Andy Davies , Home Affairs Correspondent

Should there be a minimum price for alcohol to stop people bingeing on cheap booze? Five years ago David Cameron floated the idea, then dropped it. Then the Scottish government’s attempt to do it became delayed in the courts after a challenge from the Scotch whisky industry. Now it’s the turn of the Welsh government. It…

The Prime Minister set out today to stave off any rebellion over the universal credit rollout by announcing a u-turn on the premium rate telephone helpline for claimants. Within a month it’ll be free. Labour had wanted a pause to the changes, amid claims that it will leave some people destitute. Andy Davies has been to Bath to…

A man with a history of paranoid schizophrenia who killed his neighbour in a savage and sustained knife attack hours after being released from hospital  has been found guilty of murder. The family of the victim, Kamil Ahmad, said 56 year old Jeffrey Barry had previously threated to kill him and that the authorities should…

Unions have accused Theresa May of being “asleep at the wheel” instead of fighting to protect workers jobs – after a preliminary ruling by the US government to impose an import tarrif of almost 220 percent on Bombardier’s new passenger jet, putting thousands of Northern Ireland jobs at risk. Theresa May said she was “bitterly…

They’ve been called the crack cocaine of gambling, but the government has hinted at a crackdown on high-street betting machines? The money that can be lost in some fixed odds machines is eye-watering – it is theoretically possible to lose £18,000 in an hour. Labour has just demanded that the betting industry pays a new tax…

We’re still here. That’s the message from Port Talbot, which just 18 months  was bracing itself for thousands of job losses and the closure of its iconic steelworks. Much has changed in the South Wales town since then: a deal  to keep the plant open, which came at a cost, with cuts to pension benefits. And tonight a…

More than a fifth of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have experienced abuse in the past year says the charity Stonewall – attacks both verbal and physical. The figures for transgender people are even higher, with 41 per cent saying they have been the victims of hate crime. But only a small proportion of…

New figures show the number of patients waiting more than 52 weeks for surgery has risen by more than 400% since 2013. The Welsh Government said the majority of people were treated within target times – despite increased demand.

School holidays should be a time of fun and excitement. But charities have warned that many children face going hungry, especially those who’d normally receive free school meals in term time. In Swansea last week, one food bank said it had run out of basic supplies – pointing to the start of the summer break…

It’s in the running to be the UK’s next city of culture. But this week Swansea has been celebrating the 20th anniversary of a film whose portrayal of the city was as bleak as it was darkly comic. Twin Town, which helped launch the career of the actor Rhys Ifans, has become loved by the…

A former Royal Marine who lived a double life as a bomb maker for dissident Irish republicans has been jailed for 18 years 31 year old Ciaran Maxwell stashed away a huge cache of weapons, including anti-personnel mines and pipe bombs. Four of the devices were later used in attacks by violent  extremists in Northern…

The Government has scrapped plans to electrify three rail lines.  The transport secretary announced new technology means works on the Midland Main Line, the Lake District Line and the Great Western Line will no longer be needed.

For decades, life expectancy has been steadily going up. But new analysis shows that unlike other rich countries like Hong Kong and Japan, in England it has dramatically stalled since 2010, when the Conservatives introduced austerity. Experts say it could be linked to what they called “miserly” spending on health and social care. The Department of Health insists the NHS has…

For any student, picking up a first class honours degree would be an achievement. But for Rob Camm it is an especial feat – coming less than four years after he was paralysed from the neck down in a car accident. The 23-year-old applied for his university place while still in a spinal unit in…

Asylum seekers are homeless and going hungry because the Government can’t process their applications for support fast enough. Refugee Action examined more than 300 cases and found that the Home Office is regularly missing its own deadlines, taking weeks or even months to decide whether to grant support, and wrongly rejecting claims for emergency help.