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A Welsh minister has been sacked after a row over the leak of a text message, which she denies being behind.

First Minister Vaughan Gething said he had “no alternative” but to ask Hannah Blythyn to leave the Welsh government after a message from a ministerial group chat appeared in local news outlets.

But the former social partnership minister said she was “clear and have been clear that I did not, nor have I ever leaked anything”, adding she was “deeply shocked” at her dismissal.

Hannah Blythyn
Pic:Senedd Cymru
Image:
Hannah Blythyn. Pic: Senedd Cymru

It follows a Nation.Cymru news report featuring a message from Mr Gething sent in August 2020, which said he was “deleting the messages in this group”.

“They can be captured in an FOI [Freedom of Information request] and I think we are all in the right place on the choice being made,” the message added.

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Who is Vaughan Gething?

The Welsh Labour leader previously told the UK COVID-19 Inquiry that lost WhatsApp messages were deleted by the Welsh parliament’s IT team during a security rebuild.

But Mr Gething denied the leaked message referred to the Welsh government’s coronavirus response, and said it was from an iMessage group about internal party discussions.

He also said during a plenary hearing for the inquiry: “I reject completely the suggestion that I have not been honest with the COVID-19 inquiry.”

‘I have no alternative’

In a statement, Mr Gething said: “Having reviewed the evidence available to me regarding the recent disclosure of communication to the media, I have regrettably reached the conclusion I have no alternative but to ask Hannah Blythyn to leave the government.”

He added it was “of vital importance we are able to maintain confidence amongst government colleagues so that we work as one to focus on improving the lives of the people in Wales” – but said he has been clear, “there is a route back for her to take up a government position again”.

Ms Blythyn posted on X, saying she was “saddened” and that “integrity is all in politics and I retain mine”.

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Situation ‘almost unprecedented’

A spokesman for the UK COVID-19 Inquiry previously confirmed it had been made aware of the leaked message.

He added it was considering whether Mr Gething needed to provide further information.

Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Welsh Conservative Party, described the situation as “almost unprecedented” and called for him “to prove quickly that he is capable of governing Wales”.

Plaid Cymru’s leader Rhun ap Iorwerth went further and said: “If anyone should be considering their position, it is the first minister himself.”

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Why Boris’s best mate is off to Reform

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Why Boris's best mate is off to Reform

👉Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne’s on your podcast app👈       

Former Conservative chairman and friend of Boris Johnson – Sir Jake Berry – is defecting to Reform UK, causing more problems for Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.

On today’s episode, Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy discuss if his defection will divide parts of Reform policy.

Elsewhere, the Anglo-French summit gets under way, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hoping to announce a migration deal with French President Emmanuel Macron to deter small boat crossings.

Plus, chatter around Whitehall that No10 are considering a pre-summer reshuffle, but will it have any value?

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Australia to test CBDCs, stablecoins in next stage of crypto play

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Australia to test CBDCs, stablecoins in next stage of crypto play

Australia to test CBDCs, stablecoins in next stage of crypto play

The trial is part of Project Acacia, an initiative from the RBA exploring how digital money and tokenization could support financial markets in Australia.

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Starmer and Macron agree need for ‘new deterrent’ to stop small boat crossings

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Starmer and Macron agree need for 'new deterrent' to stop small boat crossings

Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have agreed the need for a “new deterrent” to deter small boats crossings in the Channel, Downing Street has said.

The prime minister met Mr Macron this afternoon as part of the French president’s state visit to the UK, which began on Tuesday.

High up the agenda for the two leaders is the need to tackle small boat crossings in the Channel, which Mr Macron said yesterday was a “burden” for both the UK and France.

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The small boats crisis is a pressing issue for the prime minister, given that more than 20,000 migrants crossed the English Channel to the UK in the first six months of this year – a rise of almost 50% on the number crossing in 2024.

Sir Keir is hoping he can reach a deal for a one-in one-out return treaty with France, ahead of the UK-France summit on Thursday, which will involve ministerial teams from both nations.

The deal would see those crossing the Channel illegally sent back to France in exchange for Britain taking in any asylum seeker with a family connection in the UK.

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However, it is understood the deal is still in the balance, with some EU countries unhappy about France and the UK agreeing on a bilateral deal.

French newspaper Le Monde reports that up to 50 small boat migrants could be sent back to France each week, starting from August, as part of an agreement between Sir Keir and Mr Macron.

A statement from Downing Street said: “The prime minister met the French President Emmanuel Macron in Downing Street this afternoon.

“They reflected on the state visit of the president so far, agreeing that it had been an important representation of the deep ties between our two countries.

“Moving on to discuss joint working, they shared their desire to deepen our partnership further – from joint leadership in support of Ukraine to strengthening our defence collaboration and increasing bilateral trade and investment.”

It added: “The leaders agreed tackling the threat of irregular migration and small boat crossings is a shared priority that requires shared solutions.

“The prime minister spoke of his government’s toughening of the system in the past year to ensure rules are respected and enforced, including a massive surge in illegal working arrests to end the false promise of jobs that are used to sell spaces on boats.

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“The two leaders agreed on the need to go further and make progress on new and innovative solutions, including a new deterrent to break the business model of these gangs.”

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, seized on the statement to criticise Labour for scrapping the Conservatives’ Rwanda plan, which the Tories claim would have sent asylum seekers “entering the UK illegally” to Rwanda.

He said in an online post: “We had a deterrent ready to go, where every single illegal immigrant arriving over the Channel would be sent to Rwanda.

“But Starmer cancelled this before it had a chance to start.

“Now, a year later, he’s realised he made a massive mistake. That’s why numbers have surged and this year so far has been the worst in history for illegal channel crossings.

“Starmer is weak and incompetent and he’s lost control of our borders.”

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