Grounded Promises: The Flight That Never Took Off

The failure of the flight wasn’t just a logistical mishap. It was a collapse of systems, of promises made and broken. Immigration authorities had coordinated for weeks, legal teams had filed appeals, and families had braced themselves for goodbyes. Yet, in the end, the aircraft remained grounded — due to weather, paperwork, politics, or protest. The reasons were many, but the impact was singular: uncertainty.

Behind the scenes, activists rallied, lawyers scrambled, and bureaucrats debated. Was the flight’s failure a technical error, or a quiet act of resistance? Was it mercy, or merely mismanagement?

Go now and call an election!!!

Is Welsh Labour facing a turning point as we approach a year to go until the Senedd election?

Feelings behind the scenes that UK Labour does not get the fight that the party in Wales will face at the ballot box are starting to spill over.

Whether they spill over into 'clear red water' - a phrase coined at the start of the century to describe how the Welsh party differentiated itself from its Westminster colleagues - remains to be seen.

The First Minister, Eluned Morgan, told the Senedd on Tuesday that she will be making a speech next week to outline her position "more clearly" on the UK Labour government's welfare reforms – a controversial issue in Wales, where claimant levels are high.

Lets be clear on this...Welsh Labour is not a political party in itself, it is a subsidiary of the main party on license from THE LABOUR PARTY, and there is only one RULE BOOK. This can be removed very quickly.                                       Labour is morally and economically BANKRUPT

A 47-year-old man from Butetown has been jailed for 18 years after being found guilty of multiple child sexual offences.

Liton Ahmed denied six counts of sexually assaulting a girl by touching and one count of attempted sexual assault but was convicted following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court in April.

He was sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on 26 August 2025. Alongside his prison term, Ahmed was placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely, handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and given a restraining order in respect of the victims.

Detective Constable Steven Taylor, who led the case, praised the bravery of the victims:

“I want to commend the victims for their courage in coming forward – thanks to their reports and support, justice has been served. It has been a traumatic time for everyone involved and I am hopeful the outcome at court brings the victims and families some comfort which they deserve.”

In the wake of Angela Rayner's departure, Number 10 has carried out a swift and drama-free reshuffle that is all about delivery, but they shouldn't congratulate themselves too soon.

While they focus on pragmatism, political forces that have been threatening to destabilize the entire Starmer project are about to be unleashed. Firstly, the Labour party itself, which has always been an unwieldy beast, is getting ready to bite.

With Rayner's exit, Number 10 has lost its working-class human shield, its bridge between the party and the prime minister, and the northern woman who made its pale, male leader more palatable to a sizable section of the movement.

Any dwindling loyalty from the left was largely linked to her, and in her absence there will be no holding back. And for Sir Keir's critics, they have the perfect vehicle to air their grievances - a potentially drawn-out and damaging deputy leadership contest, which could easily overshadow the forthcoming conference. All of which will prompt a weary electorate to wonder if this really is a whole new public-facing Labour party or if the relentless infighting was simply paused while they secured power.

This takes us to the next big obstacle of the local elections in May which, as things stand, will see them hammered from all sides.

The chancellor may need to abandon key election commitments to secure approximately £50 billion in additional revenue, tax specialists from the national consultancy Crowe have cautioned. The firm's experts have speculated potential measures could include imposing VAT on private medical services and increasing wealth levies - in the budget which has already been touted 'the Nightmare before Christmas'.

The consultancy's senior partners have outlined scenarios where Labour might target those with "broadest shoulders" through new taxation measures. These predictions indicate significant changes to inheritance tax arrangements and capital gains tax rates may be forthcoming. The specialists warn that manifesto pledges protecting ordinary workers from tax increases appear increasingly difficult to maintain given the scale of revenue required.