:00:00. > :00:00.Welcome to Wales Today, our top stories...
:00:07. > :00:11.Labour is once again the biggest party, with 29 seats.
:00:12. > :00:15.will they go it alone or seek support from another party?
:00:16. > :00:18.Plaid Cymru replaces the Conservatives in second place,
:00:19. > :00:20.but fails to make the wider breakthrough across
:00:21. > :00:30.No-one could possibly describe this Welsh election that way -
:00:31. > :00:34.Were we distracted by other political blockbusters?
:00:35. > :00:36.Or is it because our electoral system delivers
:00:37. > :00:55.You can answer your door again now. It's all over.
:00:56. > :00:59.When the door bells rings, its won't be one of them canvassing.
:01:00. > :01:01.Elections are battles of ideas. A war of words.
:01:02. > :01:04.But ultimately, it's numbers that count.
:01:05. > :01:07.And they show Labour is once again the biggest
:01:08. > :01:11.party in the Senedd, with 29 seats.
:01:12. > :01:15.The Conservatives just behind, on 11.
:01:16. > :01:19.The new kids on the block, Ukip, won 7 - their first ever
:01:20. > :01:23.The numbers don't tell the whole story, though.
:01:24. > :01:25.Scratch beneath the surface and there are questions
:01:26. > :01:30.Labour's share of the vote has fallen again -
:01:31. > :01:34.astonishingly so in constituencies like Blaenau Gwent and Rhondda.
:01:35. > :01:37.Leanne Wood might have won there, but her party, Plaid Cymru,
:01:38. > :01:39.couldn't win enough hearts and minds to secure the national
:01:40. > :01:48.The Conservatives failed to build on last year's strong
:01:49. > :01:50.General Election showing, while the Lib Dems Christmas party
:01:51. > :01:53.will be a quiet affair - there's just one of them.
:01:54. > :01:57.Bouyant tonight, but some wonder if they'll last the course.
:01:58. > :02:01.Let's start with Labour and Roger Pinney.
:02:02. > :02:05.For almost a century, the party has shaped
:02:06. > :02:12.And in the Assembly, Labour has governed for every one of the
:02:13. > :02:16.Today, that remarkable run is extended, but Labour
:02:17. > :02:21.I've had a range of phone calls actually just before we came on air.
:02:22. > :02:25.Pretty nervous about a number of the marginal seats that we've
:02:26. > :02:33.That sentiment was picked up by many of us watching
:02:34. > :02:37.This election has been different for Labour.
:02:38. > :02:39.Speak to candidates, to party workers, and they will tell
:02:40. > :02:42.you they've had a real fight on their hands,
:02:43. > :02:47.even in seats, where traditionally they've won comfortably.
:02:48. > :02:49.Here in North East Wales, for example, there is
:02:50. > :02:55.In Wrexham, Lesley Griffiths was defending a healthy
:02:56. > :02:59.She won again, but with a swing against her.
:03:00. > :03:01.It's been hard, it's been hard.
:03:02. > :03:05.We always said this was going to be our toughest election,
:03:06. > :03:08.because we've been in power for 17 years and you will have
:03:09. > :03:10.heard our opposition parties say it's time for change.
:03:11. > :03:12.Well, it's not something that you just get.
:03:13. > :03:16.You have to earn every vote and I've been very happy to go out there,
:03:17. > :03:20.tell the Welsh Labour story and earn those votes.
:03:21. > :03:22.And for Wrexham read Vale of Clwyd, where the Conservatives won
:03:23. > :03:27.And in Deeside, Delyn, all seats Labour held again this time,
:03:28. > :03:39.They go into the Assembly with 29 seats, just one down on last time.
:03:40. > :03:40.Tory challengers in places like Cardiff North and
:03:41. > :03:46.Not bad it appears for a party in government for 17 years.
:03:47. > :03:48.But look at Labour's overall share of the vote.
:03:49. > :03:58.Even in the South Wales valleys, Labour found itself in a battle.
:03:59. > :04:01.Here, there was the biggest shock of the night, in Rhondda.
:04:02. > :04:05.Leighton Andrews' 6000 majority was swept aside
:04:06. > :04:14.It wasn't something that we saw coming.
:04:15. > :04:18.There was no indication of it on the ground, so we will need
:04:19. > :04:20.to look very carefully at what happened in the Rhondda
:04:21. > :04:23.in order to put ourselves in a position of being able to win
:04:24. > :04:28.But we are happy with the fact that we held off a Conservative
:04:29. > :04:35.The pattern was repeated across Labour's heartland.
:04:36. > :04:40.was defending a 10,000 vote majority.
:04:41. > :04:44.He won by just 650, a massive swing to Plaid.
:04:45. > :04:47.even the exit poll on the day, predicted.
:04:48. > :04:52.And of course, the uncertainties and unpredictability of politics
:04:53. > :04:57.was never better shown than in the Welsh elections,
:04:58. > :05:01.where Labour did very well to win all the key marginals and then goes
:05:02. > :05:06.Well, Labour remains the dominant force in Wales.
:05:07. > :05:07.It's proved resilient, delivered the votes
:05:08. > :05:17.But the party has been in a real fight.
:05:18. > :05:25.A better night than Labour could Nick Servini, at the Senedd.
:05:26. > :05:30.A better night than Labour could have expected but their share of the
:05:31. > :05:36.vote fell by more than 7%, which must be a cause for concern? That's
:05:37. > :05:42.right but this was a big result for Labour. Putting it into context at a
:05:43. > :05:47.time when there is a lot of criticism about the UK leader,
:05:48. > :05:51.Jeremy Corbyn, wipe-out in Scotland, and intense criticism about the
:05:52. > :05:57.state of the NHS during the past five years. As Rhodri Morgan pointed
:05:58. > :06:01.out, the Rhondda was lost, but in all of the marginal seats, up
:06:02. > :06:07.against the Conservatives, a real battle ground in this election,
:06:08. > :06:13.successfully holding off that threat. Was it good strategy or were
:06:14. > :06:17.they lucky? Probably both. But when a stroke of luck came their way,
:06:18. > :06:22.such as the junior doctors strike in England, which helped London
:06:23. > :06:27.criticism of the NHS in Wales, they were in a position to take
:06:28. > :06:31.advantage, which is what they did. Do you think Carwyn Jones will go it
:06:32. > :06:35.alone or chase some sort of coalition? Kept his options open,
:06:36. > :06:42.when you spoke with them earlier this evening. This the reality is,
:06:43. > :06:47.despite having 29 votes, just one below we have they have been for the
:06:48. > :06:51.past five years, no overall majority, they will need support
:06:52. > :06:56.from Plaid Cymru to get budgets and policies through. I'm sure they will
:06:57. > :07:02.find many areas of agreement on, social policy, economic development,
:07:03. > :07:09.but legacy projects that are hugely divisive, university tuition fees,
:07:10. > :07:13.the reorganisation of local authorities, these subject split
:07:14. > :07:18.these two parties and it will take all sorts of negotiating skills to
:07:19. > :07:27.find a way through it but it will be led by a Labour Party that believes
:07:28. > :07:29.it has a mandate to do so after the past 24 hours.
:07:30. > :07:31.Thanks, Nick. Back with you later.
:07:32. > :07:33.Meet Labour's new Assembly Member for Ogmore -
:07:34. > :07:43.Good evening and congratulations, looking at this fall in the share of
:07:44. > :07:47.the vote, it really is astonishing, 27% decline in Rhondda, and big
:07:48. > :07:53.East, Leighton Andrews, going, significant falls. Yes, but going
:07:54. > :07:58.back to what Nick Serveni was saying, and your report, all of the
:07:59. > :08:03.seats that mattered, apart from the Rhondda, which was a big blow, and
:08:04. > :08:08.even the detractors of Leighton Andrews believed he was skilled and
:08:09. > :08:13.capable. But the squeeze is the issue and the message is there is
:08:14. > :08:19.confidence and I way for the Labour Party to get on and do what it had
:08:20. > :08:24.in its manifesto and also seeing to the Labour Party, and to Carwyn
:08:25. > :08:29.Jones at myself, do not be complacent, get on and deliver, we
:08:30. > :08:34.want to see that five years of real delivery on the ground. This 29
:08:35. > :08:40.seats held is a significant achievement for the Labour Party.
:08:41. > :08:46.Absolutely, 24% decline in Blaenau Gwent, the historic constituency of
:08:47. > :08:51.Nye Bevan and Michael Foot. Welsh people have been down the decades
:08:52. > :08:56.very sadly politically, sending is messages before, and that message
:08:57. > :08:59.has always been one of we do actually trust Labour, believe they
:09:00. > :09:04.are the party that will deal compassionately with big social and
:09:05. > :09:09.economic issues, but also send the message which says, get on with it
:09:10. > :09:13.and do it and do it well, effectively, deliver change on the
:09:14. > :09:18.ground you have spoken about. But coming back to the point, people
:09:19. > :09:25.said we were in meltdown, that we would win 23, 24 seed, it is a huge
:09:26. > :09:30.privilege to be the member for Ogmore tonight. Even with the
:09:31. > :09:35.shrunken vote, to get on with the job, it is a privilege. I thought
:09:36. > :09:40.Jeremy Corbyn would attract this illusion voters in the valleys, but
:09:41. > :09:46.that did not seem to work? The whole foot bridge of this election for
:09:47. > :09:51.Labour was not on Jeremy Corbyn and UK politics. -- the whole focus. If
:09:52. > :09:56.it is to do with leadership, it is Carwyn Jones. If it is policies, it
:09:57. > :10:00.is Welsh Labour policies. On the doorstep, one of the changes I have
:10:01. > :10:05.seen these people understood that. Even though there was steel,
:10:06. > :10:09.offshore bank accounts, those UK things, the focus on wheels was
:10:10. > :10:15.significant. Should Carwyn Jones go it alone or form some sort of
:10:16. > :10:19.coalition? Is briefly, it is in his hands, we can certainly go it alone
:10:20. > :10:24.but it is up to him to decide whether to reach out to other
:10:25. > :10:27.parties. But we can't go it alone. Thank you very much.
:10:28. > :10:29.What now for Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives -
:10:30. > :10:31.the two biggest opposition parties in the Assembly?
:10:32. > :10:33.Another election gone and still neither any closer
:10:34. > :10:34.to freeing Labour's iron grip on power.
:10:35. > :10:39.All smiles after pulling off the only real shock of this election.
:10:40. > :10:47.Leanne Wood celebrating on the streets of Treochy today.
:10:48. > :10:48.Beating former Labour minister Leighton Andrews
:10:49. > :10:55.But elsewhere, Plaid failed to break through.
:10:56. > :10:57.It's very difficult, the system that we've got,
:10:58. > :11:00.to change the overall make up of the Assembly.
:11:01. > :11:03.The dominant party is likely to remain dominant under the system.
:11:04. > :11:08.There's got to be a really big change in the percentage for things
:11:09. > :11:11.to shift significantly and, of course, I would have liked
:11:12. > :11:14.the results to have been more positive for Plaid Cymru,
:11:15. > :11:18.but we didn't have a bad night and we can hold our heads up high
:11:19. > :11:20.and be pleased with the result, I think.
:11:21. > :11:25.After a number of years, when the party moved back
:11:26. > :11:28.electorally, Plaid insist they are going in the right direction.
:11:29. > :11:31.But the party increased its number of AMs by just one, its national
:11:32. > :11:41.This is a modest improvement for Plaid Cymru.
:11:42. > :11:44.But I suppose, if you compare it with many of its recent electoral
:11:45. > :11:47.performances, such as the last Assembly election, even a modest
:11:48. > :11:50.electoral improvement is a great deal better than going backwards.
:11:51. > :11:53.Nationally, Plaid Cymru beat the Conservatives to second place.
:11:54. > :11:57.The Tories had hoped to make ground in places like Gower.
:11:58. > :12:00.It won here at the General Election last year.
:12:01. > :12:04.That success was not repeated here this time round.
:12:05. > :12:08.It was a disappointing night, clearly.
:12:09. > :12:10.Overall, it may be that policies in London,
:12:11. > :12:13.the other end of the M4, you know, there have been some very
:12:14. > :12:18.We've got the steel industry issue in Port Talbot.
:12:19. > :12:20.And, of course, in Gower here, we have a lot of steelworkers
:12:21. > :12:25.from Trostre and Port Talbot living, so that may have had an influence.
:12:26. > :12:29.Another close-run race had been predicted here in Cardiff North.
:12:30. > :12:34.Labour's Julie Morgan feared she wasn't going to win,
:12:35. > :12:37.yet she increased her majority over her Conservative rival.
:12:38. > :12:40.Another failure in a key target seat for the Conservatives has led
:12:41. > :12:44.to questions over the future of the party's leader.
:12:45. > :12:47.I think Andrew RT Davies' position must be regarded
:12:48. > :12:50.as being extremely precarious, and I would expect there
:12:51. > :12:56.being asked over the next few days about his future,
:12:57. > :12:59.and his role as Conservative leader in the Assembly looks
:13:00. > :13:04.There was no word from the man himself today, but tonight,
:13:05. > :13:08.there is some disquiet within the party about
:13:09. > :13:11.the way Andrew RT Davies handled the campaign.
:13:12. > :13:13.Tory Assembly members will meet on Monday to dissect
:13:14. > :13:19.Let's pick up on some of that with Neil McEvoy,
:13:20. > :13:21.the new Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales Central,
:13:22. > :13:27.and William Graham of the Conservatives.
:13:28. > :13:34.William, let me start with you. Where with the Conservative big
:13:35. > :13:38.hitters in this campaign? George Osborne and people like Stephen
:13:39. > :13:42.Crabb and David Cameron? We didn't see much of them and presumably you
:13:43. > :13:46.could have done with them more? It is always good to have people
:13:47. > :13:51.like that around but Andrew RT Davies did a great job, dominated in
:13:52. > :13:54.the media and very pleased with what he did.
:13:55. > :13:59.Where they annoyed with his stance on the EU because he wants to leave
:14:00. > :14:02.and that was amiably miffed Downing Street somewhat?
:14:03. > :14:08.Identix O. He and I disagree on that. -- I don't think so. I don't
:14:09. > :14:13.think that had anything to do with it.
:14:14. > :14:18.Without Leanne Wood's huge personal victory, this was a pretty ordinary
:14:19. > :14:25.Plaid Cymru election, wasn't it? No. We went from 20% to 32% in
:14:26. > :14:30.Cardiff West. The health minister hung on by his fingertips and we
:14:31. > :14:34.beat the Labour Party in the regional vote in Cardiff West. In
:14:35. > :14:40.Blaenau Gwent we got a huge result. As a party we need to look at where
:14:41. > :14:44.we had huge electoral success and examine exactly why and roll out
:14:45. > :14:49.what we have been doing very successfully in some local areas.
:14:50. > :14:55.Your percentage of the vote went up by what scent so let us not overplay
:14:56. > :15:02.this. -- 1%. This isn't 1999. We doubled our vote
:15:03. > :15:08.in Cardiff West, which is huge. In Blaenau Gwent we almost overturned a
:15:09. > :15:13.huge majority. The question is why did we succeed in areas like that
:15:14. > :15:17.and not across the border so there are lessons to be lured across the
:15:18. > :15:20.party and I'm looking forward to the next five years.
:15:21. > :15:25.That is always the message from Plaid Cymru the day after an
:15:26. > :15:29.election - it is just one big push that is needed and we will do it
:15:30. > :15:34.next time. The question is if you are not going to do it this time,
:15:35. > :15:37.when you have an unpopular Westminster Conservative government,
:15:38. > :15:41.a Labour government in Cardiff Bay forcing through unpopular measures
:15:42. > :15:45.on schools and hospitals- if you are not going to win in those
:15:46. > :15:49.circumstances, when is Plaid Cymru going to win?
:15:50. > :15:51.We have never doubled the vote in the capital city before, for
:15:52. > :15:56.example... It doesn't translate into power and
:15:57. > :16:01.that is the issue. At the present time, that is the
:16:02. > :16:04.case but there are so many positives to take and I think we are going to
:16:05. > :16:08.hit the ground running and hold the Labour Party to account over the
:16:09. > :16:11.next five years. I am looking forward to being an effective
:16:12. > :16:15.opposition. Maybe the only way to oust Labour is
:16:16. > :16:19.for Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives to reach an
:16:20. > :16:24.arrangement. I don't see why not. Ten years ago
:16:25. > :16:27.we almost had a rainbow coalition and it is possible. Throughout the
:16:28. > :16:34.last assembly we had all sorts of minor coalitions forcing the Labour
:16:35. > :16:38.Party to change its policy. You were laughing so presumably there is no
:16:39. > :16:43.chance in hell of that? I think the similarities between the
:16:44. > :16:47.Labour Party and the Conservative Party are huge...
:16:48. > :16:51.You would rather be shacked up with Labour?
:16:52. > :16:55.Red Tory, new Tory. You tell me the difference? They are both
:16:56. > :16:57.disconnected, not engaging with our communities and the next three years
:16:58. > :17:04.are going to be very interesting. Whilst turnout yesterday was 45% -
:17:05. > :17:06.marginally less awful than some had feared -
:17:07. > :17:08.around 400,000 fewer people voted in
:17:09. > :17:10.the Assembly Election than last So why didn't it
:17:11. > :17:13.pull in the punters? Our Political Correspondent,
:17:14. > :17:15.Daniel Davies, has been The voters call the shots
:17:16. > :17:22.to decide who takes the big decisions on schools,
:17:23. > :17:26.hospitals and the economy. But Assembly elections have
:17:27. > :17:29.struggled to pull in big audiences. Political buffs have been
:17:30. > :17:36.glued to their seats. Well, I think the leaders debates,
:17:37. > :17:42.for example, I think resonated with a lot of people and I think
:17:43. > :17:45.that's a real positive step forward. The only issue is whether or not
:17:46. > :17:48.that moves beyond the people who are all converts and the people
:17:49. > :17:51.who are already interested in politics or whether or not that
:17:52. > :17:54.actually connects with the large majority of people in Wales
:17:55. > :17:56.who previously were not really Some of the storylines might
:17:57. > :18:00.sound a bit familiar. I think probably the narrative that
:18:01. > :18:03.didn't stick during the campaign, which would have made a significant
:18:04. > :18:06.difference, is that there was a real I don't think that got the traction
:18:07. > :18:10.that it might have done and, as a result, it became a question
:18:11. > :18:14.of, when we moved onto Welsh issues, there was very little difference
:18:15. > :18:17.in terms of what each of the parties Also showing during Wales' election
:18:18. > :18:27.campaign, some big blockbusters - an American presidential
:18:28. > :18:29.contest, a steel crisis, offshore tax havens,
:18:30. > :18:30.the UK's future in There have been allsorts of events
:18:31. > :18:42.and factors from outside Wales that have provided the backdrop
:18:43. > :18:44.to the election, but have Well, I think it's always
:18:45. > :18:47.been thus, really. It's incredibly hard to plan a Welsh
:18:48. > :18:50.election campaign and then keep to script for the whole
:18:51. > :18:52.of the duration. Perhaps some things came out
:18:53. > :18:55.of the blue and clearly, the Tata Steel crisis,
:18:56. > :18:57.we knew that there would be a backdrop of the EU referendum,
:18:58. > :19:00.the Panama Papers, some of the rows within the Labour Party
:19:01. > :19:06.centrally, were unexpected. But I think, really,
:19:07. > :19:09.it's up to the parties to be fleet of foot and to adjust around that,
:19:10. > :19:11.really, rather than blame a lacklustre campaign
:19:12. > :19:15.on external factors. Welsh politics struggles to get
:19:16. > :19:18.a look-in in the London papers, The issues that they will be reading
:19:19. > :19:25.about, and the papers and the news that they will be watching,
:19:26. > :19:28.will very rarely mention Wales at all, let alone
:19:29. > :19:30.the Welsh elections. So people will definitely
:19:31. > :19:32.have read a lot more about these external things,
:19:33. > :19:33.like Brexit and Yeah, he's attracted a lot
:19:34. > :19:37.of attention all around the world. Is it a good or a bad
:19:38. > :19:40.thing that we don't Be careful what you wish for,
:19:41. > :19:45.I'd say, with a figure like Donald. In five years, there will be
:19:46. > :19:47.a sequel, possibly Next time, we could be voting
:19:48. > :19:51.for a rebranded Welsh Parliament. And powers over income
:19:52. > :19:54.tax are en route. Will either of those
:19:55. > :20:00.generate more interest? So a slightly better
:20:01. > :20:03.turnout than expected but still not the blockbuster
:20:04. > :20:06.turnout the General Election is. Political pundits Valerie
:20:07. > :20:20.Livingston and Sian Powell Valerie, turnout was 45%. The
:20:21. > :20:28.general election was 65%. Why doesn't the Welsh public love Welsh
:20:29. > :20:32.elections like you both do. We saw a better turnout at this election than
:20:33. > :20:35.we did in the previous Welsh election but much lower than the
:20:36. > :20:39.general election. I think we can attribute that to the heat on the
:20:40. > :20:43.ground and with a general election it is almost impossible to escape
:20:44. > :20:46.the fact it is going on. The Assembly tends to be a bit more low
:20:47. > :20:52.key. This afternoon, a senior member of
:20:53. > :20:56.the political class blames the media for the lack of interest? Do you
:20:57. > :21:00.blame the media? What is the problem here? I think
:21:01. > :21:04.most of the people in Wales get the news from the UK wide media and as
:21:05. > :21:08.we have heard and discussed today, there is very little room in the UK
:21:09. > :21:14.media. It's about Welsh politics particularly so I think there is
:21:15. > :21:19.room to blame the UK media but also I think there has been lots of
:21:20. > :21:24.background stories to this with the EU referendum. I think that may have
:21:25. > :21:27.sucked the life out of this campaign a bit.
:21:28. > :21:32.They beat we need a Donald Trump or a forest?
:21:33. > :21:39.We have got some big characters. Particularly the new group of Ukip
:21:40. > :21:43.family members- Neil Hamilton and Christine Hamilton, who has featured
:21:44. > :21:47.heavily despite not being elected. Don't let that get in the way! I
:21:48. > :21:52.wonder what impact the TV debates had. And people I met in Rhondda
:21:53. > :21:56.today suggested the television debates may have had an impact on
:21:57. > :22:01.the success of Leanne Wood but it is difficult to judge.
:22:02. > :22:05.I think she has a UK wide profile that she has developed over the last
:22:06. > :22:10.few years with her appearances... Which was clearly good for her
:22:11. > :22:13.personal profile and doing well in her constituency but it didn't
:22:14. > :22:20.translate into Plaid Cymru's nationwide success, did it? Know and
:22:21. > :22:24.another point is the organisation on the ground because they were working
:22:25. > :22:29.the Rhondda hard over a number of years and if they had taken that
:22:30. > :22:35.organisation into other places like Llanelli or Aberconwy, we might have
:22:36. > :22:39.seen them win seats there as well. You probably spent ages travelling
:22:40. > :22:43.the country like I have over the weeks leading up to this but people
:22:44. > :22:48.come up to you saying, it is the same outcome whatever you vote,
:22:49. > :22:53.which is the implication of the film earlier on because you end up with
:22:54. > :22:57.the same? The system in Wales is such that it would take a massive
:22:58. > :23:03.change in the voting profile, as we've seen in Scotland, to secure a
:23:04. > :23:06.radically different result. And I think actually we have ended up with
:23:07. > :23:10.a similar number of seats but Labour has lost a lot of vote share and it
:23:11. > :23:20.is important because although they have lost the vote share, they have
:23:21. > :23:24.the same amount of seats but the vote share has fallen significantly.
:23:25. > :23:29.What will the headline be for the election in 2016?
:23:30. > :23:32.For me it has been a flat election, an odd election night and possibly
:23:33. > :23:37.leading to a very interesting Assembly.
:23:38. > :23:44.Yes, Leanne Wood's election victory in the Rhondda, and people in the
:23:45. > :23:48.Labour Party underestimated her personal support and appeal as well.
:23:49. > :23:50.Carwyn Jones will be returning to the First Minister's office
:23:51. > :23:52.on Monday with plenty on his to-do list.
:23:53. > :23:55.Here's some of BBC Wales's finest brains and the top priorities
:23:56. > :24:01.Well, first and foremost the First Minister needs to pick
:24:02. > :24:03.a new Cabinet of ministers responsible for
:24:04. > :24:07.different policy areas - health, education and so on.
:24:08. > :24:11.There is an EU referendum in almost seven weeks and
:24:12. > :24:14.so to all intents and purposes, Welsh government business is on hold
:24:15. > :24:22.The election led to a pause in plans for the next
:24:23. > :24:28.David Cameron's government wants to give Wales more
:24:29. > :24:30.powers over transport, energy, the Assembly's
:24:31. > :24:35.But Carwyn Jones says that the draft Wales Bill will actually
:24:36. > :24:38.reduce its existing powers and so expect the sparks to fly
:24:39. > :24:50.Towards the top of the First Minister's list of concerns
:24:51. > :24:52.will be the future of the steelworks at Port Talbot.
:24:53. > :24:54.Will the Welsh government put up financial support
:24:55. > :25:08.And will they consider a new funding floor put forward by the team that
:25:09. > :25:12.Lots for the First Minister and the new Business
:25:13. > :25:17.When it comes to education, the new minister will be studying
:25:18. > :25:22.plans for a brand-new curriculum in our
:25:23. > :25:29.schools while thousands of young people sit GCSEs and A-levels.
:25:30. > :25:31.Those results and the results of the latest Pisa international
:25:32. > :25:33.tests due later this year will be crucial
:25:34. > :25:36.not only for Welsh pupils but also for the politicians.
:25:37. > :25:40.Longer term there are two decisions the First
:25:41. > :25:42.Minister needs to take - firstly for a new M4 relief road
:25:43. > :25:44.in south Wales and secondly, on whether to
:25:45. > :25:51.Let's hear more about what will be top of the new government's in-tray.
:25:52. > :25:53.Our political editor Nick Servini joins us again,
:25:54. > :25:55.and Owain Clarke and Sarah Dickins, our health and education
:25:56. > :26:10.Sarah, let's start with you. Big decisions for the First Minister on
:26:11. > :26:14.Tata steel and the M4 relief road. That injury has been getting fatter
:26:15. > :26:19.while they have been campaigning. A new proposal for Circuit of Wales
:26:20. > :26:24.with 50% underwritten by the government has been sitting there
:26:25. > :26:29.for a week. They will have to make decisions. The consultation period
:26:30. > :26:33.for the controversial ?1 billion black root for the M4 has closed and
:26:34. > :26:37.that is before we talk about the Metro and what practical,
:26:38. > :26:40.sustainable help the Welsh government can give Tata steel and
:26:41. > :26:46.the buyers. And a new party in the Assembly,
:26:47. > :26:50.Ukip, and some new ideas. I think we will have a different
:26:51. > :26:54.discussion about the type of economics we need to lift us out of
:26:55. > :27:03.the position of poverty we have in Wales. They are more open to the
:27:04. > :27:07.free market and our aims -- are in favour of economic decisions being
:27:08. > :27:12.made locally. If a local council likes fracking, why shouldn't they
:27:13. > :27:18.have it? That is the argument. That is really controversial.
:27:19. > :27:22.Additionally, having Plaid Cymru as the economic opposition will be a
:27:23. > :27:25.different argument. What are the top priorities when it
:27:26. > :27:29.comes to health? The discussion that may or may not
:27:30. > :27:33.happen between Labour and any other party because I think Labour will
:27:34. > :27:39.want to crack on with health policies, like establishing a new
:27:40. > :27:45.health treatment fund and investing in mental health but there are some
:27:46. > :27:49.serious challenges - waiting times, too long, and Labour admit that. It
:27:50. > :27:54.isn't just throwing cash at the problem but it means rebalancing the
:27:55. > :27:58.system and making sure supply meets demand. The other thing- dealing
:27:59. > :28:03.with emergency pressures because the winter was really bad for the Welsh
:28:04. > :28:08.NHS and lots of old and sick people going to accident and emergency and
:28:09. > :28:16.they struggled to cope. The third thing is recruitment issues. People
:28:17. > :28:22.are crying out for a local GP at. We will get a vision pretty soon I am
:28:23. > :28:27.told about health but if it is bad now, it will be worse in five years.
:28:28. > :28:29.Will Mark Drakeford return as health minister?
:28:30. > :28:34.He looked tired when he was re-elected but he had been up all
:28:35. > :28:40.night. People are asking if he is tired of the job and that is the
:28:41. > :28:46.suggestion. Health ministers in the past have had fairly short shelf
:28:47. > :28:51.life is so I wouldn't be surprised. Somebody who was topped as health
:28:52. > :28:54.minister in the future lost his seat today, Leighton Andrews. The
:28:55. > :29:02.question is who will have that role if Mark Drexler doesn't want it?
:29:03. > :29:06.Nick Servini, -- Mark Drakeford doesn't want it. What about the Ukip
:29:07. > :29:10.members? Nobody can answer the question what
:29:11. > :29:17.kind of party Ukip will be after the EU referendum next month. They claim
:29:18. > :29:21.they will shake up or six in this place and I think it is fair to say
:29:22. > :29:25.they will bring a new dynamic to the debates. Quite often there is a
:29:26. > :29:30.consensus that builds up about areas like the Constitution and we will
:29:31. > :29:34.have a noisy set of voices to act against any kind of consensus that
:29:35. > :29:39.breaks out among the other parties. The other point is that for the
:29:40. > :29:42.first time the Conservatives will have a group to the right of them so
:29:43. > :29:47.there is certainly a possibility that a right-wing rump of
:29:48. > :29:51.politicians that the Assembly could be in action and as a result, we
:29:52. > :29:56.could see an increased polarisation between the right and left and in
:29:57. > :30:01.terms of political activity at the Assembly. The other point to make
:30:02. > :30:07.that maybe hasn't been raised so far in terms of the change is the churn
:30:08. > :30:10.in terms of the new faces, new Assembly members that will be
:30:11. > :30:16.starting for the first time, particularly in Labour ranks. They
:30:17. > :30:19.come in with a huge range of experiences and new background and
:30:20. > :30:25.the impact can really be, arguably, one of the biggest lasting legacies
:30:26. > :30:29.as a result of this election result. Nick Servini, thank you very much.
:30:30. > :30:34.We've had far too many political maps of Wales -
:30:35. > :30:35.here's Derek and something for the weekend.
:30:36. > :30:43.Thanks very much, Jamie. We are in for a taste of summer this weekend.
:30:44. > :30:46.Some fine weather but also some thundery showers. A dry story
:30:47. > :30:51.tonight with plenty of high cloud and a mild night with temperatures
:30:52. > :30:55.not falling below nine or 13 Celsius. There is a Met Office
:30:56. > :30:59.warning in force for the scattered thundery downpours tomorrow but they
:31:00. > :31:07.will be hit and miss. Tomorrow morning some places high and dry
:31:08. > :31:10.with that bright -- high and bright. Reyna for Ireland and thundery
:31:11. > :31:16.showers. Elsewhere, a lot of right weather would hazy sunshine. A few
:31:17. > :31:23.severe showers late in the afternoon. 24 degrees in London and
:31:24. > :31:29.cooler for Scotland and Northern Ireland. Scattered showers in Wales
:31:30. > :31:34.with thunder in places but if you are lucky you will stay dry. Hazy
:31:35. > :31:40.sunshine and warmer than today on the north and west coast. Saturday
:31:41. > :31:45.night, thundery downpours likely and it will be a mild and muggy night.
:31:46. > :31:49.Thundery showers first thing on Sunday will clear and it will turn
:31:50. > :31:53.into a nice day with her in hazy sunshine. In dry weather with
:31:54. > :32:00.thunderstorms in the north-east in the afternoon with temperatures into
:32:01. > :32:04.the made to low 20s. 24 likely in Porthmadog with a south-easterly
:32:05. > :32:11.breeze coming from the Mediterranean. In fact, some places
:32:12. > :32:15.will be warmer than I be fair on Sunday, 23 Celsius possible in other
:32:16. > :32:21.live on. We are in for a taste of summer over the weekend with hazy
:32:22. > :32:25.sunshine but do watch out for a few heavy and thundery showers as well.
:32:26. > :32:30.Into next week it will start off warm, still in the 20s on Monday
:32:31. > :32:34.with the best of the sunshine in the north. Into the week it is turning
:32:35. > :32:36.more unsettled with rain and thunderstorms moving in from the
:32:37. > :32:43.south and eventually turning cooler as well. Enjoy the taste of summer
:32:44. > :32:50.over the weekend and enjoy the hazy sunshine if you can. Jamie.
:32:51. > :32:54.Much more on the website on the election. That is Wales Today.
:32:55. > :32:58.Have a lovely weekend, thank you for watching and from all of us