. Borrowing is set to fall this year - how we make sure Govt can act when needed in emergencies.
6/ On the economic consequences: it is still early days. But events like this show why it matters that government strengthens both household and public finances.
5/ Anyone in the region who hasn't done so already should register their presence with the Foreign Office and follow official travel advice.
You can do that here: www.gov.uk/government/n...
4/ I know many will be concerned about the human, geopolitical and economic consequences of what’s unfolding.
The UK Gov is working to get our people out of the region asap and I am doing everything I can to support the small number of constituents who have contacted my office.
3/ That’s why we are sending extra Typhoon jets to our squadron in Qatar, Wildcat helicopters to our base in Cyprus, and cooperating with the US military to protect British nationals and our allies.
2/ The Prime Minister’s approach is the right one: clear about what we are and are not doing.
The UK is not in the business of delivering regime change from the air. But we will always defend British nationals.
1/ Update on the situation in the Middle East for people in Swansea.
Today marks the end of a long week, with conflict now impacting countries far beyond Iran.
This is someone treating military action as a game - staggering lack of seriousness at a very serious time
Incredibly telling Kemi Badenoch interview on Today:
- can’t say what she’d actually want UK forces to do
- no idea what objective her proposed military action is to achieve
- hides from reality that single biggest constraint on British military = her govt’s defence cuts
That is directly relevant to the uncertainty we see in the Middle East - in the face of that (or other potential shocks) action to build more resilient public and household finances in normal times are key
Context here is that the last Conservative government borrowed more than the G7 average every single year. This year? We are borrowing less.
We don’t need to look at plans - we can look at out-turns where we promised a reduction in borrowing this year and have delivered it (almost 1% of GDP)
UK/US militaries are right now cooperating to protect British nationals and our allies - that is what matters most tonight. More generally, it is our job to set our policy based on what is in Britain national interest.
It’s not complicated: we’re not in the business of delivering regime change from the air but we will always defend British nationals
The Senedd is completely right to say the WRU has lost the argument.
Nobody supports what they're doing, no matter what club they support.
The WRU must think again - or clubs must vote for a change of leadership at the EGM.
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-...
Happy Purim to everyone celebrating in Swansea and beyond.
Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant Hapus everyone
This decision will have a real impact on the many loyal customers who regularly use the store and on dedicated employees, some who have worked at M&S for years.
They need to be shown the dignity and respect they deserve – its vital they are treated fairly at this difficult time.
Like many people in Swansea, I’m deeply disappointed at M&S’s decision to close their iconic city centre store.
I will be meeting with senior representatives from M&S next week to discuss what happens next.
www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-n...
I have been pushing for progress on all of these issues, in meetings with Zurich, the Bank of England, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and Persimmon.
Many people will rightly be following this case closely - I certainly will continue to do so.
Good to see this getting the attention it deserves - one of many problems amongst flat developments in Swansea incl:
👉 Badly needed remediation work at Swansea Point
👉 The saga of who takes responsibility for Meridian Quay
👉 Shoddy managing agents e.g. FirstPort
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
We’ve got a lot more to do, but we’ll get there 🌥️
⚡️Energy bills to fall by 7% in April due to Budget decisions. There’s lots more to do but Britain is defying the gloomsters:
- energy bills falling
- inflation ⬇️
- record surplus in January
- wages ⬆️
- business investment ⬆️
- fastest growing European G7 economy
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
It is pretty clear they haven’t even considered what this means for Wales. Looking forward to every Reform candidate for the Senedd explaining why in just a few months time they want to scrap over 100k Welsh workers’ pensions
Reform have just made a huge mistake ahead of Senedd elections in May. Their local government pension plans mean:
- scrapping the pensions of 1 in 9 Welsh workers
- abolishing the largest pension fund in Welsh history, crucial to investment across Wales
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
