Wales has not seen the last of Labour as an electoral force, Welsh leader says
Labour in Wales is not a spent electoral force after its historic defeat in the Senedd earlier this year, the party’s Welsh leader has said.
Ken Skates, who picked up the baton as Welsh Labour leader in May after the party lost power in the country for the first time in 27 years, also signalled he planned to row in behind Andy Burnham’s vision for spreading power outside of Westminster.
Welsh Labour had advocated in its Senedd election manifesto for devolving power over justice and the Crown Estate to Cardiff Bay.
While Mr Skates said he was still open to these aims, he suggested he wanted to see the Welsh Government spread its existing powers to regions across Wales, in an echo of the Prime Minister’s sentiments about pushing power away from central Government.
Speaking to the Press Association ahead of Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, Mr Skates was resolute that his party could return to power in Wales in future, even after having been reduced to nine seats in the Senedd.
The Welsh Labour leader said he was “absolutely certain that we haven’t” seen the last of his party as an electoral force.
He added: “Building a party of the future that is forward-looking, ambitious, exciting, and puts the power that needs to go to people right at the centre of everything we do, it’s not going to be a sprint.
“This is a marathon. I’m a runner myself like Andy Burnham is, and I’m determined to make sure that we recover in time for the next election, and that we are in decent health next May for the local elections.”
Devolution
Since coming to power, the Prime Minister has made devolution of power away from Westminster a core part of his governing agenda.
In England, that has meant giving a share of taxes and handing new powers to regional mayors, but how this might apply in Wales and Scotland – which have longstanding devolved governments – has been less clear.
Both Labour in Cardiff Bay and the now-governing Plaid Cymru have called for policing powers and the profits of the Crown Estate – the monarch’s holdings in Wales – to be devolved.
Plaid is likely to push for these powers when Mr Burnham holds a summit with the first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in October.
But Mr Skates, who recently met the Prime Minister in London, said he now saw Mr Burnham’s agenda of spreading power as a means to provide a point of difference with Plaid Cymru’s calls for new powers being granted to the Welsh Government.
He told PA: “I think it provides us with an incredible opportunity to build a new party that is forward-looking, that is exciting, that is confident, that is clearly the party of devolution, whereas Plaid are the party of independence and central control from Cardiff Bay.”
Discussion
Devolution of policing is still an aim of Welsh Labour’s Senedd group, Mr Skates signalled, and is being discussed with the party’s MPs in Westminster, who have expressed opposition to it.
He said: “We’re discussing it very much with the Parliamentary Labour Party and with ministers at Westminster. The key thing now is that we have people at both ends of the M4 who are focused relentlessly on the outcomes of devolving powers and responsibilities, not just on devolution for devolution’s sake.
“So we’re very much focused on identifying how and where powers should be devolved to get the best possible outcomes.”
Skates’ comments come as recent polling suggests Labour continues to face significant electoral challenges in Wales, despite signs of a recovery in its Westminster support.
A recent YouGov MRP model, the first since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister, gave Labour a central estimate of just two of Wales’ 32 Westminster seats, compared with the 27 it won at the 2024 general election.
It found that Plaid Cymru led in 15 constituencies and Reform UK in 14, with the Conservatives expected to take a single seat, although many of the projected contests were extremely close.
Separate Barn Cymru/YouGov polling put Labour on 18% for Westminster, up from 8% in May, but its recovery was less pronounced in Senedd voting intention, where it stood at 13%.
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Last time I checked Labour was on course to lose Bangor Aberconwy, Caerphilly, Cardiff West, and possibly also Llanelli to Plaid Cymru. They are additionally in danger of losing both Clwyd seats to the Conservatives.
I’m not saying Labour is a spent force in Welsh politics but they certainly have a mountain to climb to regain the trust of voters.
The voters won’t forgive or forget how labour have thrown Wales to the wolves.
Typical Labour spin from the empty vessel man Skates. All talk and no substance. Welsh Labour are a complete spent force who don’t seem to know what they’re for anymore. Unless they work to formulate, first an understanding, that they are Supposed to represent Wales, and then a credible plan ready to take on the establishment forces that they have come to represent, their slide into deserved oblivion will continue.
“This is a marathon. I’m a runner myself like Andy Burnham is, and I’m determined to make sure that we recover in time for the next election, and that we are in decent health next May for the local elections.” The problem with runners, mr. Skates, is that they’re so focused on getting to the destination with speed, that they fly past the scenery, unwilling or unable to stop and think about what’s going on outside of their focus on the finish line. I would prefer to be led by a walker, as walkers take the time to observe all… Read more »
Condemning PT to a future as scrap metal merchants while nationalising primary steel in England was the turning point.
I would far rather Labour than Tory and Reform. Plaid need a good opposition, reform are not it and the Tory party are Reform with a tiny bit less Fasch. Look to where you went wrong and yank Burnham up on a few things.
How arrogant of Ken Skates to say that Labour can still be an electoral force in Wales after 27 years in power. Has he no sense of shame or responsibility? Welsh Labour was ineffectual and stood by while UK Labour agreed with the Conservatives to classify English rail infrastructure as an England-and-Wales project, thereby costing us billions. Skates now appears to be lukewarm about devolving criminal justice and the Crown Estate, favouring UK Labour’s top-down approach to devolution. I thought devolution was supposed to be about Wales doing things our way, rather than being led by the nose? It is… Read more »
What does this big fish mean when he says ‘devolution for devolution’s sake’. Is he implying that England always knows better? That Cymru cannot rule itself? First thing Labour did was vote with Reform against a progressive budget – Unionists together.
You should have heard him on the radio this morning, apparently Plaid Cymru are just another extremist party just the same as Reform.
As long as Mahmood is in charge Labour is a con…