Keir Starmer to hail ‘new era of change’ at Welsh Labour Conference

Prime Minister Keir Starmer will promise a “new era” for communities in Wales in his first speech to the Welsh Labour Conference since entering Downing Street.

Starmer will tell delegates at the conference in Llandudno that Labour in Wales and Labour in Britain are pulling in the same direction once again, serving the Welsh people with the “full force of our union”.

He will speak of his pride in working with three Welsh Labour women leading the nation forward – First Minister Eluned Morgan, Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens and Welsh Labour deputy leader Carolyn Harris.

The Prime Minister will tell conference that Labour must remain determined to continue to put in the energy to deliver a decade of national renewal and ensure the Welsh people’s “ambition lives up to the change they need in their lives”.

He will also stress the need that change must be “felt in the bones of a nation” and will say: “Change can’t be a few extra lines on a graph moving in the right direction. Change can’t be a good Labour policy or two delivered while the broader settlement remains untouched. Change must be nothing less than national renewal.”

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Starmer will say that change can only be delivered by “sticking to our long-term plan – our national missions for change… because I am convinced they are the only way to change this nation for the better”.

“I will defend facing up to the harsh light of fiscal reality, defend tough decisions that were necessary to stabilise our economy and I will defend protecting the payslips of working people. Fixing the foundations of our economy, asking those with the broader shoulders to contribute more, so that we finally turn the page on the era of austerity – once and for all,” Starmer will say.

The Prime Minister will address the conference tomorrow morning, with First Minister Eluned Morgan also set to address delegates in the aftermoon.

Morgan is expected to announce an additional £22m to tackle NHS waiting lists, bringing the total to £50m.

Referencing her listening tour that she undertook over the summer, Morgan will say: “I’ve listened, I’ve heard, I’m making it happen”.

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