A report showing that 75% of identified adult care home places in Wales are run by for-profit providers, and that the only growth in supply of places is coming from private investment firms, should be a wake-up call for politicians and council leaders ✍️Martin Shipton

Three quarters of adult care homes in Wales are run for profit, report confirms

Martin Shipton A new report showing that 75% of identified adult care home places in Wales are run by for-profit providers, and that the only significant growth in supply of care home places is coming...

nation.cymru

The limits of a UK political system that has refused for ten years to make hard decisions are reached. There are no easy answers. There is no magic money / growth tree. Leaders are going to have to make choices.

Lewis Goodall@lewisgoodall.com · 2mo ago

NEW: John Healey quits over defence funding. Devastating letter for the government and Keir Starmer: “You have been unable and the Treasury has been unwilling to commit the resources the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats.”

Recommended read: An interactive piece from BBC News described how the forecasted “super” El Niño could impact global climate and weather in the coming months.

Prepare for El Niño, UN warns - it could be the strongest in decades - BBC News

Scientists fear the combined effects of El Niño and human-caused climate change could reshape weather around the world

buff.ly

EXCLUSIVE Andy Burnham interview in this week's New Statesman On the fight against Reform, what he would do differently to Keir Starmer, and how he wonders whether Brexit would have turned out differently if he had been elected Labour leader in 2015. www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

Andy Burnham's door-knock to Downing Street

On the campaign trail with the Manchester mayor in Makerfield

newstatesman.com

UK’s most flooded farmer on the national security threat posed by climate change www.channel4.com/news/uks-mos...

UK’s most flooded farmer on the national security threat posed by climate change

The British way of life is under severe threat. That's the stark warning issued by the government's Climate Change Committee in a landmark report out today.

channel4.com

Diddorol iawn, one to watch... www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

John Swinney pushes on with food price caps despite ‘gimmick’ row

Retailers dismiss the SNP proposal to limit the cost of staples like bread and milk, but it has resonated with voters. How it would work remains unclear

thetimes.com

Congratulations to Rhun ap Iorwerth on your appointment as Prif Weinidog Cymru. We look forward to working with you and the government to ensure future generations are at the heart of our decisions in Wales. @rhunapiorwerth.bsky.social

Senedd Wales@senedd.wales · 3mo ago

Rhun ap Iorwerth MS has been nominated by the Senedd to become the First Minister of Wales.

Fertiliser shortages will have ‘dramatic’ effect on global food prices, warns farming boss

Fertiliser shortages will have ‘dramatic’ effect on global food prices, warns farming boss

Powerful property and farming firm Grosvenor Group says knock-on effect of Iran war could arrive next year Fertiliser shortages caused by the Iran war have driven up costs for UK farmers by up to 70% and will have a “dramatic” impact on food prices globally next year, according to one of Britain’s most powerful property and farming companies. Mark Preston, executive trustee of the 349-year-old Grosvenor Group, controlled by the Duke of Westminster, said fertiliser “was already quite expensive” before the 50% to 70% surge in prices since the start of the Iran war in late February. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

“You might as well just go for it. What’s the point otherwise?” Ed Miliband on net zero, homegrown power and reimagining the economy. Thoughtful interview www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

A certain idea of Ed Miliband

How did Labour’s former leader become the most powerful man in government?

newstatesman.com

I am so excited to announce my book "Who Cares About Wales" will be out this Friday! What is even more exciting is the reviews. When you pour a year of work into 95,000 words you start to question if what you have written is any good. 1/3

The pattern will continue until we transition to renewables.

Isabella M. Weber@isabellamweber.bsky.social · 5mo ago

The war on Iran likely brings a new oil price shock and windfall profits. So, who stands to win? Our research shows: Last time around (2022), the US reaped the largest fossil fuel profits of any country ($377bn). 50% went to the top 1%, only 1% to the bottom 50%. A🧵

A far more open and honest autobiography than any of the political memoirs written by men that I’ve read. A fascinating concluding hope of a confederation of the British Isles (with an Indy Scotland). Enjoyed that Edwina Hart got a mention.

This is very good on personalities but also the fundamentals- UK govts since the financial crisis don’t know what to do in the era of low growth.

The New Statesman@newstatesman1913.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Morgan McSweeney’s political obituary, by Tom McTague

Ooof. Even if written for a US audience, highly relevant for UK.

David Roberts@volts.wtf · 6mo ago

If you're going to scold the left, this is how to do it: in good faith, based on deep personal experience, sympathetic to its values & goals. I hope everyone in the green groups reads this.

If you're going to scold the left, this is how to do it: in good faith, based on deep personal experience, sympathetic to its values & goals. I hope everyone in the green groups reads this.

I Said Environmentalism Was Out of Ideas. I Was Wrong. It's Worse.

How the people fighting for the planet lost touch with the people living on it

drlennecefer.substack.com

Members of the Scottish Parliament have just voted to pass the world’s first piece of legislation on Community Wealth Building This is a huge opportunity to ensure that when Scotland has economic growth, we use it to reduce wealth inequality and support communities to thrive

the key here is that Mandelson had stepped back from running Global Counsel but still had a huge shareholding in the business while he was ambassador

Jim Pickard@pickardje.bsky.social · 6mo ago

New on FT website: Downing Street has refused to say whether Sir Keir Starmer knew Palantir was a client of Peter Mandelson’s lobbying firm when they both visited the company in Washington last February — ahead of it winning a £240mn UK government contract. www.ft.com/content/5bba...

Nearly 100 peace walls still exist in Northern Ireland. Belfast has the only park in Europe separated by a peace wall. Now with a daytime gate. Really good read here on whether these walls will ever come down martin-fletcher.squarespace.com/why-belfast-...

I had missed the yougov polling finding on which party being in Govt in Wales is a nightmare scenario. Diddorol iawn > www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

‘You can tell the mood has changed’: How Plaid Cymru led the Welsh fightback against Reform

Nigel Farage’s party was on the charge in Wales – but after the seismic Caerphilly byelection, progressives now believe they can come out on top in May

theguardian.com

Wales in the only country in the UK with a local food partnership in all of our local authority areas. They’re helping us grow more healthy, sustainable and local food and getting it to those who need it most. www.buzzmag.co.uk/food-partner... @futuregencymru.bsky.social

Food partnerships in Wales: turning good food into local action in 2026

Jane Cook takes a look at aims to make Wales' excellent domestic food produce – and producers – accessible to as many people as possible.

buzzmag.co.uk

Statement: Restoring nature is a literal life and death issue – and everyone has a role in it. Derek Walker, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, responds to the State of Natural Resources Report. futuregenerations.wales/news/stateme... @natreswales.bsky.social

Global water bankruptcy. Yes we’re very damp in Wales but we rely heavily on food imports from water stressed parts of the world > www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Era of ‘global water bankruptcy’ is here, UN report says

Overuse and pollution must end urgently as no one knows when whole system might collapse, says expert

theguardian.com

2.7m workers will benefit when the national minimum wage goes up to £12.71 in April 😍

Massive Caerphilly by-election poll! Survation/Camlas poll makes it a two horse race: Reform 41.61% PC 38.29% Lab 12.37% Con 3.65% LD 1.35% Green 2.72% Labour previously had an 18 point majority here and 46% of the vote. The Tory vote has collapsed. 70% of their voters now going to Reform.

Our latest pod 'Why do we have a new Senedd voting system that no-one wanted?' is now on all the podcast feeds, where @lauramcallister30.bsky.social, Lauren McEvatt and Lee Waters MS discuss the new voting system for #Senedd26 #Wales #Cymru Also on YouTube! 👇 youtu.be/91MyTLRa0iE

Why do we have a new Senedd voting system that no-one wanted?

YouTube video by Welsh Politics Pod

youtu.be

[me, a journalist who spends all day every day on a social media app where the discovery algorithm is personally controlled by its owner, captain birdseye] you know, a lot of people are talking about fish fingers, we should probably cover that

🥰 Good News Friday! RSPB Newport Wetlands is home to Wales’ only breeding colony of Avocet, the bird on our logo - and this year we’ve got a fantastic 13 Avocet chicks! Da iawn to all the dedicated staff and volunteers at RSPB Newport Wetlands! 📸 : Ben Andrew

The stereotype of a valleys authority is one where there is a lack of employment opportunities, but the latest figures demonstrate employment levels in Caerphilly County Borough are higher than the Welsh average ✍️James Pritchard, Caerphilly County Borough Council

We have a target to support over 1,000 people with more secure employment. This is how we’re doing it.

James Pritchard, Deputy Leader Caerphilly County Borough Council The role to which a Council can take to support people into employment, should not be underestimated. Whilst a Council can does not pro...

nation.cymru

5/ Markets need both supply 𝐚𝐧𝐝 demand. The UK government has historically focused on market architecture, which is great, but without policy to drive business investment, these markets risk failing before they start so this call for evidence is really welcome. Learn more in our briefing ⤵️

How to increase private investment in nature » Green Alliance

In this briefing, we set out options to drive more private finance into nature

green-alliance.org.uk

📢 Excellent news: Defra has launched a call for evidence on expanding the role of the private sector in nature recovery. We’ve been advocating for progress here alongside others. A thread on why this matters and what's next. 🧵 /5