Wales Welsh Conservatives News

@adrianmasters84 they should discuss improving the A55 first

From @djones7774 on Twitter: ( 9:41 am, Mon 17 Jun 2013)

@adrianmasters84 What about early abolition of the tolls too? The tolls are an economic as well as physical blockage into Wales!

From @np20boy on Twitter: (11:24 am, Mon 17 Jun 2013)

@adrianmasters84 has anyone mentioned that 40% of the journeys on this section of #M4 are local journeys under 20 miles?

From @m_hemsley on Twitter: ( 9:29 am, Mon 17 Jun 2013)

• Politics
• Mfour
• Welsh Conservatives

Conservative MPs and AMs have met business leaders to push the case for a major upgrade to the M4 motorway around Newport. They held a mini summit at Magor Service station to ensure the UK Government gets the message that an upgrade is long overdue.

Wales Office minister Stephen Crabb represented the government and told those at the meeting that the message was being heard loud and clear at the highest levels in Westminster.

It's thought an announcement could come within the next week or so on a deal between the UK and Welsh Governments on a way to fund significant improvements to the stretch of motorway.

• Politics
• Mfour
• Welsh Conservatives

The Education Minister should consider his position in the cabinet because of his involvement in a campaign on A&E services in South Wales, according to the leader of the Opposition. But Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies stopped short of saying that Leighton Andrews SHOULD resign.

His comments follow the revelation that Labour politicians fighting to protect services at the Royal Glamorgan hospital in Llantrisant had been told not to use the party's name in the campaign. As Rhondda AM, Leighton Andrews, is the most prominent of those involved in the campaign.

The First Minister insists that Mr Andrews has not overstepped the mark in his involvement but Andrew RT Davies says the Education Minister should consider whether or not he can continue to battle for his constituents' interests whilst remaining in the cabinet.

From what I understand it would be quite difficult for him to continue in the cabinet given what he's said over the first two weeks of this campaign.

• Health
• Welsh Conservatives
• Andrew RT Davies

The Welsh Conservatives are describing Carwyn Jones' comments about a campaign group in support of A&E services at Llantrisant's Royal Glamorgan hospital as a 'slap-down' to Labour politicians involved. The party's Shadow Health Minister said:

This unprecedented slap down is more proof that the Labour Party is falling apart on the NHS.

Carwyn Jones has not only tightened the leash on his Education Minister, he’s strapped on a muzzle and forcibly caged him.

The campaign and its shroud-waving clearly show that Carwyn Jones’ government is in complete turmoil on NHS reform.

• Health
• Welsh Conservatives
• Darren Millar

Welsh Conservatives in the Assembly have been accused of repeatedly using 'dodgy figures.' Labour AM Ken Skates said the Opposition Leader at first claimed health service cuts amounted to £500m and later said the figure was £800m and listed other wide variations in figures quoted by Tory politicians

It's time Andrew RT Davies and his colleagues went back to school for some lessons in basic arithmetic as his party's figures simply don't add up.

How the Tory Group leader can somehow magic up an extra £300 million worth of NHS cuts in just a couple of months simply beggars belief.

• Politics
• Welsh Conservatives
• Ken Skates

Opposition leader Andrew RT Davies will speak to Scottish Conservatives at their conference in Stirling later. He'll use his speech to highlight the benefits to Wales and Scotland of being part of the United Kingdom.

He's expected to acknowledge that there has been hostility to devolution in the party in both countries but will argue that devolution suits Conservative values.

We must be honest with ourselves. Devolution has not been a universally popular process in the Conservative Party. We know it has not been a process that we have universally embraced, but time has shown that people want locally made decisions. Conservatives want locally made decisions. But we have dusted ourselves off and we have changed. I believe that is a good thing.

Devolution is not left wing or separatist, but it won’t be Conservative unless we make it so.

And to back up that claim he's expected to tell the Scottish Tories that recent policy launches by his group here in Wales show how a centre-right agenda can be promoted in a devolved context:

Over the past few months, my team and I in the Assembly have set our face to the task of doing Conservative things with devolution – and what a refreshing change it’s been. Whilst other parties have been determined to speak of nothing other than the constitution, the Welsh Conservatives have been setting out tax cutting agendas, small business financing schemes, even the privatisation of an airport. Conservative policies in a devolved setting, putting our values at the heart of everything we do: Localism, individual empowerment and economic liberty.

• Politics
• Andrew RT Davies
• Welsh Conservatives

The Welsh Conservatives say they've discovered that a Labour campaign name to fight controversial changes to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital was registered online four days before the announcement was made.

They've found an online record of the domain name 'LABOUR4ROYALGLAM' being registered on the 19th May. A public consultation on proposals for A and E services in South Wales was announced on 22nd May. They say the campaign's Facebook and Twitter pages have also been changed to 'Campaign4RoyalGlam'

Opposition leader Andrew RT Davies has accused Labour politicians involved in the campaign of 'hypocrisy' and says the online discoveries raise 'serious questions' about both the consultation and Labour's campaigning role.

This sorry affair raises questions that need to be answered. How did they know that the Royal Glamorgan was included in the proposals some four days before the announcement? How can the public have confidence in the legitimacy of a consultation process that seems to give Labour politicians the inside track? And, finally, why have all traces of the original website, Twitter and Facebook pages now disappeared?”

• Politics
• Royal Glamorgan Hospital
• Welsh Conservatives

Now that the Welsh Government's annual progress report has been published the response from the opposition parties in the Assembly hasn't been any more welcoming. You can see all the report's information and any progress made by clicking here. Opposition leader Andrew RT Davies said:

This annual report is nothing more than a fig leaf to cover the monumental failure of a tired and lazy Welsh Labour Government, which under Carwyn Jones, has run out of steam.

This document glosses over appalling waiting times in the NHS due to Labour’s record-breaking health cuts, fails to report on the progress of Enterprise Zones to secure economic growth and ignores the recent PISA tests which will lay bare performance in literacy and numeracy.

The Welsh Liberal Democrat leader was just as critical:

As I rightly suspected, the Welsh Labour Government published pages and pages of self congratulatory bumf with little meaning or use to Assembly Members or the people of Wales.

The actions they describe as key to delivering their promises vary from merely attending meetings and launching consultations to congratulating themselves on introducing legislation to the chamber. It is a less than useful analysis of the state of the government’s programme of action and the state of Wales in general.

• Politics
• Welsh Conservatives
• Welsh Liberal Democrats

Welsh Conservatives have updated their own alternative programme for government, saying that if they'd won the election in May 2011, a Conservative Welsh Government would have delivered the following:

• Ring-fenced the health budget to safeguard NHS services
• Abolished business rates for small businesses
• Directly funded schools to deliver more money to the classroom
• Introduced an Armed Forces Card to recognise the sacrifices of our troops

• Set up a Cancer Drugs Fund to end the postcode lottery
• Introduced a Welsh Language Charter Mark to reward excellence in Welsh language provision

Opposition leader Andrew RT Davies said

In contrast to Carwyn Jones’ lazy Labour Government, Welsh Conservatives went into the last election with a clear vision and package of measures to improve our public services and get our economy moving.

“We remain the only party committed to ringfencing the health budget and would have protected the NHS from Labour’s £800million cuts, which are now threatening to downgrade A&E services.

He admitted that his party's alternative plan would have meant cuts in other areas and that schemes such as free breakfasts and prescriptions were likely to have ended or been reduced. But he insisted his alternative list shows 'what a difference a Conservative Welsh Government would have made.'

• Politics
• Welsh Conservatives
• Andrew RT Davies

Welsh Tories want to use taxpayers money to build up Cardiff Airport and then sell it off to their mates for a pittance. That is Tory policy

From @ArfonJ on Twitter: ( 7:53 am, Mon 03 Jun 2013)

@adrianmasters84 but at least they have finally woken up to economic importance of it. #betterlatethannever

From @FLYCardiff on Twitter: ( 6:57 am, Mon 03 Jun 2013)

@welshconserv make huge U-Turn. Backing an interventionist approach. Late to the party, good to see them show up. http://t.co/P1b4IQyvvW

From @DanWalshie on Twitter: ( 9:45 am, Mon 03 Jun 2013)

• Politics
• Welsh Conservatives
• Cardiff Airport