The Secretary of State for Wales
Labour MP for Cardiff East
@jostevenslabour.bsky.social @jostevenslabour Facebook UK Parliament Profile
Let me begin by congratulating all the Welsh recipients of King’s birthday honours, which were announced over the weekend—particularly my hon. Friend the Member for Newport East (Jessica Morden). We are doing everything we can to tackle the cost of living. We are increasing wages faster than inflation, creating thousands of jobs, helping people into work, and increasing pensions and...
My hon. Friend is right. What matters for families is not just getting by, but being able to enjoy time together without worrying about the next bill. The Great British summer savings scheme is cutting VAT on, for instance, children’s meals, tickets for cinemas and theatres and other attractions, and we are cutting the cost of the weekly shop by lowering tariffs on more than 100 staple...
As my hon. Friend knows from his constituency experience, poverty scars children’s lives and life chances. That is why we announced the child poverty strategy, including the removal of the two-child limit, which will benefit nearly 70,000 children right across Wales. We have also increased universal credit for 320,000 families in Wales and raised the minimum and living wages, and, as I...
I have to say that it has been rather amusing to hear the new minority Plaid Cymru Welsh Government bragging about what they have done since the election. They have started a review, they have set up a steering group, they are working on a plan for another plan, they have set a target, and they are thinking about things. Meanwhile, this Government have invested £134 million in the Cardiff...
As the hon. Lady will know, red diesel has been slashed to its lowest rate for over 20 years. We have protected farming budgets, all the trade deals that we have signed have helped farmers, and we are looking at all the measures that we can introduce to tackle the cost of living and the impact of the Iran war—in which we did not want to get involved, and we decided not to get involved,...
Wales has a crucial role to play in our national security. Wales is home to a dynamic defence SME base, as well as major companies such as QinetiQ, BAE Systems, Airbus, General Dynamics and Thales. The increased defence budget will support thousands of jobs in communities across Wales, help to grow our economy and keep the UK safe.
The Welsh defence sector is central to the security of the United Kingdom. I am proud that our defence growth deal, backed by £50 million of UK Government investment, will transform our nation into a centre for defence innovation, creating highly-skilled jobs and driving economic growth across the country. It has been a real pleasure to see at first hand the opportunities the defence sector...
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The Government are undertaking the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the cold war. We know that the increase creates not only a defence dividend but a Union dividend, too. It will boost prosperity, create high-skilled jobs and strengthen security for working people in every corner of the UK, while at the same time bolstering the...
Wales Office Ministers spend significant time engaging with Welsh and other MPs on a wide range of issues, hosting MPs at Wales Office events, and holding dedicated meetings with MPs on a regular basis.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) works closely with the Wales Office to monitor and support the Welsh Government’s international engagement on devolved matters. The FCDO provides support and guidance when the Welsh Government chooses to advise UK Government of these meetings, and where it is appropriate to do so. The FCDO also works to ensure that foreign diplomats...
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave her on 18 June 2026 (UIN 8620).
Resilience is a shared responsibility between individuals, communities, businesses and all levels of government across the UK to ensure we can effectively respond to risks wherever they occur. Regular meetings take place between the four governments to discuss various strategies and frameworks aimed at strengthening resilience and identifying opportunities for greater collaboration. This...
I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of topics including how UK Government policy interacts with educational institutions in Wales. Education is devolved in Wales and so is the responsibility of the Welsh Government. The UK Government is providing the Welsh Government with nearly £6.5bn in additional spending power over the Spending Review as a result of...
BS 30480:2025 (Suicide and the Workplace – Intervention, prevention and support for people affected by suicide) is a voluntary British Standard published by the British Standards Institution (BSI) in November 2025. It provides guidance for organisations on suicide prevention, intervention, and support in workplace settings. The BSI is the UK's National Standards Body, recognised by...
The Government is committed to harnessing the benefits of artificial intelligence to improve the productivity of the Civil Service and the quality of public services. Departments provide officials, Ministers and special advisers with access to secure, enterprise-grade generative AI tools that have been assured to the appropriate security standards and approved for official use. Ministers,...
We have taken ‘political appointees’ to mean special advisers. A list of special advisers by department is published each year in the Annual Report on Special Advisers which is laid in parliament. The Annual Report on Special Advisers 2026 will be published in due course.
