Ramadan Mubarak

Ramadan is a time for reflection, community, and generosity. I'd like to wish Muslims across Wales and around the world a blessed and peaceful Ramadan.

Ramadan Mubarak.

In Cardiff East

On the Doorstep

Week in and week out, I hold regular street surgeries across Cardiff East, knocking on doors to listen to constituents, pick up casework, and answer questions. I do this all year round, and my team and I are here to help you.

If you have missed me at one of my recent door-knocking sessions and have an issue you would like to raise, you can contact me easily using the information below.

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 02921 329 736

You can also keep up to date with my work on my social media channels:

Facebook
X (formerly Twitter)
Instagram

Cardiff Council Budget

Cardiff Labour Council has announced its budget for the next financial year, following a record £40 million funding boost from the UK and Welsh Labour Governments.

This additional funding has allowed Cardiff Council to strengthen key public services, including:

£22.9 million for schools – a 7.5% increase from 2024/25
£12.8 million for Adult Services – a 7.8% increase from 2024/25
£8.8 million for central education services (covering home-to-school transport and support for Cardiff children educated outside the city) – a 16% increase from 2024/25
£6.5 million for Children’s Services – a 6.5% increase from 2024/25

This investment is only possible thanks to the strong partnership between Cardiff’s Labour Council and the UK and Welsh Labour Governments.

Tree Planting in Bute Park

Many years ago, I worked with Mel Boothman and Cathays Labour Councillors, Sarah Merry and Chris Weaver to establish a community orchard in Bute Park. Despite setbacks, including vandalism to trees, Mel’s commitment never wavered—she launched a Crowdfunder to replace them, helping to keep Bute Park at its best.

On St David’s Day, I was delighted to join Mel, Sarah, and Chris to plant a rare variety of apple tree, made famous by renowned Cardiff horticulturist Andrew Pettigrew, which was once thought lost for over 100 years.

A huge thank you to Mel and the team for their dedication to preserving Bute Park’s unique environment and heritage.

Have Your Say on the Future of Cardiff

Cardiff's Replacement Local Development Plan (LDP) will help shape our city for the next 11 years, ensuring future developments benefit our local communities and our economy.

Cardiff Labour Council has set out a plan to deliver 32,300 jobs, 26,400 homes, and a greener, more sustainable Cardiff.

Have your say on the proposals here.

Cardiff University Job Cuts

The proposed job losses at Cardiff University are deeply concerning, and I know has come as a significant blow to affected University staff and their families, many of whom are constituents. Students are also naturally concerned about how this will affect their degree studies.

I hope sufficient voluntary redundancies can be achieved to avoid any compulsory redundancies and that support is provided to those impacted.

I have met with university staff, trades unions representing staff, student representatives, and the Vice Chancellor and her senior team to understand the proposals, pose questions and make representations. I am working closely with my MP colleagues in Cardiff, all of whom have constituents affected by the proposals.

Please read a joint statement from all four Cardiff Labour MPs here.

Funding Boost for South Wales Police

This UK Labour Government is taking decisive action to rebuild our police services after the last fourteen years of Conservative governments.

A record £25.2 million increase to the South Wales Police's budget will provide officers with the resources they need to keep people and businesses in Cardiff East safe.

Read more here.

Universal Postal Service Consultation

The postal service is a lifeline for many people across Cardiff East. Daily postal deliveries ensure that individuals, businesses, and public services stay connected.

Ofcom is currently consulting on changes to Universal Postal Services (UPS) and what new arrangements for letter and parcel deliveries might look like. This is to ensure that services remain financially viable while continuing to serve the public's needs.

Read more about the proposed changes and how to have your say here.

Across Wales

Welcoming the First Minister at Downing Street

It was great to welcome, alongside Chancellor Rachel Reeves, the First Minister Eluned Morgan to Number 11 Downing Street for discussions about how our two Labour governments are delivering on our shared priorities for the people of Wales and the UK.

We are working together to raise living standards and put more money in peoples’ pockets, create jobs and invest in public services so that they are fit for the future.

Wales Week in London

For one week each year, Wales comes to London to celebrate our culture, showcase our businesses and promote our nation to the world.

I was delighted to mark this occasion with the announcement of a £600m investment by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners into Bute Energy Wales and Green Gen Cymru clean energy onshore wind projects that will create hundreds of new jobs across Wales.

Wales is open for business.

Growing Wales’s Economy

A big focus of my work as Secretary of State for Wales is to drive public and private investment into Wales to create economic growth and ensure that we create good, well-paid jobs across the nation as part of the mission to have clean power by 2030.

Earlier this month, I chaired the Welsh Economic Growth Advisory Board to discuss how to drive investment and identify priorities for the UK Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review. The Board brings together leaders from Welsh business, trade unions, universities and governments to maximise ideas, experience and knowledge.

Regeneration for Port Talbot

I was delighted to announce £8.2 million in UK Government funding for the first of several regeneration projects in Port Talbot. This is part of an overall £80 million package to support local people and businesses as the town shifts to clean steel production.

The new regeneration project will create a facility that brings university researchers, innovators and supply chain businesses in the steel and metals production sector to develop new products that reduce carbon emissions in their manufacture.

Watch highlights from my visit here and find out more details about the announcement here.

Wrexham - Flintshire Investment Zone

In December, I met leaders from the Welsh advanced manufacturing sector at Toyota’s factory in Deeside and visited two very successful supply chain businesses. I saw the huge potential for growth and for building on the talent and expertise that already exists in this part of Wales.

I’m delighted that the UK Labour Government is moving forward with the Investment Zone for Wrexham and Flintshire with £160 million of funding to grow our advanced manufacturing sector.

This Investment Zone will super-charge economic growth, create up to 6000 new jobs and generate £1bn of private investment, which will have a transformational impact on people living and working in North-East Wales.

Read more here.

Pembrokeshire Powering Labour's Clean Energy Mission

We have a world-class clean energy sector in Wales, with abundant natural resources and the potential to be a powerhouse for economic growth.

I want to see a thriving industry which delivers both well-paid jobs and contributes to our mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower by 2030.

I was pleased to be back in Pembrokeshire this month to meet with green businesses that will be key to developing floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea.

Celebrating Women and Girls in Science

On the 10th Anniversary of the first International Women and Girls in Science Day, it was a real privilege to meet Libby, an apprentice at Dragon LNG, to hear how she chose a career in energy engineering and is playing her part to deliver the UK Labour Government's Clean Power 2030 mission.

Inspiring women right across Wales are driving scientific and technological advancements here and abroad. Libby’s story precisely illustrates our commitment as a UK Labour Government to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

Aberystwyth – bid to be the UK’s first UNESCO City of Literature

I'm delighted to back Aberystwyth's bid to become the UK’s first UNESCO City of Literature. Aberystwyth has a rich literary history and is home to the National Library for Wales.

This bid will help us use the power of literature to build a vibrant literary community in this historic town and attract people from all over the world to visit it.

Sporting Facilities Fit for the Future

It was an absolute pleasure to open new 3G pitches at Trefelin Boys and Girls Club and meet some of the players, their families, and club staff.

I hope the UK Government funding that helped bring this Cymru Football Foundation project to reality will provide enjoyment for generations to come.

Learn more about the scheme and how it could benefit your local club here.

In Parliament

St David's Day Debate

This year's St David's Day debate in Parliament was a perfect opportunity to provide a seven-month update on what the UK Labour Government has already done for Wales to deliver on our manifesto promises.

I have contributed to this debate every year since 2015, but this was my first time speaking as a member of the UK Government. It was an honour to do so alongside Welsh Labour colleagues from across the country, standing united in our commitment to delivering for Wales.

In just seven months, we have already invested billions to drive economic growth, raise living standards and put more money in peoples’ pockets. New jobs created. A record-breaking budget settlement for the Welsh Government with an extra £1.7bn to spend on our Welsh public services. A big increase in funding for South Wales Police and forces right across the country. Clean energy projects funded and underway, and a relationship between the UK and Welsh Governments that has been transformed. The result: We now have two Labour governments prioritising what people in Wales want, need and deserve.

Watch in full below:

Defence Spending

As the conflict in Ukraine continues to unfold, Putin’s aggression has not only disrupted peace in Europe but has brought the global balance of power into sharp focus. The Prime Minister has made it clear that upholding national security is this government’s first duty.

Following discussions with our US and European partners, the Prime Minister has announced that from April 2027, defence spending will rise to 2.5% of GDP, with a clear ambition to reach 3% in the next Parliament.

This extra funding is necessary to bolster our security and keep us safe. But it also brings opportunities for many people in Wales who work in the defence sector, making jobs more secure and creating new jobs in defence manufacturing.

A New Deal for Workers

This month, I joined my colleagues and friends in the trades union movement to celebrate Heart Union's Week. Without the years of work of trade unions, we wouldn't have the rights many of us take for granted today, like paid annual leave, maternity leave and pay. There's still much more to be done to tackle injustices in the workplace.

Labour's New Deal for Working People will transform the workplace. By working in collaboration with our trade union partners, the UK Labour Government is busy pushing legislative measures through Parliament at the moment that will:

End exploitative zero-hour contracts
Ban fire and rehire
Provide day one rights at work
Strengthen trade union rights
Ensure fair pay

Polls show that people in Wales overwhelmingly back these measures. Yet Nigel Farage and his Reform MPs all voted against this important piece of legislation. Only Labour is on the side of the workers in Wales.

Tackling Knife Crime

It is far too easy for young people to get hold of a knife, often with life-changing consequences. We’ve all seen the devastating impact of knife crime in Cardiff East.

Our Labour Government has made it an urgent priority to address knife crime and the online market that facilitates it. We are investing in a new dedicated police unit to go after those who are breaking the law and putting children and teenagers’ lives at risk.

We’ve set an ambitious target to halve knife crime over the next decade, and we’ll pursue every possible avenue to save young lives and reach this target.

Raneem’s Law

Domestic abuse affects more than 2 million people (overwhelmingly women) every year, yet only 1 in 5 victims are estimated to report incidents to the police.

This UK Labour Government is taking urgent action to tackle violence against women and girls. The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has announced the launch of Raneem’s Law – a Labour manifesto commitment to introduce the first domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms.

This is a crucial part of our mission to better protect victims, pursue those who commit these appalling crimes, and halve violence against women and girls within a decade.

Cleaning up our Water Ways

The UK Labour Government is taking decisive action to clean up our water sector, tackle environmental degradation, and hold water companies to account after years of inaction.

The Water (Special Measures) Bill will ensure the bonuses of water executives are tied to environmental performance; customers will have stronger avenues to hold companies to account, and compensation for service failures—such as ‘boil water’ notices—will be doubled.

Read more about the measures Labour is taking to clean up our waterways here.

Cardiff Labour Students Visit Parliament

The transformative change being delivered by this UK Labour Government wouldn't be possible without the support and tireless activism of Labour Students.

It was a pleasure to give them a warm Welsh Labour welcome to Parliament alongside my colleagues, Alex Barros-Curtis MP, Jessica Morden MP and Catherine Fookes MP.

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