14/07/2016 BBC Wales Today

Just weeks ago, he was a contender to lead the Conservative party.

Today, Pembrokeshire MP Stephen Crabb resigns from the cabinet,

following newspaper allegations about his private life.

When he went for the leadership he was essentially a Welsh MP. I think

it raised the profile of Wales and the Conservative Party in Wales.

Alun Cairns stays on Welsh Secretary.

We'll have all the analysis live from Westminster.

Also tonight, hundreds of jobs are lost, as a major bus company

Getting paid last week was the last. We've got to apply to the Government

We've got to apply to the Government for the rest.

Questions over why millions of pounds of public money

was ploughed into this failed steel coating company when the Welsh

They fought to save their school sixth forms, now campaigners

are worried Pembrokeshire council is back-tracking.

And how tragedy on a lighthouse off the Pembrokeshire coast in the 1800s

The highest profile Welsh MP in the cabinet has resigned.

Stephen Crabb, who was work and pensions secretary,

said the decision was in the best interests of his family

following newspaper allegations about his private life.

The MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire, who was promoted from being

Welsh Secretary in March, was one of several contenders

for the Tory leadership who lost out to Theresa May.

Our parliamentary correspondent David Cornock is at Westminster

Main Mac has completed her first Cabinet reshuffle. There is one

Welsh MP left, Alun Cairns has been reappointed Secretary of State for

Wales, but Stephen Crabb's resignation is one of the big

surprises. It's not clear if he was offered another job and turned it

down or asked to stay at work and pensions, but his departure marks a

rapid change of fortune for one of politic's rising stars. He was the

future ones. When Stephen Crabb was summoned to this lunchtime it was

expected to be good news. Ministers are sacked in private, only those

with job offers get to do the Downing Street walk. He emerged

having resigned from the Cabinet, in a statement he said that after

careful reflection he had told Theresa May he wouldn't be in her

government, in the best interests of his family. Colleagues were

sympathetic. I am sad that Stephen has resigned. He is one of Wales's

most talented politicians. He brought a lot, I understand why, but

I hope it is Stephen being benched rather than taken off the team.

His decision follows reports that the married father of two had sent

suggestive text messages to a young woman. Behaviour that seems at odds

with the leadership is based on his values. -- a leadership bid based on

his values. Resilience, optimism, humility,

strengths. Qualities he said he had learned

from his mother who single-handedly raised him and his brothers in a

council house in Haverfordwest. Despite finishing fourth of five

colleagues thought he ran a good leadership campaign.

To not take a position now when there is a huge government coming

in, there is a lot of change and merging departments. There is room

for everybody to come back. I expect Stephen Crabb to be back in

government, certainly within my period.

Even by Westminster standards Stephen Crabb has been a remarkable

rise and fall, from the Wales Office to the Department for Work and

Pensions, to leadership contender and is now back to the backbenches,

all inside for months. But that 43, friends hope that time is on his

side for his resilience and optimism to deliver a comeback.

David, there is no movement at the Wales Office? No, Alun Cairns had a

slightly more pleasant visit to Downing Street this afternoon. He

met Theresa May and was reappointed to the role he took on four months

ago. We caught up with him a short time ago and he gave this reaction.

Privileged, of course, to have been reappointed to the role by the new

Prime Minister, Theresa May, but of course there is work to do. I want

to continue the track I've been pursuing for the last four months.

Steel is our priority of and course I meeting with Greg Clark very soon

to discuss the immediate issues. There is also the Wales Bill which

will empower the Assembly to deliver on policies on the things that

really matter, as well then as the fallout of the Brexit referendum.

Alun Cairns highlighting key issues in his injury has he was carries on

his time at the Welsh office. He spoke with Kancoat bowed to steel

into street and the uncertainty of jobs and delivering Welsh

legislation that will give the Assembly more powers. -- he spoke

with Theresa May. He will definitely have his hands full, no news on his

deputy but we are expecting little better to be reappointed in natural.

320 people have lost their jobs, and there's been disruption for bus

passengers across North Wales after a coach company near Wrexham

GHA Coaches operated more than 230 vehicles on school-bus routes

Matthew Richards is at the company's base.

This was a massive shock for drivers and other staff

who learned their fate in a text message last night.

They've been told by administrators that they've been made redundant

Meanwhile councils have scrambled to make sure children can get

to and from school and other passengers have been left stranded.

Hundreds of GHA staff gathered at the company headquarters this

morning to be told that the company had ceased trading and

As they emerged there was anger, sadness and bewilderment.

I'm not sure what to do with this. I'll give it to you. The owners are

gutted. They worked hard. They were good hard working people and we've

lost everything. It's really sad. We got paid last week 's wages, the

We got paid last week 's wages, the last one, we've got to apply for

GHA coaches was established in 1990 and had grown into a major public

transport provider carrying schoolchildren from Flintshire,

Wrexham and Denbighshire as well as other passengers

into Gwynedd, Conwy, Shropshire and Cheshire.

But administrators say a winding up order was issued

by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs over unpaid tax, it's

thought the firm had debts of about ?3 million.

That's left these passengers in Llangollen stranded at the bus stop.

This is a very important service. The service to Wrexham is very

important because there are quite a few people who use it to go to work.

What are you going to do? I'm not sure. I'll have to start looking...

I haven't thought that far ahead. I really haven't.

Councils across North East Wales raced to find replacement bus

services on their school runs, with other passengers

hoping their journeys will continue under new operators.

We've got services running through them be and back, a full timetable

so the whole day. They are working on additional services in other

areas of the county. It will take time. I hope the public with us on

this and will be with us because it is very difficult.

The Welsh Government says it's been working to protect the network

provided by GHA coaches and wants to minimise any adverse effect

of the company entering administration.

Just before being appointed the Transport Secretary today Chris

Grayling said they would try and tab. When a business is placed into

a ministration it is difficult to save it, but I know that the Welsh

office will do everything they can to provide appropriate support with

to provide appropriate support with a unable to do so.

It's not yet clear what's caused the company's financial predicament

but some passengers have complained about inconsistencies

Now they, and the employees, find themselves without

The administrators have said they will explore any options to see if

part of the business can be saved but they are priority is paying off

creditors. As for former employees a number of them were speaking to the

rival bus company a Riva today to see if any work could be got from

them. Some have been told they can stay on while any outstanding

business such as repairs are carried out. Bank you.

BBC Wales understands the leader of Ukip in Wales, Nathan Gill,

is to stand as a running-mate to Ukip MEP for the North West

Steven Woolfe, in a bid for the party's leadership.

A source has said Mr Gill, who is an MEP and an AM,

Ukip is looking for a new leader after Nigel Farage announced

he was stepping-down earlier this month.

Ukip's Neil Hamilton could have some of his living costs

paid by the taxpayer, despite not living in Wales.

Assembly Members can claim more than ?8,000 per year for Cardiff

accommodation expenses if they live outside South Wales.

The Assembly's Independent Remuneration Board is considering

a change to the rules for AMs living in England.

A third man has been charged with the murder

of 29-year-old Lynford Brewster, who died of stab wounds last month

following an incident in the Llanedyrn area of Cardiff.

23-year-old Jake Whelan from Kidderminster appeared before

Two other men also remain in custody charged with the murder.

Campaigners who fought to save their school sixth forms

in Pembrokeshire fear the council could be back-tracking,

after all plans have now gone back to the drawing board.

The head boy of Tasker Milward school told BBC Wales,

he's written a letter of complaint to the council, describing the whole

Secondary schooling is a divisive subject in Pembrokeshire,

with protests outside the council HQ and mud-slinging inside.

This proud county has deserved better for the last four years.

You have bled it dry and your legacy will cause us

Having fought a three year campaign to vote down plans that

would scrap their sixth forms and centralise A-Level provision,

it's now back to scratch, and campaigners have now been

The county council asked the same questions until the people

of Pembrokeshire get fed up and give them the answer they want.

That's really not the way to go about this.

This is far more important than that.

Pembrokeshire's now facing an uphill struggle, because the row over

secondary school reorganisation has now gone on for so long they're

in danger of missing out on the lion's share of funding

for 21st century schools, and meanwhile standards

Both secondary schools in the county town of Haverfordwest have been put

And across Pembrokeshire GCSE results are below

the national average, education-wise it's at the bottom

end of the league table, 16th out of the 22 local

Faced with this tough brief, the new member for Education told me

the council was still committed to the idea of an A-Level centre,

but wanted to do things differently this time.

I am very sympathetic with the concerns of

I am confident, however, that we can address those and,

particularly those eloquent sixth form people we've heard speaking

from Sir Thomas Picton, and Tasker Milward.

Thus, I want to reward them with something they can live with.

Whatever that is, it won't be voted on until next year, and the council

here knows education standards can't afford to wait that long.

The public spending watchdog says a steel-coating company in Swansea

went into administration despite being given more

than ?3million worth of financial support by the Welsh Government.

The government's own review of Kancoat described the company

as "high risk" with a "weak and inconsistent business plan".

The Government says it's made "a number of key changes"

Here's our political reporter Paul Martin.

Well, what better prospect on a hot summers day than a cruel can of

beer. But have you thought not of the beer, but we around it.

Cannons like this were made in Swansea for years by a American

metal firm. They left a decade ago with hundreds of jobs lost. Kancoat,

formed in 2012, was an attempt to bring the production line back to

life. It couldn't attract private finance but got support from the

Welsh government. It went bust in 2014, having created just 12 jobs.

Today's audit office report finds that the Welsh government's

investment had previously turned down Kancoat on the grounds they

were too risky. But the Welsh government decided to find the

company directly and continued to do so despite an internal review saying

the company's business plan was weak and inconsistent. Kancoat Noel owes

the taxpayer ?2.6 million. There have been several high-profile

failures of government backed firms in the last couple of years. The

Welsh government says the vast majority succeed on their role is

vital to job creation. So what is the right role of the Government to

take? This report says they shouldn't have invested in this,

they had a lot of reasons to say no and they ignored them. That needs

looking at. More generally the way the Government intervenes often

distorts the market, I think they are too quick to move when actually,

what they should be doing, is standing back and seeing where

support, coinvestors, rather than being the sole investor. If the

Government pulled out of this area completely there is no guarantee

that the private sector will fill the slack. You may end up with a low

economic activity. That has always been the problem in Wales. The

Government does have a role to play in helping that.

The Government is now assesses alone is more robust Leanne B taxpayer

could get back around ?1.6 million if a buyer is found for the

production line. -- more robustly. Changes have since been made. The

report now goes to the Assembly's Public Accounts Committee which will

decide whether to investigate in more detail.

The call for ?1 billion of rail improvements in North Wales.

And how the fate of two men stranded off the Pembrokeshire Coast

in the 1800s has inspired a new film.

The formation of the new cabinet is now known.

It is clear that Theresa May is serious about Brexit with so many

prominent Leave campaigners being given big jobs.

But there is still huge uncertainty about how it will all work.

Exactly three weeks after the vote, we look at Newport and Swansea,

two cities that voted conclusively to leave and ask how

Here's our political editor Nick Servini.

There is some heavy lifting ahead for politicians to negotiate the

UK's withdrawal from the European Union. Then weeks after the

referendum in this Newport gym expectations both good and bad are

weighing on people's minds. Newport will did to leave with 56% wanting

out. That is democracy. That is how it

works. It is now to the Government to do the will of the people.

They don't want to make too many people think they can leave as well.

I did vote leave. They weeks after what are your

thoughts? It is what it is, you can't change it.

The referendum was said to be a decision for future generations,

that will include the-year-old Ashton Davis, now blissfully unaware

of the political drama unfolding. His future was the reason his

grandmother voted to remain, while her partner, Chris, wanted to leave.

We just seem to be wallowing and we need direction now. We need to take

what the country has voted for forward.

We should have another referendum because they were a lot of lies told

by Sutin politicians will stop I don't know whether it was a fair

referendum. There are still and answered

questions, we are now, at least, getting a picture of a Theresa May

government that is deadly serious about Brexit sooner rather than

later. Remember, that will go down well here in a city like Newport,

after it's delivered a solid vote to leave. Swansea voted to leave as

well, so how is the new Prime Minister's chopping and changing

going down there? She's the one for the job. I do

think that, really do. I think she's quite a strong person,

she's been a good many years. She knows a lot about it.

Hopefully she will take is in the right direction. I think vessels are

snubbing us and perhaps they should get on with the job, trying to get

the economy going again. -- Russells are snubbing us.

Something fundamental did change the weeks ago and people will be

adapting to the consequences for generations to come.

Business leaders and politicians are calling for ?1 billion of rail

improvements between North Wales and North West England.

They say it would transform the economy of both areas

This station is a transport hub with services to Cardiff, Manchester and

London, not a and a place where many passengers are happy. I find it is

fine. I go off peak and it's easy. I just booked it online which was

good. Don't need a ticket, got it on my phone.

There are those who want to see improvements, Ashley Rogers, today

catching a train to Birkenhead, he would like to see the journey

improved and not just when his benefit.

It's about getting time to get to employment centres in time to start

shifts, to stop the working day. It's about getting to the right

places at the right time with the right speed. To go to lead it took

me three hours for 105 miles, that is slightly faster than a horse at!

That's not what we are looking for on the 21st-century.

Better service means improvement from the tracks upwards. The group

of politicians and businessmen from Wales and England have joined

together and set up a task force. They've drawn up a list of what's

needed. They want to see a electric trains

running on these tracks, they want a better service to Manchester and

direct trains to Liverpool for the first time. All in all it's going to

cost about ?1 billion, which means their next job is to convince the UK

Government scrap with some money. I am confident that the money could

be found. We've been invited, by the Treasury, to present this bid, and I

think we have made a good enough case to justify the investment in

the region. So, plenty more to do at a time of

change for rail travel. Business leaders are also keen that North

Wales should have a link into the new hate just to redline to London.

They admit the challenge now is to make it happen. -- H S two.

400m hurdler Rhys Williams has appealed against his omission

from Team GB's athletics squad for the Rio Olympics next month.

The London 2012 Olympian Williams will find out the results

Seren Bundy-Davies is the only Welsh member of the team,

Some football news, and after Wales' success

at the Euro 2016 championship, they're now ranked 11th

Reaching the semi finals means Wales has jumped 15 places,

leapfrogging England who are now in 13th place.

Imagine being stranded for three months on a wooden lighthouse

A storm rages outside bringing little hope of rescue.

That was the fate of two men on the Smalls Lighthouse off

the Pembrokeshire Coast back in 1801.

It's a story of madness and death which has now been turned

into a feature film, as Carwyn Jones reports.

20 miles off the premature coast the small slight towers has been

steering ships to safety from more than 200 years. In 1801 when it

stood on wooden stilts to lighthouse keepers found themselves marooned

here in the grip of one of the worst students on record. -- storms on

record. One of the man died, the other was rescued by the experience

had driven him mad. Before this beacon was built she took hundreds

of lives, perhaps she is still hungry.

Now those events have inspired a feature film. The Lighthouse made in

Wales with a home-grown cast and crew. As you would expect it is a

dark disturbing watch, that is exactly how the producers saw the

story. It is a psychological thriller about

being stuck somewhere. Hope was always at the end of the film you

came out of the cinema feeling like you've been stuck in a lighthouse in

a raging storm for a few months. The fuel is hugely ambitious, but

had a budget of just ?300. That ruled out shooting at sea, and of

course, there was no way to find an exact replica of the lighthouse.

Instead, the film makers recreated the lighthouse, the rocks and even

the Irish Sea view in this way has on a business Park in Cardiff. It

made an unlikely phone studio, but the producers made the most of it

using Wales's largest green screen they superimposed the C around the

actors. In fact, the film used no fewer than 400 individual effect

shots. But it wasn't all plain sailing.

We had rain and wind machines up and running. You'd should the scene, you

know, hammering torrential rain, indoors, then cut and vacuum the

rain. Clear up. That was time-consuming.

The lighthouse is currently touring Welsh cinemas, it may not be family

there, but it shines a new light on a dark chapter in maritime history.

Thankfully no storms but there is a change on the way.

A few clouds but some blue sky and sunshine as well,

This picture taken by one of our weather watchers.

The satellite shows a few cumulus clouds.

Clouding over in Ireland this afternoon and some of that

This evening dry with cloud increasing.

Dry into the night but cloud will thicken with spots of rain

in the north and west later in the night.

Lowest temperatures 10 to 14 degrees.

Cloudy with some rain in the north and breezy on the coast.

Further south drier but with spots of drizzle although the far South

Some places becoming dry in the afternoon.

It may brighten-up on the north coast, Flintshire and the Marches

Top temperatures 16 to 20 Celsius and breezier than today

A little rain and drizzle, especially on high ground

In Carmarthenshire tomorrow grey with spots of drizzle and mist.

17C in Whitland with a south-westerly breeze.

Tomorrow night cloudy with spots of drizzle.

Heavy on the mountains and a warm, muggy night.

The chart for Saturday shows high pressure over France with a cold

Drizzle, low cloud and mist and feeling muggy.

Drier in Monmouth and in the North it should dry and brighten-up

Drier and brighter with a few showers in the north

Some rain and drizzle on Saturday but gradually improving

The main news again. Prime Minister Theresa May has unveiled a new

cabinet in a major departure from David Cameron's top team. Stephen

Crabb who was Work and Pensions Secretary has resigned following

newspaper allegations about his private life while Alun Cairns stays

on as Welsh Secretary. 320 people have lost their jobs after a coach

company near Wrexham went into administration. GHA which runs good

bus services across North Wales operated more than

I'm back with an update at 8pm, and again after the