First Minister and Welsh Labour leader Eluned Morgan has warned that public services, including the NHS, could be at risk if Reform wins the next Senedd election.
Speaking exclusively to LabourList at Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Morgan said that all of the work that the party has accomplished over 100 years as the largest party in Wales would under threat next May.
She said: “It’s worth saying that the history of the Labour Party is entwined with the history of Wales. The Labour Party developed out of ideas that come from people like Nye Bevan. The Labour Party has shaped Wales over a century – so all those things that we’ve built up, all the values that are so dear to the Labour Party, are now under threat.”
Morgan pointed to achievements Welsh Labour has made, highlighting that Wales is the only part of the UK to have free school meals for all primary school children, free bus passes for all 60-year-olds and a real living wage for care workers.
“These things that people think will always be there – they are actually now under threat, and it’s important people recognise that the things they’ve taken for granted may not be there.”
Her warning comes as Keir Starmer told delegates at conference yesterday that the next election would be a fight between Labour and Reform, and as Welsh Labour face a battle to hold the constituency of Caerphilly in the Senedd. A loss in the by-election next month would result in difficulty in trying to pass the nation’s budget.
Morgan said: “The by-election is crucial, because we need the votes to get our budget through. And if we’re unable to do that, it will have an impact on thousands of people’s jobs.”
With Reform leading in the polls in Wales, Morgan took aim at the former leader of Reform in Wales Nathan Gill, and at the track record of Farage’s old party UKIP in the Senedd.
“We have experience of Nigel Farage’s party. In 2016, seven UKIP members were elected. By the end of that parliament, six of them had left. They fall into chaos the moment the rubber hits the road.
“Nathan Gill was one of those members and has now been exposed for taking bribes from Russia.
“Whilst we’re supporting Ukrainian people to come and flee from Putin, you’ve got the former leader of Reform in Wales getting into bed with Russia.
“The Reform candidate [for the Caerphilly by-election] Llyr Powell worked for Nathan Gill and we’ll need to ask some questions around what did he know and how involved was he.
“People need to recognise that we’re prioritising Wales and it seems like Reform is prioritising Russia.”
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Morgan also hit out at Plaid Cymru, describing them as “not a serious party for government”.
“A party that was genuinely committed to progressive politics would not have voted against the Budget. They did, putting at risk £1.6bn worth of additional money we got from the UK government. That’s political posturing, not a serious party of government, and I think it’s important we point that out to people.
Despite opinion polls suggesting Labour may slump to third next May, the First Minister said that Labour is “out to win” the Senedd election.
“We’re going to throw everything at it. We’ll be working with the UK government to see how they can support us in this and we’ll be making sure that we do everything in our power to deliver between now and then for the people of Wales to highlight the risks that are ahead.
“We’re living in an age of instability, and I think what you need at this time is somebody with experience to have a steady hand on the tiller.”
When asked whether a defeat for Labour at the Senedd elections would be grounds for dismissal for Keir Starmer, Morgan said: “I’m not interested in party splits or divisions; I’m interested in making sure that we deliver and we get the best possible result.
“It’s really important for people to recognise how crucial that election is, not just for Wales, but for the entire party, so I do hope that will concentrate people’s minds.”
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