The Welsh Labour manifesto addresses the country’s chronic underfunding

As a proud and patriotic Welshman, it is a great honour to be launching the Welsh Labour manifesto in North Wales today, along with our Labour First Minister, Carwyn Jones. But I’m even more proud that so much of the manifesto is about building an economy that rewards hard working people wherever they live in the UK.

In many ways, the final year of the last parliament was defined by debates on devolution and independence. Yet for all the vital discussions on the future of our Union, an eternal truth shone through: there is infinitely more that unites people across the UK than divides us.

That’s why I am proud that the Welsh Labour manifesto remains true to the themes set out in the UK Labour version.

Here in Wales, we have been among the hardest hit by the failed economic experiment of this Tory government. Despite glib claims from David Cameron, wealth simply isn’t trickling down to Wales. Their economic mantra – look after the wealthiest and let everyone else look out for themselves – has spectacularly failed Wales. The reality is we have the worst rates of pay in the UK and the lowest disposable income, with one in four Welsh workers paid less than a living wage.

So Wales desperately needs a UK government with a plan to reward hard work and share prosperity, in recognition of the fact that we only succeed when working people succeed. This is the central theme to our plan, it’s on the front of the UK and Welsh Labour manifestos – and it’s how we will build a better Britain.

Working parents in Cardiff or Coventry want more affordable childcare; retail workers in Bangor or Bootle want a fairer minimum wage and exploitative zero-hours contracts banned; pensioners in Conwy or Chester want to know their pensions are protected; small business owners on Barry Island or the Isle of Dogs want to see a cut in their business rates and we all want the cruel bedroom tax scrapped – Labour will deliver all of this and more for people in Wales and right across the UK.

Labour’s vision for a Britain where hard work is rewarded and everyone is supported by decent public services doesn’t stop at borders, it should help unite our country.

That’s not to say that our Welsh Labour manifesto doesn’t set out clear plans for a more powerful, prosperous Wales.

Crucially, we offer the boldest vision on future powers for Wales. In the Labour Party, we see devolution as a vehicle for moving power closer to people and communities, although we don’t claim to have a monopoly on good ideas.  That’s why we will initiate a Constitutional Convention, to help renew our Union and give ordinary people a greater say over how we are all governed. In the meantime, we will act to strengthen devolution, placing increased powers over areas including policing, transport, energy, fracking and the Work Programme in Welsh hands.

In contrast, the Tories see devolution as an opportunity to marginalise Welsh voices in Westminster. While the nationalists see it as a steppingstone towards their obsession of ripping Wales out of the UK, untroubled by the fact that separatism is supported by just 6% of Welsh people.  That is why Labour is the only true party of devolution.

We have also pledged to address the underfunding of Wales, by introducing a so-called ‘funding floor’ to the Barnett formula. This is because in the Labour Party we believe all parts of the UK should be funded fairly.  Tellingly, the Tories gave the game away in their UK manifesto, in which they say a Welsh funding floor will only be introduced “once [Welsh Government] has called a referendum on Income Tax powers in the next Parliament”. The mask slipped and the reality has been exposed, the Tories are looking to cut Wales adrift, trying to use devolution as cover for yet deeper cuts to Wales.

A return of a UK Labour Government will also be an opportunity to move on from the ugly way this Tory-led UK government has managed relationships with Wales.  Instead of seeking to maintain the decade of partnership that defined the start of devolution, they preferred to focus on instigating a War on Wales, in a bid at a proxy attack on Labour.  Yet despite these attacks – and in the face of a £1.5bn (10 per cent) budget cut – the Welsh Labour Government has continued to stand up for Labour values, investing in job creation, the education of our young people and public services.

So I will be fighting between now and May 7 to secure the new Labour MPs we need right across Wales; making sure our proud country plays its part in kicking out the Tories, ending this politics of division and rebuilding a fairer Britain.

Owen Smith, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales