Welsh Labour accused of harvesting data with ‘listening’ survey

Emily Price

Welsh Labour has been accused of a “cynical attempt to harvest data” after launching a “listening” consultation asking for the public’s views on Welsh Government policies.

Labour MSs posted a link to X, formerly Twitter, encouraging people to fill in the online form on Friday (August 23).

Sharing the link, MS for Cynon Valley Vikki Howells posted: “👂First Minister @Eluned_Morgan wants to know what your priorities are for Wales.

You can let the First Minister, Deputy FM @huw4ogmore and the @WelshLabour team know by completing this online feedback form.”

Data

The survey link, which includes an image of the First Minister in a meeting room, takes users directly to a Labour Party website.

The questionnaire lists the areas of policy the Welsh Government is responsible for and asks participates to click on the five most important to them.

Then it asks for the respondents name, email, address and telephone number.

The form’s small print explains that the information could be used by Labour to match the data provided to a respondents electoral register record which “could inform future communications”.

A Conservative source says the survey “massively blurs the lines between the Welsh Government and Labour Party”.

A Welsh Government spokesperson told Nation.Cymru that the devolved administration is not overseeing the consultation or accessing the responses adding that the survey is “clear marked”.

We asked whether the survey was appropriate given that those taking part could believe they are engaging directly with the Welsh Government.

The spokesperson said it would be “nonsensical” for Baroness Morgan to only listen to people as First Minister but not as Leader of Welsh Labour – and vice versa.

Plaid Cymru’s Luke Fletcher accused Labour of using the survey to “piggyback” on to the Welsh Government’s summer of listening programme.

Baroness Morgan has been using the Senedd recess to “listen” to the public at events and locations across Wales including the Eisteddfod, the Pembrokeshire Show and Pontypridd market.

Problematic

Mr Fletcher said: “Labour have been in power for over a quarter of a century, yet they place the burden on ordinary people to find solutions to their own problems.

“This approach is problematic enough on its own, but it now appears that Labour is attempting to exploit its failures in government to gather data for the party’s benefit.

“Labour must clarify whether it is piggybacking on the Welsh Government’s ‘Summer of Listening’ programme as a data harvesting exercise.

“Ensuring a clear separation between the Welsh Government and the Labour Party is essential.”

Cynical

Plaid Cymru’s Mabon ap Gwynfor also criticised the consultation. He said: “This isn’t a listening exercise. It’s a cynical attempt to harvest data. Dressing it up as a listening exercise shows that they aren’t genuinely interested in learning or listening.

“They are doomed to repeat the same mistakes again because they aren’t genuinely interested in people’s life experiences and are instead more interested in trying to find ways of retaining power.”

We asked Welsh Labour if the party had attached itself to the government’s summer of listening programme in order to harvest data from the Welsh public.

We did not receive a response.