Labour can still turn things around, First Minister says

The First Minister has said she believes Labour can turn its fortunes around before the Senedd election in May.

Speaking at Welsh Labour’s campaign launch in Swansea on Monday, Baroness Eluned Morgan suggested her party is the only one “serious enough” to govern.

Labour has run the Senedd since it was first established more than two decades ago, but the party has fallen behind Plaid Cymru and Reform in recent opinion polls.

On Monday, Lady Morgan said: “I do think we can turn it round, we’ve got six weeks to go.

“(Voters) haven’t known what our offer for the future is, and I think the other parties will come under scrutiny for their unrealistic, undeliverable plans, and plans for plans.

“You know, some of them are just saying, we’ll work it out when we get there.

“That’s a real, I think, difficulty when it comes for the offer for the future for people.”

At Reform’s Wales manifesto launch earlier this month, Nigel Farage suggested the election will be viewed as a referendum on Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership.

Lady Morgan has previously sought to distance Welsh Labour from Sir Keir Starmer’s Government, but offered her support to the Prime Minister in the wake of calls for his resignation.

The pair also presented a united front when Sir Keir visited South Wales last month, stressing the importance of delivering “side by side”.

On Monday, Lady Morgan stressed “Keir Starmer is not standing in this election”.

“And neither is Nigel Farage, and neither is Zack Polanski, for that matter,” she added.

Speaking at the manifesto launch, Deputy First Minister of Wales Huw Irranca-Davies accused Nigel Farage of using Wales as a “springboard”.

He said: “Nigel Farage and his friends (are) taking Welsh voters for fools, pretending to offer a different kind of politics.

“But if you scratch the surface, or even if you just look at their candidate list, you’ll see the truth – they’re nothing more than recycled Tories, pushing, peddling recycled Tory policies.

“They may finally have a Welsh leader, but we know who’s pulling the strings, don’t we?

“They don’t care about Wales, they just want a springboard to get Farage elected and into Number 10.

“We must stop them.”

Welsh Labour’s manifesto pledges include freezing the Welsh rate of income tax over the next Senedd term, a £4 billion investment in the NHS and a guarantee patients will be seen by a primary healthcare professional within 48 hours if they have an urgent problem.

‘Political theatre’

Addressing the crowd gathered in Swansea, Lady Morgan said: “This election is not about political theatre, it’s about something much simpler – it’s about the future of Wales.

“You’ll hear people say that this election is about change, but change is not a plan, and protest is not leadership.

“This is not a race between slogans, this election is a choice about who is serious enough to lead Wales forward.

“When people look at that choice, they will ask some simple questions: who has the experience to govern? Who has the credibility and record to deliver?

“Do other parties have a costed plan, or just a plan to make a plan?”

‘Sideshow’

A spokesman for Plaid Cymru said: “This election is the most important in the history of devolution, with a clear choice between Plaid Cymru’s hope and Reform UK’s division. Labour is a sideshow.

“Plaid Cymru has a clear plan to cut waiting times, raise standards in our schools, roll out universal childcare and strengthen support for Welsh businesses.

“Labour’s time is up. Only Plaid Cymru offers the new leadership and ambition Wales needs to fulfil its potential.”

Non-event

Dan Thomas, leader of Reform Wales, said: “Welsh Labour’s manifesto launch was a total non-event.

“This is in stark contrast to Reform who have brought forward a credible and ambitious plan to deliver the real change Wales deserves.

“While all Labour has is recycled soundbites and attacks, we have a plan to put Welsh people first.