Welsh Labour launches manifesto “Standing Up For Wales”

DOWNLOAD THE WELSH LABOUR MANIFESTO

Welsh Labour has launched its manifesto – called “Standing Up For Wales” – ahead of the December 12th general election.

The manifesto was introduced by Mark Drakeford in Wrexham this morning, building on commitments to Wales made in the UK Labour manifesto launched last week. Labour’s plan for the country includes a £3.4bn increase to Wales’ annual budget, bringing an end to austerity.

Welsh Labour will use the additional funding from the UK Treasury to extend free social care, scrapping tuition fees and boosting support available to small and medium sized businesses through the Development Bank of Wales.

In his speech, Drakeford set out how Welsh Labour has been a source of inspiration for how a UK Labour government could operate, highlighting the introduction of free prescriptions, abolition of child burial fees and banning of fracking as key examples.

The Welsh Labour leader declared: “Our manifesto makes clear the work – the proud work – which our Welsh Labour government has done in recent years to stand up for Wales; to protect working people and to protect our vital public services from what the Tories at Westminster have done.

“Welsh Labour has kept our NHS in public hands; it has created thousands of new jobs and high quality apprenticeships; it has put renewable energy and biodiversity at the heart of everything we do and, as we can see today, it is putting in place the biggest-ever investment – £3.7bn – in new school and college buildings that Wales has ever seen.”

The manifesto runs to a total of 108 pages. Here are some of the key pledges:

• Invest an additional £3.4bn a year in Wales.
• Provide additional funds to small and medium sized businesses through the Development Bank of Wales.
• Raise the living wage to £10 an hour.
• Increase funding for local bus services.
• Extend the MyTravelPass.
• Extend Flying Start.
• Abolish university tuition fees.
• Create a carbon neutral NHS by 2030.
• Extend free social care.
• Guarantee that 90% of the surplus in the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme will stay with members.

The document also reinforces Welsh Labour’s Brexit position outlined in the UK Labour manifesto last week, confirming that the party in Wales will campaign for Remain in a future referendum.