Labour MP urges ‘bold and progressive’ policies from Westminster ahead of Senedd election
A Welsh Labour MP has urged the UK Government to adopt “bold, strong and progressive” policies to improve the party’s prospects in next May’s Senedd election.
Steve Witherden, the MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr, told ITV Wales’ Sharp End programme that measures such as ending the two-child benefit cap would help address plummeting support.
He argued that the party needs policies it can “take out there on the doorstep” to persuade voters who feel change is not happening quickly enough.
“I think we need some really, really progressive policies,” he said. “I would like to see the local housing allowance freeze ended, to see the lifting of the two-child cap. I think we need a bold, strong, progressive message.”
His comments come after a recent ITV Cymru Wales poll suggested that Labour could fall to third place in the Senedd contest behind Plaid Cymru and Reform UK.
The Senedd election, set for May 2026, is expected to be fiercely contested amid shifting political allegiances and voter dissatisfaction over the cost of living and public services.
Mr Witherden defended the UK Labour Government’s record since taking office, arguing that many reforms will take time to deliver tangible benefits. “We’ve done so many good things,” he said. “A 7% rise in the national minimum wage; renationalising rail; the employment rights bill; the abolition of exploitative zero-hours contracts and fire-and-rehire.”
However, he acknowledged growing impatience among voters. “A lot of these things don’t happen overnight,” he said. “You’re not going to see the benefits overnight. They’re going to take several years to bear fruit. I totally understand the frustration that people want to see those changes quicker.”
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I held my breath for 5 seconds then gave up.
Amir – there is no doubt that Wales needs a better funding deal from Westminster; but Wales should be working closer with Welsh suppliers and Universities to deliver projects and contracts, I’ve had a quick review of all spend since 1 January 2025 and some key contracts should such as https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033976-2025?origin=SearchResults&p=1 should be delivered by the Welsh Government itself. Also Cardiff University should not have outsourced its’ key net zero project to a supplier from Holland https://www.arcadis.com/en-gb/news/europe/united-kingdom/2025/9/arcadis-appointed-to-lead-decarbonisation-of-cardiff-university-sites but instead delivered as a programme of works with all Welsh Universities; this would have reduced the number of Cardiff University staff being… Read more »
” to improve the party’s prospects”. Says it all. Don’t act on all the recommendations by independent inquiries, who state we need radical change to correct years of underfunding and broken systems, such as policing and justice, which would only give us equality with the rest of Britain, because we deserve it, no, act now to save the Labour party. And unionists claim we are doing fine as we are. Wake up Cymru.
20 years too late, but they know that.
The only thing Wales needs is to distance itself from the lunacy of Westminster.
Adam – has Wales not done that already?
Future Generations Act
Transport for Wales is more focused that all the English operators combined (most new trains are being built in Wales, Lab by TfW, Jurnyon – but will take time to develop)
Terry Matthews AI organisation created (UK government outsourced its’ Artificial Intelligence policy and excluded all UK Technology organisations in its’ development).
Edinburgh’s economy is now better than London, so devolution / not spending billions on a High Speed network has paid off https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/14243/edinburgh-s-economy-outperforms-london-s
Edinburgh’s biggest economic sector is financial services including banking and insurance, and this sector simply wouldn’t exist on this scale had Scotland not previously been independent, and retained its own legal system which likely helped resist a move to London after unification.
Success inspite of UK membership not because of UK membership.
It’s also interesting that article celebrates two FDI examples of shops that have also opened in Cardiff.
Wales in 2025 . Homelessness rife , Child Poverty at 30% , Public Transport needs to do better, a lot better , City and Town centres , shabby , another 36 MSs doesn’t mean quality is improved , spending on pet projects debatable and finally , put the people not themselves first.