Labour misses out loss of Senedd seats in fundraising appeal to members

Martin Shipton

An email from the Labour Party sent to its members and supporters in Wales that sought donations for future campaigns mentioned the loss of council seats in England but not the loss of Senedd seats in Wales.

The message, sent on Monday May 11, stated: “Keir didn’t dress it up when he spoke this morning.

“Last week’s results were tough. Very tough.

“We lost good Labour councillors.

“And after results like these, we have to be honest about the work ahead.

“People do not owe Labour their trust. We always have to earn it.

“But while we do that work, Nigel Farage and Reform are trying to fill the space with anger and despair.

“A Nigel Farage premiership is a real prospect.

“That is the danger of this moment.

“We know that last week hurt. It hurt to lose Labour councillors. It hurt because we know what is at stake for working people, young people, and communities across our country.

“But this fight is not over.

“As Keir said, this is a battle for the soul of our nation.”

A Labour supporter in Cardiff who received the email said: “Here’s another example of the party in London not taking Wales seriously.

“Why on earth would you send a message to members and supporters in Wales and talk about losing councillors in England, but not mention that Labour Members of the Senedd lost their seats too.

“Maybe if they cared more about the interests of Wales, we wouldn’t have lost so many MSs in the Senedd election.

“It would be nice to think they had learned their lesson, but I’m far from sure that’s the case.”

‘Thoughtlessness’

Another Labour supporter in Wales said: “It’s the thoughtlessness of it that’s so annoying. Labour needs to take account of Wales and Scotland as well as England, and the fact that they don’t is reflected in the election results last week. For Labour to be a distant third in Wales and joint second with Reform in Scotland, way behind the SNP, shows the extent of the trouble the party is in.”

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The email text should have only gone to members in England.

“A message from the PM went to members in Wales on Friday.

“The message acknowledged that ‘We’ve lost brilliant Labour Senedd members who’ve been delivering for their communities for years’ and it paid tribute to Eluned Morgan for over 30 years of service.”