Welsh First Minister ‘prepared’ to lose seat at Senedd election

Emily Price 

Wales’s First Minister Eluned Morgan has said she is prepared for the possibility of losing her seat at the Senedd election next week.

Her comments came during an interview with ITV’s Rob Osborne as part of a Welsh leaders television series ahead of the May 7 vote.

Pressed on recent opinion polls that have shown Labour trailing in third place behind Plaid and Reform, Morgan admitted there was a “challenge” ahead.

She said: “I’m up for the fight and I’m up for the challenge and I recognise that there is a challenge ahead

“I’ve always stood in a seat that is marginal. When I first stood in the Senedd it was marginal seat. I love a fight, I’m up up for the fight. That’s the kind of person I am.”

Pressed further on whether she accepted she could lose her seat in her constituency of Ceredigion Penfro, the First Minister said she was “prepared for every eventuality” but added she was confident that Welsh Labour could turn its chances around.

During the programme, which featured the Welsh Labour leader at a bingo hall, Morgan was also quizzed on her record in government, her relationship with the Prime Minister and her regrets.

Almost a year ago to the day, the FM delivered her “Red Welsh Way” speech – a major policy address designed to define her leadership.

It came amid a period of turmoil for the Welsh Labour party with her predecessor Vaughan Gething forced to resign after only 118 days in office.

His short tenure was plagued by controversy surrounding a £200,000 campaign donation from a man convicted of environmental crimes.

Crown Estate

During her speech in 2025, Morgan made several demands of Westminster including calls for the Crown Estate to be devolved.

Asked why this hadn’t happened during her time as First Minister, Morgan said: “We’ve had an expert group report on the Crown Estate. I’m still very clear that we do need to see the devolution of the Crown Estate.”

During the Red Welsh Way speech, Morgan also said it was an “almighty injustice” that the HS2 rail project was classified as an England and Wales scheme.

Asked why the project hadn’t yet been reclassified, the First Minister said: “One of the key things for me is – how much money do we get?

“That’s the more important issue for me. We have had an announcement since then that Keir Starmer will recognise the fact that we have been short changed for years under the Tories and there will be £14bn of investment coming into Wales to make up for the difference.”

Morgan has been Wales’ First Minister for 18 months – but for most of the last Senedd term she held the role of Health Minister.

‘Starved’

During a discussion about Wales’ NHS, she said the £1bn maintenance backlog was a result of the country being “starved of funding”.

Morgan said: “It’s not as if we haven’t done anything, we’ve built the Grange Hospital in that time, we’ve had massive refurbishment of Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr.

“There have been new health centres popping up all over the place.

“It’s not as if we are doing nothing during that time.”

On whether Labour in Westminster respected devolution, Morgan said there were areas where she wished the Prime Minister had gone further in his support.

However, the First Minister claimed she was able to pick up the phone and speak to the PM whenever she needed to.

Morgan said: “I’m somebody who is just dead straight with people. People know where they stand with me and that’s the relationship I have with Keir Starmer as well.

“If I’ve got an issue I’ll pick up the phone and we’ll talk it through. Keeping a relationship sound is important.

“I’ll always stand up for Wales though. Whatever happens, my first loyalty is to my country and the people who live here.”

Controversial

Morgan was also pressed on a number of her government’s controversial policies.

Asked whether she regretted the Welsh Government’s tourism tax – allowing councils to impose a small charge on overnight stays – Morgan said she had no regrets, arguing that the policy would strengthen tourist hotspots.

On Wales’ 20mph default speed limit, Morgan admitted she had some regrets about how the policy was rolled out.

In 2023, Wales became the first UK nation to change the default speed limit on restricted roads from 30mph to 20mph in a bid to reduce casualties.

A record-breaking Senedd petition calling for the speed limit to be scrapped collected almost half a million signatures.

The scheme has since proved life saving with data from the first year of implementation indicating it has significantly reduced casualties.

Morgan said: “I have regrets about the way it was brought in – I think we could have done that better.

“But no regrets about the fact over 100 lives have been saved and thousands of people have avoided injuries and millions of pounds have been saved in the NHS as a result.”

On the Welsh Government’s Ugandan tree planting initiative, Morgan said the scheme only cost a “tiny” amount of money in the context of Wales’ £27bn budget.

Over 24 million trees have been distributed to thousands of farmers in the Mbale region, often planting in areas heavily impacted by deforestation.

The scheme aims to mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon while providing communities with fruit trees, fuel-efficient stoves, and supporting sustainable income sources like beekeeping.

Asked about her government’s contentious Nation of Sanctuary policy, the First Minister said she was “really proud” of what the scheme had achieved, with 90 per cent of the funding allocated to support Ukrainian refugees.

Asked whether she regretted becoming First Minister, Morgan said: “No regrets at all. It’s been challenging but I’ve enjoyed it and I want to continue doing it.”

Wales Decides 2026 – The Interviews is available to watch on ITV X.