Interview: Jo Stevens on assisted dying, 2026 Senedd elections and Port Talbot

Jo Stevens has said that she will back the assisted dying bill when it comes to a vote in Parliament next week.

In an exclusive interview with LabourList at the Welsh Labour Conference in Llandudno, the Secretary of State for Wales confirmed she will support Kim Leadbeater’s private members’ bill to grant those with less than six months to live the option of assisted dying in England and Wales.

She said: “The government remains neutral on this bill. It is a private members’ bill and it’s a vote of conscience. It’s a free vote for everybody, and within the Cabinet and within the Parliamentary Labour Party, there are different people with different views. My view is a matter of public record. I voted for Rob Marris’ bill (former MP for Wolverhampton South West) in 2015, and I will be voting for this bill.”

READ MORE: Assisted dying vote tracker – how does each Labour MP plan to vote on bill?

‘Welsh Labour has to show it is making a difference to people’s lives’

Her appearance at the conference came amid growing preparation by Welsh Labour for the Senedd elections taking place in 2026, with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claiming his party will be Labour’s main challenger when voters next go to the polls.

Stevens said she was not convinced Reform UK had any interest in Wales. “The leader of Reform is far more interested in what’s going on across the Atlantic, never mind his own constituents in Clacton.”

She stressed that Labour takes every election seriously and takes no votes for granted. “Between now and in 2026, the Welsh Labour government has to show what it’s delivering that makes a difference to people’s lives, so that they can see it and they can feel it.

“I do think that the advent of the UK Labour government and the Welsh Labour government working together has already shown the benefits that two Labour governments bring for Wales. People will and are feeling the difference already.”

‘Very proud’ of funding boost for Wales

One of those benefits has been a boost in funding for Wales, announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the Budget last month.

Stevens said she was “very proud” that the UK Labour government was able to deliver the largest real-terms settlement for the nation in the history of devolution, granting First Minister Eluned Morgan an extra £1.7bn to spend on public services.

She said: “Eluned has spent the first few months of her premiership listening to people across Wales. What are their priorities? We know that getting waiting lists down is a top priority. We know that improvements in education is a top priority, so I’ve no doubt that the Welsh government budget will focus on making sure that those improvements can be made.”

READ MORE: Welsh Labour figures attempt to reassure farmers after protests outside conference

‘It’s a challenging time, but a huge opportunity for Port Talbot’

The government has also sought to support those affected by the green transition of the steel sector in Port Talbot. Stevens said that workers should “absolutely” feel reassured by the actions the government is taking to ensure a just transition for the industry.

She said: “I want every steel worker in Wales, their families and businesses that rely on our steel industry to know that this government has their back. 

“We’ve done that by confirming the £80m for the transition board – an unfunded spending commitment from the previous government. I wondered why, when we won the election in July, that not a single penny of that £80m had gone out the door to help anybody, and now we know why – it didn’t exist. Rachel Reeves confirmed that in the Budget. I’ve announced £13m for a new fund, on top of the previous £13.5m I announced in the summer.

“In addition to that, we secured a better deal with Tata that gives better protections for the workforce – all the workforce will gain under that deal, no immediate compulsory redundancies, the best voluntary redundancy terms that Tata have ever offered to their staff in the UK, skills and training commitments, and of course the contract for the electric arc furnace has been signed. We’ve also got the freeport in Port Talbot. 

“This is a huge opportunity. It’s a very challenging time at the moment, but this is a huge opportunity for Port Talbot and for our other steel communities across south Wales, because there is going to be a huge investment in the area.

“We are going to create good jobs, we’re going to put money in people’s pockets and regenerate that area and I want it to be an exemplar of what a government does when a really severe economic shock hits a town or a region or a part of the country.”

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