Labour and Tories accused of ‘teaming up to continue the chaos in Wales’
Plaid Cymru has accused Labour and the Conservatives of “teaming up to continue the chaos in Wales” after failing to back calls for a snap Senedd election.
Rhun ap Iorwerth made an immediately demand for a new Senedd election on Tuesday (16 July) following Vaughan Gething’s announcement that he intended to resign as First Minister.
Mr Gething announced his intention to step down after four members of his government quit in protest at his leadership, following a series of rows over donations taken during the race to be Welsh Labour leader and the sacking of a minister.
Mr ap Iorwerth accused Labour in Wales of “blatant hypocrisy” which displays a “party before country approach” to politics while the Conservatives he said are “too scared of their own electoral prospects” to call for an early election.
He added that it was critical “to restore hope in politics” and that Plaid Cymru was determined to offer people an opportunity to vote for a positive vision of a better future for Wales.
Infighting
Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “Despite the impending resignation of the First Minister, senior Ministers in Welsh government standing down, and continued infighting, Labour like the Tories would rather continue with the chaos than face an election.
“This comes at a time when we have a deepening crisis facing Welsh Universities, worryingly low literacy levels, a Labour Welsh government exposed as utterly underprepared for the Covid pandemic and record high NHS waiting lists.
“It’s blatant hypocrisy for Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner, and Anas Sarwar to call for an election under similar circumstances at Westminster and Holyrood and yet continue with a ‘nothing to see here’ approach in Cardiff Bay.
“Labour is all too happy to put party before country in expecting the people of Wales to put up with a revolving door of Labour First Ministers while the Tories are too scared of their own electoral prospects to call for an election.
“The Labour Welsh government is too distracted by its own members briefing against one another to get to grips with the matters that concern the people of Wales and unwilling to stand up to Keir Starmer who is intent on stifling Wales’s ambitions.
“It’s critical that we restore hope in politics. People deserve an opportunity to vote for a positive vision of a better future for Wales and that is Plaid Cymru’s unrelenting focus.
“Our nation can end the spiral of decline under Labour by electing a different government committed to delivering a sustainable NHS, tackling inequality, and hanging the ‘open for business’ sign up once again.”
Hot-headed
Andrew RT Davies, now the most senior Conservative politician in Wales after his party’s general election wipe out, objected to calls for a snap Senedd election, saying the people of Wales do not want back-to-back elections.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr Davies said: “I think that’s being very hot-headed in the current climate.
“Because actually, what would happen would be that we could have an election now and then we’d still have to have a full Senedd election in 2026.
“I don’t think people want a full-blown general election here in Wales.
“What people want is clear leadership, direction of travel, and improvements in their everyday lives.
“What we want to deliver from the Conservative camp are the solutions that will do that and drive up performance here in Wales and we can do that and make that offer in 2026.”
Mr Davies added that the First Minister should have resigned when he lost the non-binding vote of no-confidence earlier this year, rather than “drag it out”.
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Too true, we need a Senedd election asap. Hardly surprising Labour and the tories are blocking the idea, both know they would lose big time
We meed a Senedd election now before Labour do any more damage. . Little wonder its being blocked by them and the Tories, they know they are both deeply unpopular parties in Wales.
Welsh Labour are a busted flush and RT is close to becoming extinct in Cymru…
Wonder what independents are standing next election (no, not reform or Tory).
Plaid seriously need to reflect on the GE and we would still have to have one in 2026. I don’t want an endless call for elections when leaders are changed out especially this close after the GE.
I am not sure I can go for plaid now. I don’t see the same comparison to calls for a UK GE and what is happening in Wales.
“I am not sure I can go for plaid now. “
Though probably everyone else knows for sure that you’re never going to “go for Plaid”.
Pertinent to us in the northwest is an article in the Guardian that looks at life within a few miles of France’s 56 nuclear reactors…
The bit about the ‘Chernobyl cloud’ erased from French news graphics as it passed overhead made me laugh…
Has Plaid made its mind up yet ?
When there is Welsh Questions to the Welsh in Parliament ask about the Money for Wales for H S 2 and find out why Labour are denying it to us
With PR?!!
No. Far better to wait untl the gilt on the Reform gingerbread has moulded off, and everyone realizes who they really are.
Seeing both Tories & Labour are one and the same now are natural bedfellows. Welsh Labour know their time in the sunshine is nye seeing they’ve been in power for 25 years and currently in chaos. They linked arms in 2014 to stop Scottish independence so do similar now to protect each other. A BritNat bromance. Whoever leads Welsh Labour will face the same scenario as Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives in London. They know the tide is changing. Only difference is. Welsh Labour will hang on by the skin of their their teeth until 2026. I can see it now. Vote… Read more »
Politics is becoming increasingly bizarre and the question of Fifth Columnists with ulterior motives in Cymru has to be considered.
In the GE it was patiently obvious that there was a move away from the Cons, but not to Labour. Both the main parties have a lot to lose in Wales and undoubtedly would under both the old system and the new where PR is more powerful. Lab (who I belong to) know all’s, must now be rueing the day that the bill making the changes was passed. It was conceived with the mistaken belief that the electorate in Wales would continue like sheep as they have since the assembly’s inception. Thereby keeping Lab in power with PC guaranteed seats… Read more »
I’m not convinced that the displacement – wholly deserved, at least in my opinion – of Vaughan Gethin is sufficient reason for calling for an early Senedd election. That’s simply because my instinct is that if that were to be happen, the likely outcome, yet again and viewed in the light of the result of the very recent Westminster election, would be yet another Senedd with Labour as the largest single party. Would that outcome really be worth the cost and dislocation of an early election? I’m not comprehensively and ideologically opposed to gesture politics, but I do think that… Read more »
I doubt many people trust the Welsh branch of the Labour party given the events of the past few months. They have demonstrated a disregard for Welsh people while coming across as a spent force, out of ideas and vision.
In any event why should a few Labour members again choose Wales First Minister. Undemocratic. We should have Senedd election now and let the people choose our First Minister.