First Minister blames UK Labour for party’s woes in Wales

Luke James

First Minister Eluned Morgan has blamed the unpopularity of the UK Labour government for the perilous position in which Welsh Labour finds itself ahead of May’s Senedd elections.

Labour are set to come third with 10 per cent of votes, according to the YouGov poll for Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre published last month – a fall of four points compared to the previous poll in September. Plaid Cymru are set to come first, with Reform in second place.

Asked about “rising independence sentiment” by Catalan newspaper Diari Ara during a visit to Barcelona last week, Morgan said: “The polls are very volatile. The Welsh Labour party has been in government since the establishment of our parliament 26 years ago. When you have been in power for that long, you have a lot to defend.”

Pressed on May’s election, she added: “The Labour party, which is the government of the United Kingdom, is not very popular and that is affecting our popularity. I don’t know if people are choosing the nationalist party or trying to stop the most right-wing force, Reform UK.”

Striking a combative tone with her party colleagues at Westminster, Morgan said: “We have to use the power that we have well, but we need more tools to better serve people. We have been clear with the UK [government] and we will not back down. We won’t change our opinion because there is a Labour government at Westminster.”

The interview took place as Morgan visited Catalonia and the Basque Country to sign new memorandums of understanding with the countries’ governments which commit them to working together on technology and renewable energy, as well as language and culture.

Morgan signed the document with the leader of Labour’s Catalan sister party, Salvador Illa, who won last year’s elections when pro-independence lost their decade-long majority as supporters stayed at home amid fatigue which its leaders attributed to “division and repression”.

Asked if Catalonia’s independence process had any lessons for Wales, Morgan added: “It has been interesting to see how things have changed in Catalonia over the last few years and how the attempt to force independence has gone backwards slightly.

“Catalonia is in a very different position. Economically it’s very strong in comparison to the rest of Spain, and that is not the position of Wales. It would be almost impossible for us to support ourselves economically without causing great difficulties for Welsh people.

“Even the nationalists, Plaid Cymru, have said that there won’t be a referendum in the next four or five years.”

Rhodri Morgan was First Minister when Wales first signed a memorandum of understanding with the Catalan government in 2001.

Value

The Catalan government’s ambassador to the UK, Francesc Claret, told Nation.Cymru that it was important to replace that “very broad” document with “something specific, something that can add value both to Catalonia and to Wales.”

The Catalan Government is interested in the Welsh Government’s plan to reach one million Welsh speakers but also its investment in the production of semiconductors amid a global shortage in the computer chips which is causing problems for the supply of goods from cars to mobile phones.

Meanwhile the Welsh Government is keen to cooperate with the Catalan Government on its Aini project which helps companies embed the Catalan language in apps, search engines, voice assistants and social media and could be used to increase the presence of the Welsh language on digital platforms.

“We want to increase cooperation between Catalonia and Wales and convert it into practical actions that help advance our countries,” said Catalan president Salvador Illa at the signing event in Barcelona.