0:00:04 > 0:00:06Welcome to Wales Today, After the Prime Minister
0:00:06 > 0:00:08triggers Article 50, First Minister Carwyn Jones says
0:00:08 > 0:00:10the effects of Brexit here could be minimal.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13A search operation is underway in the Caernarfon Bay area
0:00:13 > 0:00:14for a missing helicopter.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15Five people are on board.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18And the chairman of Sport Wales, sacked by the Welsh Governmen,
0:00:18 > 0:00:28says he's been 'hung out to dry.'
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Good evening.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44On the day the Prime Minister triggered Article 50,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47starting the process of the UK leaving the European Union,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50First Minister Carwyn Jones has told BBC Wales there's no reason why
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Brexit should be "disastrous" for people living here.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54Mr Jones said, if done properly the effect can be minimal.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Meanwhile, Theresa May has told MP's Brexit will mean
0:00:56 > 0:00:58a "significant increase" in the Welsh Government's
0:00:58 > 0:00:59decision-making powers.
0:00:59 > 0:01:09Our Political Editor, Nick Servini, reports.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13After a hugely symbolic day when the Brexit process
0:01:13 > 0:01:14finally became real, the question marks remain.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17The warnings are still coming in thick and fast but tonight,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19the First Minister Carwyn Jones struck an unusually upbeat
0:01:19 > 0:01:22tone when he said that while there were dangers,
0:01:22 > 0:01:31there was no reason why Brexit should be disastrous for Wales.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34If this is done properly, then actually, the effect can
0:01:34 > 0:01:35be minimal actually.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38The effect can be such that it won't cause us any difficulties at all,
0:01:38 > 0:01:39minimal difficulties.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42If it is done badly, then it is a potential disaster.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45It makes Wales and the UK look as if we are out
0:01:45 > 0:01:48on a limb somewhere, a group of islands off the coast
0:01:48 > 0:01:50of Europe that isn't part of a very large market.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Earlier today in the Senedd, he had expressed frustration
0:01:52 > 0:01:55that the Welsh Government had not been allowed to contribute
0:01:55 > 0:01:58to the letter sent by Theresa May notifying the EU of the UK's
0:01:58 > 0:01:59decision to leave.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Meanwhile, in the Commons, the Prime Minister told MPs that
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Brexit will mean a significant increase in the Welsh Government 's
0:02:04 > 0:02:13decision-making powers after a consultation.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15It is the expectation of the government that the devolved
0:02:15 > 0:02:17administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will see
0:02:17 > 0:02:19a significant increase in their decision-making power
0:02:19 > 0:02:26as a result of this process.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Plaid Cymru welcomes that commitment but a big focus for the party
0:02:29 > 0:02:32was to warn about the possibility of tariffs for Welsh firms exporting
0:02:32 > 0:02:36to the European Union.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39It doesn't take a genius to work out that if you put a 10% tariff
0:02:39 > 0:02:42on parts coming into a company and the finished product going out,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45that many Welsh businesses are not going to hang around
0:02:45 > 0:02:52and face those costs.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55In contrast, the leader of Ukip at the assembly, Neil Hamilton,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58said that even if the talks between the UK and the EU collapsed
0:02:58 > 0:03:01and industries like farming then faced a big increase in the cost
0:03:01 > 0:03:06of trade, the impact could still be managed.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Given the Brexit dividend, we will get back from the EU
0:03:08 > 0:03:11?8 billion more than currently the EU spends in Britain,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14the UK Government will have money in its pockets to ensure that
0:03:14 > 0:03:16farming incomes don't suffer, whatever the trade terms
0:03:16 > 0:03:26are of our relationship with the EU.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29There was a sceptical note struck by the Liberal Democrats
0:03:29 > 0:03:31about the time frame of the deal and about the proposal for
0:03:31 > 0:03:34the assembly to have further powers.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36She talked about the powers to the National Assembly
0:03:36 > 0:03:37coming after consultation.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Some of those powers will reside in Whitehall still,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41others will come to Cardiff.
0:03:41 > 0:03:42Which ones?
0:03:42 > 0:03:45We are in the preliminary stages now that the phoney war has ended,
0:03:45 > 0:03:50the real world, as this issue really hits the country.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52And so the clock starts ticking on a two-year time frame
0:03:52 > 0:03:55in a process that will change the relationship of the UK and Wales
0:03:55 > 0:04:03with the EU forever.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06So what are the key issues for Wales in the upcoming Brexit negotiations?
0:04:06 > 0:04:09We're more reliant on EU funding and trade than anywhere else
0:04:09 > 0:04:12in the UK, so expect both to be high on the Welsh Government's agenda.
0:04:12 > 0:04:13So too, agriculture.
0:04:13 > 0:04:22Our Economics Correspondent, Sarah Dickins, reports.
0:04:22 > 0:04:23A day of new beginnings.
0:04:23 > 0:04:2413 of them.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26And a new dawn for the Welsh economy.
0:04:26 > 0:04:27Ken and Sian hand rear pedigree pigs.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30They are among the 84,000 who work in Welsh agriculture.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Food and farming is worth ?6 billion per year to our economy,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35so this Brexit deal will affect many rural livelihoods.
0:04:35 > 0:04:41Ken thinks it will end cheap pork imports.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44When you look at the quantity that we bring into the country,
0:04:44 > 0:04:45you know, it is colossal.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48We produce in Wales 5% of what we eat in Wales
0:04:48 > 0:04:50and regulations have gone to the point where we have got high
0:04:50 > 0:04:53welfare pork in the country and what comes into the country
0:04:53 > 0:04:54is not same standard.
0:04:54 > 0:04:55It is subsidised.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58We just need to be able to compete on a level playing field
0:04:58 > 0:05:06against what is coming in.
0:05:06 > 0:05:07Not everyone is as confident.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Will Westminster replace the farm payments Wales has had
0:05:09 > 0:05:12from the European Union worth almost ?200 million per year?
0:05:12 > 0:05:13And what about exports?
0:05:13 > 0:05:2390% of Welsh red meat goes to the European Union.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26So, this is the finished product.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28A free-trade deal is what Karen John wants.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30She runs a glass recycling company on Swansea docks.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Wales exports more goods to the European Union
0:05:32 > 0:05:33than any other part of the UK.
0:05:33 > 0:05:34It is Karen's biggest market.
0:05:34 > 0:05:41So, in terms of Brexit, what do you want to get from it?
0:05:41 > 0:05:44I would love to have tariff free-trade and it is highly unlikely
0:05:44 > 0:05:46that we are going to get that, I know.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48But that would be the best outcome for us.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Has the relationship you have had with your customers
0:05:50 > 0:05:51changed since Brexit?
0:05:51 > 0:05:55Most definitely.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58They have said that whereas I would normally get a five -
0:05:58 > 0:06:00ten year contract, that is impossible
0:06:00 > 0:06:01until we know the status.
0:06:01 > 0:06:02That is directly affecting you?
0:06:02 > 0:06:03Without a doubt.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05That is the norm.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07And what can you get now?
0:06:07 > 0:06:13One.
0:06:13 > 0:06:153% of the Welsh workforce comes from other countries
0:06:15 > 0:06:18in the European Union, a much smaller proportion
0:06:18 > 0:06:19than almost anywhere else in the UK.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21But for those like Karen, who has four Polish employees,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24a priority is to learn whether they can stay.
0:06:24 > 0:06:25They want security.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27They have been here for eight years.
0:06:27 > 0:06:28They have worked for us for eight years.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30They have experienced their neighbours treating
0:06:30 > 0:06:31them differently.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32Which is so sad.
0:06:32 > 0:06:37And if they could stay here, they will.
0:06:37 > 0:06:38Do you need them?
0:06:38 > 0:06:42I would love to keep them.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45At the other end of the docks is the new Swansea University Bay campus.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48It cost ?450 million to build, half from European Union funds.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Since 2000, Wales has had more than ?5 billion from this
0:06:51 > 0:06:53pot of cash designed to make us wealthier.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55But we remain the poorest part of the UK.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Dr Ben Evans is developing the Bloodhound supersonic car
0:06:57 > 0:06:58in Swansea's European Union funded laboratories.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00He hopes Westminster will replace the funding but it's
0:07:00 > 0:07:08not just about money.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Without the access to European funding we have had over the last
0:07:10 > 0:07:12two years, the new campus at the University
0:07:12 > 0:07:13would not have happened.
0:07:13 > 0:07:14The research programmes, our collaborations,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16the European Union has been critical for that.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19So the thing that I would be asking our British negotiators
0:07:19 > 0:07:22is to make sure that there are as few barriers to allow me
0:07:22 > 0:07:24to continue the partnerships I already have in Spain,
0:07:24 > 0:07:34France, Germany, as possible.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Despite different views of Brexit, most agree the Welsh economy
0:07:42 > 0:07:44has been more reliant on the European Union
0:07:44 > 0:07:45than most of the UK.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46Particularly for trade and EU cash.
0:07:46 > 0:07:55The battle is for a Brexit deal that helps us flourish.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Some breaking news - A major search operation is underway
0:07:57 > 0:07:59this evening for a missing helicopter off the coast
0:07:59 > 0:08:00of Caernarfon Bay.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03UK coastguard are looking for a privately owned twin squirrel
0:08:03 > 0:08:04red helicopter with five people on board.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07It's believed to have left Milton Keynes earlier today--
0:08:07 > 0:08:08heading to Dublin, via Caernarfon Bay.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10The Coastguard says it lost radar contact with
0:08:10 > 0:08:16the helicopter shortly after 4pm.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19126 aerospace jobs are under threat in north east Wales.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Marshall Aviation Services has said it wants to close down
0:08:21 > 0:08:23its engineering and maintenance site at Broughton in Flintshire.
0:08:23 > 0:08:30The company will now start consulting with unions.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33There are also reports tonight that up to 150 jobs could be at risk.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35A Barry-based engineering company has gone into administration.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37SHS Integrated Services also had offices in Port
0:08:37 > 0:08:38Talbot and Doncaster.
0:08:38 > 0:08:48It's been operating for 19 years.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51The chair and vice-chair of Sport Wales have been sacked
0:08:51 > 0:08:52by the Welsh Government.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Paul Thomas and Adele Bauwmgardt were suspended in November,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56along with the entire Sport Wales board, following concerns
0:08:56 > 0:08:57that the organisation had become 'dysfunctional'.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Tonight, in an exculsive interview, Mr Thomas has told Wales Today he's
0:09:00 > 0:09:02shocked by how poorly he's been treated.
0:09:02 > 0:09:09Here's Arwyn Jones.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11From Olympic and Paralympic golds to training the next
0:09:11 > 0:09:12generation of athletes.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15There's no doubting Sport Wales has success in promoting elite
0:09:15 > 0:09:16and grassroots sport here.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19But over the last six months, there has been turmoil at the top
0:09:19 > 0:09:21of the organisation, which gets over ?20 million
0:09:21 > 0:09:22of public money every year.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24Last November, the activities of the entire board were suspended
0:09:24 > 0:09:27after infighting which led to a vote of no-confidence in its
0:09:27 > 0:09:36chair, Dr Paul Thomas.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38A few weeks ago, the other board members were reinstated
0:09:38 > 0:09:40but the chair and vice-chair remained suspended.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Today, the minister who oversees the work of Sport Wales said
0:09:43 > 0:09:44she decided new leadership was needed for the
0:09:44 > 0:09:51organisation to move on.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Both exhibited considerable energy and dedication over the period
0:09:53 > 0:10:02of time and I do consider though the need to secure fresh leadership.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05In a letter to Paul Thomas, the Public health Minister Rebecca
0:10:05 > 0:10:06Evans says, your conduct and behaviours that
0:10:06 > 0:10:09you adopted to achieve what you felt to be necessary
0:10:09 > 0:10:13change were counter-productive.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16I think they have handled it pretty poorly, pretty shockingly actually.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18I have had two formal correspondence in the last seven months.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20And I am shocked by that.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21That wouldn't happen in business.
0:10:21 > 0:10:29It certainly wouldn't happen in normal organisations.
0:10:29 > 0:10:35But the vice-chair, Adele Baumgardt, also sacked today, says...
0:10:41 > 0:10:43But Paul Thomas has defended his work.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45In your assessment, is Sport Wales fit for purpose?
0:10:45 > 0:10:46It is not.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48I think the staff are, I think the NGVs are,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51I think the chief executives that supported it here in Wales are,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53I just think the body itself needs to become
0:10:53 > 0:10:54more efficient, effective.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57One of the aims for Sport Wales is to secure success
0:10:57 > 0:10:58for swimmers like Jazz Carlin.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01At work will continue now with a new chair but many questions
0:11:01 > 0:11:09remain about what went wrong at the top of Sport Wales.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11BBC Wales understands the Welsh Rugby Union will inspect
0:11:11 > 0:11:12Pontypridd's Sardis Road pitch tomorrow.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14It follows the publication of pictures of burns suffered
0:11:14 > 0:11:17by Merthyr RFC players on the artificial 3G surface
0:11:17 > 0:11:18in their cup semi-final there at the weekend.
0:11:18 > 0:11:28Pontypridd have declined to comment.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Whenever you land on it, you could feel how hard
0:11:35 > 0:11:39it was and how dry it was and it was an instant burn on your skin.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Whenever you play on the pitch, it hurts your heels,
0:11:42 > 0:11:43that is how hard it is.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45It feels like you are running on tarmac.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47It is horrible.
0:11:47 > 0:11:48Time now for the weather forecast.
0:11:48 > 0:11:49Hello again.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52There's more rain and showers to come over the next few days
0:11:52 > 0:11:55but we've got some dry weather and sunshine in the mix as well.
0:11:55 > 0:11:56Tonight, it's a cloudy story.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58Some patchy rain and showers.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59Heavy in places.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01Some dry spells too and a very mild night.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Tomorrow morning, cloudy and misty in places.
0:12:03 > 0:12:04Potential for some heavy rain in the south-east.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Elsewhere, some dry spells in Newtown and Carmarthen.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Across the rest of the UK, further outbreaks of rain in parts
0:12:09 > 0:12:10of the north and west.
0:12:10 > 0:12:11Heavy in places.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14The best of the weather tomorrow across southern England,
0:12:14 > 0:12:15the Midlands and East Anglia.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Dry and bright here, hazy sunshine and warm.
0:12:17 > 0:12:1820 Celsius or higher in London.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Breezy and cooler in the West.
0:12:20 > 0:12:2114 in Belfast.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23In Wales tomorrow afternoon, most of the country should become
0:12:23 > 0:12:25dry and bright with hazy sunshine and quite warm.
0:12:25 > 0:12:2717 in Monmouth.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29More rain over Pembrokeshire, Northwest Gwynedd and Anglesey.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Tomorrow evening, dry for a while but there
0:12:31 > 0:12:32is more rain on the way.
0:12:32 > 0:12:38Again, some of it heavy.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Another mild night.
0:12:40 > 0:12:48On Friday, it's an improving story.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Breezy, a few showers, but some dry weather
0:12:50 > 0:12:57and sunshine as well.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00As for the weekend, a mixture of sunshine and April
0:13:00 > 0:13:04showers on Saturday.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Sunday though should be dry and settled,
0:13:06 > 0:13:14thanks to high pressure.
0:13:14 > 0:13:15That's the latest forecast.
0:13:15 > 0:13:16I wish you a good night.
0:13:16 > 0:13:17Nos da.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18That's Wales Today.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20We're back from around 6.25 in the morning.
0:13:20 > 0:13:21From all of us here.
0:13:21 > 0:13:27Goodnight.