Matt Phillips

Hi David, I methodically broke down the issues with Plaid's offer here: willhaywardwales.substack.com/p/inside-the-p… My journalism was also instrumental in the resignation of Plaid's last leader. Last week I broke down the problems with Labour's offer on hospitals: willhaywardwales.substack.com/p/have-they-th… Just 10 days ago I went to the Welsh Tory manifesto launch to question them about unfunded elements of their manifesto (which was oddly similar to yours): willhaywardwales.substack.com/p/wales-watchi… I assess all of these parties and am critical of their shortcomings. Despite this they all grant me access to their events because they understand that freedom of the press is vital to a democracy. Your party however does not. You don't dare be interviewed and won't take questions from me. When I did attend your conference in 2024 I was told that if I asked Mr Farage tough questions I wouldn't be granted an interview next time. Hardly a group who cares about free speech and debate I would suggest. I didn't think a bunch of proud patriots would be so cowardly when it comes to taking basic questions. If you change your mind and decide you (or any of your colleagues) want to do an interview about Wales, let me know.

👇@MonmouthshireCC

⚠️ this is not a good look for south wales over the next 36 hours. In Monmouthshire, our teams are stood up, we are prepared. If you are in a flood risk area,keep a regular check on @NatResWales website for alerts / warnings,prepare your property where you can, listen to advice

This was a lovely letter to receive this morning from His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales @KensingtonRoyal - it will matter to many in North Monmouthshire. Emergency responders / volunteers, residents and businesses have much still to do but a good start has been made👇

I picked up a stunning statistic today onthe flow rate of the River Monnow when it overtopped defences and flooded Monmouth. It usually has a flow rate of about 6 tonnes of water/second. It was running at 372 tonnes of water/second. That’s what 120mm of rain in short order can do

A huge thank you has to go to the teams from @torfaencouncil and @BlaenauGwentCBC who have been working alongside Monmouthshire crews all weekend to help with the Storm Claudia clean-up. Your support has been invaluable and is greatly appreciated.

Monmouth Leisure Centre will remain open tonight for those who have been affected by the Storm Claudia flooding and require assistance. Staff will be on hand to offer support.

Huge thanks to everybody who’s shared, sent messages and bought books over the weekend. You all rock…..am writing up my list of all the flood affected businesses I’ll be supporting over the coming weeks.

👇

It’s been a bit of a day, with more difficult ones ahead for the residents and businesses of North Monmouthshire. I’m not a big fan of the River Monnow at the moment! Flooding is horrible. The community spirit in and around Abergavenny / Monmouth is so strong though.

It has been an extremely difficult 24 hours across Monmouthshire. Having your property flooded is a terrible experience. Below is some practical advice. The scale of flooding being dealt with is unprecedented.

Storm Claudia is highly likely to bring a very wet day to parts of Monmouthshire tomorrow. Surface water and river levels will be issues. Keep an eye on the flood alert messaging @NatResWales A webpage has been set up to keep you up to speed. 👇

@GillibrandPeter I think The Bull pub in the Gun Quarter used to have a Welsh Male Voice Choir?

So… I’m moving full time to live in Birmingham. If anyone lives up here and speaks Welsh please say hello!! Speaking English all the time gets tiring 😆 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Os mae unrhyw un yn Birmingham yn siarad Cymraeg - dwedwch helo plîs!!

BREAKING Jeremy Miles has announced he will be standing down as an MS at the Senedd election. This means that both the men who ran to replace Mark Drakeford as Welsh Labour leader will no longer be MSs after the next election. Letter from Mr Miles & Eluned Morgan's response below:

What a stage today @TourofBritain -a brilliant win for Reno Evenepoel showing exactly what makes him an Olympic Champion, something he shares with @GeraintThomas86 who shared the joy of twice up the Tumble with the crowd at the top. All in all, a great day for Monmouthshire 🚴 👏

I'd like to reassure everyone that there are no plans to close Kymin View Primary School in Wyesham. I'm very disappointed by the deliberate misinformation that has been spread about this, causing so much anxiety. Please see fuller statement below 👇 tinyurl.com/KyminView

A big day for Monmouthshire tomorrow as we host National Armed Forces Day Cymru 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 1000’s will be at Caldicot Castle & Country Park to enjoy a thrilling programme. There will be a Spitfire fly past, fitting given founder of Rolls Royce, Charles Rolls, was a man of Monmouthshire

It is 9 months since I left WalesOnline so time for an update. In that time my newsletter has had 300k views with a fast growing subscriber base. It's heartening that there is a market for investigative journalism and analysis of Welsh issues. Thank you so much for all the people who have subscribed and the incredible @hellostarling_ for sponsoring. I have some big announcements coming up on how I will be expanding my coverage of Wales soon. If you want to support independent Welsh journalism and reach a quality readership please consider becoming a sponsor. The podcast For Wales, See Wales which I do alongside comedians @MelOwenComedy and @robinjaymorgan and is produced by HayMan Media is nearing 40 episodes and has just exceed 100,000 downloads as well as a live show. In terms of social media I have had over 12m views on my journalism in nine months. I have also written 11 columns for The Guardian, all specifically covering Wales. I am proud of what I have managed to build so far. It is really hard going it alone but I really believe in what I am trying to do. There are some big announcements to come over the next few months so watch this space. Again, if you want to support the newsletter, please do get in touch. Diolch! Will

Hard to imagine what this day was like 80 years ago and it's a fading, living memory. But if you just take a moment to attempt to consider the magnitude of the announcement and the incredible sacrifice given for more than half a decade it's staggering. #VEDay80

Head stabilisation of a kestrel