:00:00. > :00:00.Mark Reckless, once a high-profile defection
:00:00. > :00:10.Now he ditches them to become a Conservative AM.
:00:11. > :00:13.Next generation communications for the military.
:00:14. > :00:17.More than 100 jobs created near Blackwood.
:00:18. > :00:20.And a call for the Welsh Government to try to improve public perceptions
:00:21. > :00:43.It's been described by his former party as a "betrayal".
:00:44. > :00:44.Assembly member Mark Reckless has confirmed
:00:45. > :00:48.he's left Ukip to become a Conservative AM.
:00:49. > :00:50.It means the Tories are now the second largest
:00:51. > :00:56.They say it makes them the official opposition in the Senedd.
:00:57. > :00:58.However, it's not been welcomed by everyone in the party,
:00:59. > :01:06.as our political editor Nick Servini reports.
:01:07. > :01:09.He left the Conservatives for Ukip in dramatic
:01:10. > :01:12.and, for the Tories at least, painful circumstances
:01:13. > :01:18.Now Mark Reckless is back in a very different manner.
:01:19. > :01:21.This snatched photo in a corridor of the Assembly with the leader in
:01:22. > :01:25.Wales tells its own story about how both sides
:01:26. > :01:33.He will now vote with the Conservative group at the Senedd.
:01:34. > :01:36.In the Assembly he will even be called a
:01:37. > :01:41.But he's not looking to try and rejoin his old party.
:01:42. > :01:45.Even Mark Reckless knows the scars still run too deep within the
:01:46. > :01:49.ranks of Tories because of the defection.
:01:50. > :01:52.It is not for me to waltz back into the party with any sense
:01:53. > :01:56.Many people in the Tories are still upset that I stood
:01:57. > :02:02.I think there is still bad blood and some of
:02:03. > :02:07.the wounds are a bit sore and I want to focus my efforts here with some
:02:08. > :02:11.humility in the Welsh Assembly and knuckling down.
:02:12. > :02:13.He'll have plenty of work to do to persuade
:02:14. > :02:21.It speaks volumes for him and his lack of integrity that he's done
:02:22. > :02:25.I don't think it is a good idea that we've,
:02:26. > :02:28.certainly not myself or
:02:29. > :02:33.my colleagues at Westminster, but the group led by Davis has accepted
:02:34. > :02:39.Mark Reckless is leaving Ukip because he wants to support the UK
:02:40. > :02:43.Government taking us out of the EU, and he believes he can have more
:02:44. > :02:47.impact working with the Conservatives in Wales.
:02:48. > :02:52.The leader of the group at the Assembly, another
:02:53. > :02:57.former Tory MP, Neil Hamilton, has called on him to resign.
:02:58. > :02:59.He has betrayed the trust of all those who
:03:00. > :03:01.selected him in the first place as a candidate,
:03:02. > :03:05.and those who worked for him to be elected to the Assembly.
:03:06. > :03:09.He has got no mandate in the Assembl as a member of the Conservatives.
:03:10. > :03:14.I regret his departure, because he is not without
:03:15. > :03:18.ability, but I think he has shown a weakness of character.
:03:19. > :03:21.Mark Reckless has never been far from headlines,
:03:22. > :03:28.being elected for the Conservatives in the 2010 election.
:03:29. > :03:33.Fiercely Eurosceptic, his reputation grew as one of the more
:03:34. > :03:41.I would like you please to give a warm welcome to somebody
:03:42. > :03:47.On the eve of the Conservative conference in 2014,
:03:48. > :03:57.And two months later, he won the Rochester by-election.
:03:58. > :04:06.APPLAUSE He lost the seat in the 2015 general election.
:04:07. > :04:10.But a year later, he was back in front line politics, one of
:04:11. > :04:15.the seven new Ukip AM's elected to the National Assembly.
:04:16. > :04:18.Crossing the floor to defect to another party is
:04:19. > :04:28.For Reckless, it is difficult because he is going back as well.
:04:29. > :04:32.Away from the personalities, the move has implications for the way
:04:33. > :04:35.politics is done in Cardiff, with the Conservatives overtaking
:04:36. > :04:41.Plaid Cymru to become the main opposition to Labour.
:04:42. > :04:45.125 skilled jobs will be created in Oakdale near Blackwood
:04:46. > :04:47.after a defence company was awarded a ?330 million contract
:04:48. > :04:55.General Dynamics will design and develop the next generation
:04:56. > :04:58.of communications systems for the Armed Forces.
:04:59. > :05:02.Our Business Correspondent Brian Meechan has the details.
:05:03. > :05:06.Arriving in a military helicopter, the Defence Secretary came to
:05:07. > :05:10.General Dynamics in Oakdale to get a taste of what the
:05:11. > :05:14.?330 million contract will buy and to meet the team behind the
:05:15. > :05:19.He also met troops who will be using the equipment.
:05:20. > :05:23.Last year we spent over ?800 million in Wales, that
:05:24. > :05:30.Defence expenditure is important for Wales,
:05:31. > :05:36.and I'm determined to make sure that Wales gets its fair share.
:05:37. > :05:38.The Ajax tank is the next generation of
:05:39. > :05:40.armoured vehicle for the British military,
:05:41. > :05:41.it's being assembled and
:05:42. > :05:45.tested at General Dynamics site in Wales.
:05:46. > :05:48.We know how it will be sending visual information back to
:05:49. > :05:55.This is the Bowman system which is currently
:05:56. > :05:58.used for communications between the Armed Forces.
:05:59. > :06:00.It was designed and developed here at General
:06:01. > :06:07.The ?330 million contract with the Ministry
:06:08. > :06:10.of Defence will see this replaced with the Next Generation
:06:11. > :06:16.It is to ensure that the right information is
:06:17. > :06:19.conveyed to the right people in a timely manner securely,
:06:20. > :06:23.in order for the mission to be a success.
:06:24. > :06:26.General Dynamics says this is the next chapter
:06:27. > :06:30.for the company who has been operating in South Wales since 2001.
:06:31. > :06:34.It sustains over 125 jobs, highly skilled
:06:35. > :06:42.creates another 125 jobs right here, and it
:06:43. > :06:48.the wider region, largely in South Wales.
:06:49. > :06:50.The new contract means those working on Bowman like this
:06:51. > :06:54.apprentice, who is from the local area, will be able to develop their
:06:55. > :07:00.They give me support and responsibility.
:07:01. > :07:03.You get to go to college one day a week
:07:04. > :07:05.and then you come here to learn on the job,
:07:06. > :07:07.so you get paid to work and
:07:08. > :07:11.This deal is the first of its kind, a new way of
:07:12. > :07:13.operating for the Ministry of Defence and businesses.
:07:14. > :07:14.It means companies both cooperating and
:07:15. > :07:17.competing, as they bid for further communications contracts.
:07:18. > :07:18.This could give ministers more control to
:07:19. > :07:21.ensure work is delivered on time and in budget,
:07:22. > :07:24.avoiding previous criticisms of major
:07:25. > :07:36.Aston Martin 'supply contracts' worth over ?60 million
:07:37. > :07:38.have gone on offer to businesses across Wales.
:07:39. > :07:39.They're detailed on the Welsh Government's
:07:40. > :07:43.It comes as the luxury car company gained official access to three
:07:44. > :07:46.Ministry of Defence super hangars in St Athan, in the Vale
:07:47. > :07:50.They'll be used to manufacture their new DBX model from 2020.
:07:51. > :07:52.A 26-year-old man has been remanded in custody
:07:53. > :07:56.accused of murdering a father of two who was found unconscious outside
:07:57. > :08:02.27-year-old Esinkumo Ayabowei, also known as Henry,
:08:03. > :08:06.Kieren Roberts appeared at Caernarfon Crown Court,
:08:07. > :08:11.and will enter a plea at the end of June.
:08:12. > :08:13.Pembrokeshire Council has approved plans to re-organise
:08:14. > :08:17.English language secondary schools in Haverfordwest.
:08:18. > :08:20.Sir Thomas Picton School and Tasker Millward School will merge
:08:21. > :08:25.with sixth form provision from the 1st of September next year.
:08:26. > :08:28.Previous plans to move the sixth forms to Pembrokeshire College
:08:29. > :08:34.were rejected after protests by pupils and parents.
:08:35. > :08:37.The Welsh Government should try to improve people's views
:08:38. > :08:41.That's according to a group of Assembly Members
:08:42. > :08:43.who are calling for a publicity campaign
:08:44. > :08:45.which encourages people to get to know refugees.
:08:46. > :08:47.The total number of refugees of all nationalities settled
:08:48. > :08:50.in Wales is estimated to be between 6,000 and 10,000.
:08:51. > :08:54.Our political reporter Bethan Lewis has more.
:08:55. > :08:57.At this centre in Cardiff, refugees and asylum seekers are
:08:58. > :09:01.offered advice, support and a place to socialise.
:09:02. > :09:04.The Assembly report being launched here today highlights
:09:05. > :09:08.challenges they face in accessing good housing and mental
:09:09. > :09:13.But during its enquiry, AMs also heard one of the biggest
:09:14. > :09:15.problems is the way they are perceived.
:09:16. > :09:20.This 22-year-old says he's had a positive experience since fleeing
:09:21. > :09:23.war in Sudan to come to Cardiff two years ago.
:09:24. > :09:28.When I arrived here, maybe my life was meaningless until
:09:29. > :09:31.I arrived here in Britain, in Cardiff.
:09:32. > :09:34.I feel so different, and there is so much I wouldn't have.
:09:35. > :09:41.They talk to you as their friend or their family or their people.
:09:42. > :09:46.But this woman from Iran, now a British citizen, says housing can
:09:47. > :09:49.sometimes be a problem for those arriving.
:09:50. > :09:52.Sometimes when they arrive here, unfortunately, like when you
:09:53. > :09:56.are staying in a hostel, the hostel is not good, so you know,
:09:57. > :10:02.a lot of people and the small rooms and things like that.
:10:03. > :10:05.An attack by a gang on an asylum seeker in south
:10:06. > :10:09.London last week brought attention to the question of how asylum
:10:10. > :10:15.That sort of crime is rare, but the committee says that negative
:10:16. > :10:24.perceptions do exist and better integration can help address it.
:10:25. > :10:26.In Scotland, this campaign focuses on
:10:27. > :10:30.getting people from different backgrounds together over a cuppa.
:10:31. > :10:34.The committee suggests something similar could work in Wales.
:10:35. > :10:37.People are fleeing extreme circumstances and taking great risks
:10:38. > :10:41.because they have to flee those circumstances, and once people
:10:42. > :10:45.understand that, then they do want to provide a warm welcome.
:10:46. > :10:46.The report also calls for the Government
:10:47. > :10:50.to look at giving greater help to refugees and asylum seekers with
:10:51. > :10:55.transport and better access to English lessons.
:10:56. > :10:57.But one committee member, Ukip AM Gareth Bennett,
:10:58. > :11:01.He produced his own document and says the
:11:02. > :11:04.committee didn't recognise the difficulties of establishing
:11:05. > :11:09.He says he is reflecting the views of a
:11:10. > :11:15.The Welsh Government will be publishing its new plan for refugees
:11:16. > :11:21.At the centre of that it says will be a commitment to help people
:11:22. > :11:29.rebuild their lives and make a full contribution to society.
:11:30. > :11:38.Many of us have been enjoying this sunshine, Derek.
:11:39. > :11:44.That's right, mid and South Wales sunny today, a little bit tardy any
:11:45. > :11:49.zero. We should all see some sunshine over the weekend, warming
:11:50. > :11:54.up for of us. Tonight it is dry, cloudy and parts of midtown North
:11:55. > :11:58.Wales. Elsewhere the sky is clear, turning Chile again, some ground
:11:59. > :12:03.frost in the countryside. Try tomorrow morning, cool first thing.
:12:04. > :12:09.Some cloud possible in the north, the best of the sunshine in the
:12:10. > :12:13.south and west. Across the rest of the UK, high-pressure work in many
:12:14. > :12:18.places dry, plenty of sunshine in the south and east. Cardia any north
:12:19. > :12:23.west, big enough for a fuse box of rain and drizzle. Any far north and
:12:24. > :12:27.west of Scotland, breezy, elsewhere was the light went under the high
:12:28. > :12:31.pressure. A high of 14 Celsius in London. Much of Wales sunny and
:12:32. > :12:35.glorious tomorrow afternoon, other angles they may be troubled by
:12:36. > :12:40.cloud. Temperatures around 11 Celsius, light wind and a high of 16
:12:41. > :12:47.in Cardiff. Gloria start to the Spring Festival. Flower festival.
:12:48. > :12:52.Tomorrow night it will be dry and clear, it will turn Chile again.
:12:53. > :12:56.Ground frost in rural spots, and it is the weekend we started pulling a
:12:57. > :13:03.southerly wind, so it was not to warm up. Sunday and Saturday, nice
:13:04. > :13:08.day fine with lots of sunshine, warmer with temperatures rising into
:13:09. > :13:13.the mid to high teens. Sunday fine and warm although later on a cloud
:13:14. > :13:17.over with the odd spot of rain. Up to 18 Celsius in Monmouth, cooler on
:13:18. > :13:20.the coast and south and west. Lovely weather to come this weekend. Hazard
:13:21. > :13:22.We'll be back in Breakfast with updates from around
:13:23. > :13:41.From all of us here, thanks for watching.
:13:42. > :13:45.You are the cream of the French aristocracy.