Cardiff Music Festival

Cardiff is already an exciting, noisy and energetic hub for concert goers, where ground-breaking homegrown talent mixes almost seamlessly with global icons.

This year it jumps a huge leap forward with the launch of the Cardiff Music Festival, three weeks of gigs, immersive experiences, residencies, installations, and pop-ups, pushing the boundaries of music innovation, performance, and technology.

The festival kick-starts on 27th September. Sign up for updates on the line-up here.

Optical Express Grand Opening

It was a privilege to officially open the new Optical Express state-of-the-art eye clinic in Park Place this month.

This new clinic will offer free vision correction surgery consultations and provide vital eye care services to residents of Cardiff Central and the rest of South Wales. The aim is to reduce NHS eye care waiting times in Cardiff, particularly for those in need of cataract surgery.

Changes to Bus Services

Cardiff Bus has announced a series of changes to their services which will come into force today (31st March).

Increased funding from the Welsh Government to local councils for supported bus routes will result in route alterations or the introduction of new routes to serve areas which would be commercially unviable.

Click here to see the changes.

BT Group Visit

BT Group has officially opened its new headquarters in Cardiff, following a multi-million pound investment in our city. This state-of-the-art facility will serve as the workplace for over 1,000 employees from BT Group, EE, and Openreach.

During my visit, I was updated on the scale of BT Group operations, expanding the provision of full-fibre broadband, supporting communities right across Wales.

Wear It, Share It

The Conservative cost-of-living crisis is leaving families in Cardiff Central having to make very difficult choices between heating, eating, and clothing their children.

Claire Goode is the founder of a charity called Wear It, Share It. Claire’s charity provides essential clothing items for toddlers to teenagers and also promotes children's health and well-being, allowing families to focus on other crucial needs. I was so impressed by the set-up and Claire’s dedication to making sure children and families don’t lose out.

Visit Wear It, Share It to see how you can support this vital project.

Visiting Cardiff School of Journalism

It was great to join former BBC Journalist, Mark Hutchings to speak to postgraduate print and broadcasting students at Cardiff University School of Journalism, Media and Culture in Central Square.

Cardiff’s Journalism School (JOMEC) is the UK’s leading journalism school and has many famous alumni. It’s success is something our city and Cardiff University can be incredibly proud of.

Redevelopment of Longcross Court

A pre-application consultation has been launched by Fusion Group for the demolition of current structures at Longcross Court in Plasnewydd. In their place, they are proposing to build student accommodation, along with ancillary and retail units.

Fusion will be hosting a presentation webinar, followed by a question and answer session regarding their proposals on Tuesday, April 16th. Residents are encouraged to register their attendance and provide feedback here.

Free Tech Training from AbilityNet

It was a pleasure to meet Lucy Walsh from AbilityNet to hear about her work helping to improve the digital skills of older and digitally excluded people.

AbilityNet offers a range of free training sessions to people over 65 including sessions on how to set up devices, make a video call, book a GP appointment and shop online.

Take a look at the courses on offer here.

STEM for Britain Awards

The STEM for Britain awards is a great opportunity for early-career scientists to present their work not just to parliamentarians but to senior members of the scientific community.

Huge congratulations to Cardiff University's Sama Al-Shammari on winning the bronze prize for her project, 'Revolutionising Gravitational Wave Analysis: Rapid & Robust Inference with Simulation-Based Methods'.

Internet Advertising Bureau

I was pleased to speak at the IAB (Internet Advertising Bureau) UK's roundtable at Media Wales in Cardiff Central, bringing together representatives from local media outlets including WalesOnline and the South Wales Argus to explore ways digital advertising can support small business growth and ensure a thriving future for local journalism in Wales.

Across Wales

A New First Minister of Wales

This month, Labour in Wales made history with the election of Vaughan Gething MS as both leader of Welsh Labour and our new First Minister of Wales. Vaughan is the first Black Head of Government of any European nation and news of his election was reported around the world. I have already started working closely with Vaughan and his new cabinet for the benefit of constituents in Cardiff Central and across Wales.

Watch my speech at the leadership election results event here.

Hitting the Ground Running with Vaughan Gething

It was great to join Labour's General Election candidate for Monmouth, Catherine Fookes and Vaughan Gething at Creo Medical in Monmouth on his first public visit as Leader of Welsh Labour.

The Chepstow based company is set to expand its premises and invest in state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment having received funding from the Welsh Government's Economy Futures Fund. This will create a further 85 jobs at their base in Chepstow.

This partnership highlights Welsh Labour's commitment to investing in growth that delivers quality jobs and ambitious futures in Wales.

Watch my latest video here.

Harnessing Wales's Green Energy Potential

Wales is brimming with green energy potential, but the Tories are holding us back. I visited the Port of Holyhead with Keir Starmer, Vaughan Gething, Ed Miliband and Labour's General Election candidate for Ynys Mon, Ieuan Mon Williams to announce how Labour's Green Prosperity Plan will invest in floating offshore wind to deliver cheaper energy bills for households and businesses for good, create new, good jobs in every part of the country and deliver energy security for the future.

Watch the video of our visit here.

Standing Up for Welsh Steel

Port Talbot is modernising steel production but the proposed closure of the blast furnaces on the site without a plan for a just transition to clean steel making risks the livelihoods of nearly three thousand workers.

The Tory Secretary of State for Wales has promised that there will be no worker left behind as a result of these closures and I'll be holding him to account every step of the way.

During my visit to Port Talbot, I reiterated Labour's cast-iron commitment to ensure the future of steelmaking in Wales is fuelled by the skills and ambition of our Welsh steelmakers through our £3bn green steel fund.

Watch my latest video here and read my recent article here.

Visiting the Port of Milford Haven

It was great to be back in Mid & South Pembrokeshire with Labour's candidate, Henry Tufnell, to hear more about Port of Milford Haven's plans to support renewable energy production. 20% of the UK’s energy currently comes into the country through the Port and it is a perfect location for the transition to renewable energy.

I was deeply disappointed to learn that despite the Port's best efforts, the Conservative UK Government has rejected the Port’s application for funding to develop infrastructure to support offshore wind in the region.

I believe Wales has the opportunity to be a world leader in floating offshore wind. A Labour government in Westminster will turbo-charge plans already underway in Wales, investing in renewable energy infrastructure, so that the new jobs created grow our Welsh and UK economy, providing opportunities for young people and bringing down our energy bills for good.

Watch my video and hear more about the opportunities here.

In Parliament

Backing New Nuclear Projects in Wales

To reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and the damage their emissions cause, we need to move to a clean, mixed energy supply. This includes nuclear power. Wylfa on Anglesey was identified in 2010 by the last UK Labour government as a suitable site for a new reactor. Consecutive Tory governments have dragged their feet on approving new nuclear projects in the UK, risking our energy security and letting energy prices soar. This month it was finally announced that the site had been purchased, but it's too little too late.

Had the Tories acted sooner, the project would now be 50% completed, with 8,500 people employed in its construction and a further 900 permanent jobs on their way.

At Welsh Questions in the Commons, I called on the Secretary of State for Wales to join Labour in backing new nuclear at Wylfa to unlock jobs, investment and cheaper energy bills.

Watch my questions here and read my most recent article on the issue here.

Tory Budget Disaster

The choices made by successive Tory governments have left British families exposed during the cost-of-living crisis. Their decisions have left our public services and our economy weaker and businesses reluctant to invest.

The UK economy has been hit by recession, but Rishi Sunak continues to claim that we have turned a corner, promising £46 billion worth of unfunded spending commitments. This is exactly what caused the economy to crash under Liz Truss’s 45 day premiership. It’s clear they haven't learnt a single thing since her disastrous mini-budget.

These commitments will either risk higher mortgages, cuts to the NHS or threaten the state pension as we know it. Rishi Sunak must come clean about how he will pay for the plan or set out whose taxes will have to go up.

No matter how the Tories try to spin this budget, it’s very clear that the biggest threat to the economy and family finances is five more years of Conservative chaos.

Watch my Budget interviews here.

Unite Airbus Visit Parliament

It was good to join my Labour colleague, Mark Tami MP, with Unite the Union Wales representatives from Airbus in Broughton and meet their counterparts from Airbus in Filton in Parliament last week.

I was really pleased to hear that Airbus is boosting production in Wales with a strong order book for the year ahead.

Marie Curie's Great Daffodil Appeal

Marie Curie provides vital care to those nearing the end of life, whether in their homes or in hospices across the UK.

It was a privilege to join Marie Curie's Cherry Rowland and Chris Kamara in Parliament to support this year's Great Daffodil Appeal.

You can show your support here.

It's Time to End Fire & Rehire

Two years ago, P&O Ferries unlawfully sacked 800+ UK seafarers replacing them with agency workers.

Tory ministers did nothing and they still haven’t.

I joined the TUC, National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers and Nautilus International at their rally outside Parliament calling for the end of Fire and Rehire. Labour’s New Deal for Working People, which will be introduced in the first 100 days of the next Labour government, will do exactly that.

World Book Day

Through World Book Day, every child in Cardiff Central will have received a £1 book token to promote the power of imagination and the importance of reading. Now in its 27th year, I was pleased to share how the scheme has helped to change lives by kickstarting a love for books and reading.

Learn more about World Book Day here.

Urgent Action Needed on Domestic Violence

Last year, just 6.8% of domestic abuse reports led to criminal charges. These aren't just statistics, these are more and more perpetrators being let off and victims being let down. This must change and fast.

Labour has a comprehensive plan to grip the situation and tackle violence against women and girls. A Labour Government will halve the level of violence against women and girls within a decade. As a first step we will:

Create a new domestic abuse register to track those convicted of domestic abuse.
Develop a scheme of independent legal advocates for rape survivors to support them, protect their rights and drive up standards in the criminal justice system.
Add 13,000 more neighbourhood police on our streets.
Roll out specialist rape courts to fast-track cases through the system.
Modernise the police by putting specialist domestic abuse workers in the control rooms of every police force responding to 999 calls and introduce a specialist rape unit in every police force.