Welsh Labour chief urges voters to not punish celebration for Westminster frustration

Labour faces the fight of its life in the Welsh Parliament elections on May 7, with its 27-year hold on the Senedd under threat from challenges by Reform and Plaid Cymru

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Labour’s leader in Wales has urged voters not to punish the party for frustration with Westminster ahead of make-or-break Senedd elections.

Eluned Morgan sought to distance herself from her party in Westminster, saying: “Keir Starmer is not standing in this election, I am.” The First Minister accused rival parties Reform and Plaid Cymru of making promises that fail to add up as she warned public services could be at risk if Labour is ousted from power.

She said: “I do hope that if people are frustrated with what’s happening up in Westminster, then this is not the time to send a message, because it could impact on your public services for four years. You might feel better for five minutes, but it’s not going to change things.”

It comes as Labour faces the fight of its life in the elections on May 7, with its 27-year hold on the Senedd under threat. Polls have pointed to historic losses for Welsh Labour’s election-winning machine, where the party holds the world record for its 104-year winning streak.

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Ms Morgan has increasingly drawn a dividing line between Cardiff Bay and Westminster, pursuing a “Red Welsh Way” which led her to break with the Government on winter fuel and disability benefit cuts, and the two-child benefit limit.

Speaking to the Mirror on the sea front in Barry Island, she made light of the split, comparing it to the hit show ‘Gavin and Stacey’. She said: “We’re part of the same family, but there’ll be differences between us because of the where we come from and what’s appropriate for our own geographic areas, and the kind of people who live here.

“We’ve got to stay true to the people we represent, and the way to do that is to make sure that we put the country first ahead of party, and we’ll always do that.”

But despite her quips, there is clear frustration this side of the border over the headline-dominating Peter Mandelson scandal. Asked about the saga, she said: “Well, it hasn’t been helpful and but we’ve kept on trying to bring the focus back to the issues that matter to the Welsh people.”

She went on: “I will always be true to our values. Our values would mean that we would never have appointed somebody like Peter Mandelson.”

Pressed on what nightmare losses for Labour would mean for the Prime Minister, she said: “I’m focused on this election. I’m focused on getting through it, and I certainly wouldn’t want to speculate about what would happen afterwards.

“The Prime Minister has been to Wales. He’s helped us out when it comes to a new nuclear power plant that is going to transform the economy of North Wales. He’s helped us by lifting the two-child benefit cap, which is going to help 70,000 people.”

Labour is under threat from both Reform and Plaid Cymru, with Plaid’s leader Rhun ap Iorweth in pole position to be First Minister according to recent polling.

Ms Morgan said: “If independence is your first thought, then the health service is your second. Whereas I’d be very keen to make sure that it’s the public services that come first every single time.”

She reserved her greatest criticism for Nigel Farage’s party, who she has ruled out working with. She said: “Reform would represent a huge step that would really start to challenge our communities. They’re interested in creating divisions, not in bringing people together. Those are not Welsh values.”

The Welsh Labour leader admitted she was concerned by her own party’s immigration plans, which would extend the wait to get indefinite leave to remain from five to 15 years. She said: “I think that we’ve got to think through the implications and the knock on effect for our public services.”

As the campaign enters its final stretch, Ms Morgan accidentally told Labour members to vote for Plaid Cymru as she switched into speaking Welsh at an event in Barry Island. But she shook it off cheerfully as she gave the Mirror a whistle stop tour, stopping by Nessa’s Slots in the arcade.

At one point Emlyn Skym, 80, interrupted our interview to tell her he couldn’t believe people were forgetting about austerity. The retired former miner, from Senghenydd, near Caerphilly, said: “I cannot believe the short term memory of people. Fourteen years we’ve had [of the Tories].”

In a message to voters in the final days, she said: “Be very careful with their vote, because there are real risks involved here. The services that they’ve relied on for many years may not be there for them in future, because other political parties are promising things that are un-costed and undeliverable. They’re not being straight with the Welsh public.”

She added: “We know that this is the most challenging election we’ve ever faced, and that people are really struggling. But now is not the time to take a risk.

“The world is a really unstable place. Oil prices are still going up. Petrol prices are affecting people’s abilities to pay their bills. So we need to tell them and make them recognize that instability is not good in the face of the global instability that we’re facing.”

Ms Morgan faces a battle to hold her own marginal seat in Ceredigion Penfro. But she said: “I’ve always fought in a marginal seat, I’ve always represented that area. It would have been the easiest thing in the world for me to go and get a nice, safe seat as a party leader. That’s not who I am.

“I will stand and fight for the area that I’ve represented for years and years.”