Starmer meets with Vaughan Gething in last stop of tour of the UK

Sir Keir Starmer has met with Vaughan Gething on the final stop on his tour of the devolved nations.

The new Prime Minister visited the Senedd in Cardiff Bay on Monday, to meet with the First Minister and Jo Stevens, the Secretary of State for Wales.

The trip follows visits to the other devolved nations, having stopped in Belfast earlier that day and Scotland on Sunday.

He arrived at the Welsh Parliament having promised an “immediate reset” of the relationship between the Westminster Government and devolved nations.

It also comes amid concerns about job losses at the Tata steelworks in Port Talbot, where around 2,800 jobs are at risk..

The Labour governments in Wales and Westminster are pushing Tata not to pursue any compulsory redundancies, with promises of extra funding for the steel industry in the UK.

Announcing his UK tour, Sir Keir said his landslide victory in the General Election has given Labour “a clear mandate to govern for all four corners of the United Kingdom”.

Labour emerged from last week’s elections as the largest party in Wales in Westminster, with the Conservatives wiped out for the first time since 2001.

‘Untapped potential’

Ahead of the visit, Sir Keir described Wales as having “enormous untapped potential ready to be unleashed”.

He said: “Working in lockstep with the Welsh Government and Vaughan, my Government will place the people and communities of Wales front and centre as we move towards a decade of national renewal.

“That means turning to page on years of economic hardship, towards genuine shared prosperity for working people, so they see and feel real tangible change in their lives.”

Sir Keir campaigned alongside the embattled First Minister during the General Election.

Mr Gething has faced calls to quit after he lost a no-confidence vote last month.

It came following the collapse of the co-operation deal between Labour and Plaid Cymru and a series of rows involving Mr Gething and donations to his leadership campaign from a man who has been convicted of environmental offences.

‘Damaged goods’

His party has been forced to defend Mr Gething’s continued presence in the top role in Wales, with Kim Howells, a former Pontypridd Labour MP, describing him as “damaged goods” during an interview with BBC Radio Wales on Sunday.

Ms Howells said Labour needs to change the Welsh leader “sooner rather than later” with fears it could impact the party’s chances in the Senedd elections in 2026.

Mr Gething has always insisted that he has broken no rules and the new Welsh Secretary, Jo Stevens, said he has her “complete support”.

Ahead of Sir Keir’s visit to Wales, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth and his party’s four MPs requested a meeting with the PM.