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Siwmae.
Hi, I’m Eluned Morgan, and if you haven’t seen much of me before, get ready, because you’re about to see a lot more!
Because we’ve got one hell of a fight on our hands in the run up to May’s Senedd election. And make no mistake, we’re in this together, right across the UK.
All of us on the front line, fighting for everything we believe in, everything we’ve built together.
Literally the story of Wales is entwined with the story of Labour.
From the coalfields that gave us Bevan, and the valleys that raised Kinnock.
For more than a century, Labour’s been the voice of our nation. Wales built us as a party. And in return, we built Wales.
But, let’s be brutally honest, the polls are not looking good. People are angry. Disillusioned. Our voice – the voice that’s always fought for them – is getting drowned out by the carnival of charlatans and the circus of snake oil salesmen.
Reform blames foreigners, Plaid, blame Westminster. Divisive nationalism in different forms. Different poison, same bottle. All with answers that sound brilliant until you ask ‘How?’ They can’t tell you, but I can.
Because unlike the merchants of false promises… unlike the peddlers of easy answers, Welsh Labour doesn’t just talk we deliver.
Using the powers of devolution to build a nation that doesn’t just reflect our values – but fights for them every single day, through what we call the Red Welsh Way.
Three principles underpin everything we do: Equality. Security. Community.
- We’re the only part of the UK with social partnership enshrined in law.
- The only one protecting future generations by law.
- The only nation giving every primary child free school meals.
- The only government to stop profiteering from children’s care.
- Giving free prescriptions for all. Free bus passes for older people.
- And the only government guaranteeing the Real Living Wage for care workers.
That, my friends, is socialism in action.
And while we’ve been delivering – what’s Plaid’s record? Promises without plans. Ambition without answers. Easy words on independence. But when they had the chance to support our communities with extra cash they voted with the Tories to block it.
Mae brwydyr anferth o’n blaen yn etholiadau’r senedd. Mae cysylltiad dwfn rhwng ein plaid a’n gwlad. Ry ni wedi cyflawni llawer, wedi newid bywydau – ac mae hwn i gyd o dan fygythiad os na fyddwn ni yn ennill y flwyddyn nesaf.
We know that tomorrow’s Wales won’t be built on yesterday’s achievements.
Our high streets matter – I’ve heard it directly from people in Caerphilly where we’re facing a crucial by-election. And if we want them to thrive, we have to protect them. That’s why we’ll build on the uk government’s announcement and introduce new licensing powers to curb the spread of vape shops, keeping our town centres safe, balanced and welcoming.
High streets thrive when local jobs thrive. And in Wales we are committed to fair work. In the next Senedd term, any business seeking Welsh Government support will need to:
- Pay the Real Living Wage
- End exploitative zero-hours contracts
- And open the door to trade unions.
Because public money must mean public good.
And we’re making it easier to get to work and to socialise. We’ve spent £800m on new trains, And created a modern South Wales Metro. and from December new late night services will run from Cardiff to the Valleys and we’re doubling trains on the Wrexham-Chester line.
Conference, when Labour governs in Cardiff and Westminster, partnership delivers. Not in theory, but in practice.
Backed by the biggest financial settlement in the history of devolution we now. Safer coal tips, higher wages for Welsh workers and 2.7 million NHS appointments delivered each month.
But our work is far from done. People need us to move faster. Hit harder. Deliver bigger. But without the powers and money to fully match our ambition, it’ll be far more difficult.
That’s why Wales needs powers over youth justice, so our communities can shape solutions.
Fair rail funding and yes, control over our natural wealth – our wind, our seas, our energy. We will always stand up for our people and for fairer, more equal devolution. We stood firm under the Tories and we stand firm as Welsh Labour today.
Our membership card says it best: country first, – so we will never stop pressing for every power, every pound Wales deserves.
But while we’re building the future, others are busy polishing their wrecking ball… Reform’s plan? Gut the NHS. Flog and frack everything that moves. Turn Wales into their testing ground for an ideology that puts profit before people.
To them, our health service isn’t a lifeline… it’s a profit line – a business opportunity waiting to be carved up.
We’ve seen this play before in Wales. Nigel Farage’s UKIP party elected 7 members in 2016 and by the end of the term 6 of them had left – drawn by infighting, broken promises and internal chaos.
Just this week, their former Welsh leader admitted taking Russian bribes. And right now, they’re attacking our support for Ukrainian refugees.
This lot are not putting Wales first – they’re putting Putin first! Wales doesn’t need fantasy politics.
Mark my words – Wales will fall into chaos if either Plaid or Reform wins in May. What we need is experience and stability in an age of instability – that’s what Welsh Labour can offer.
So, Conference, are we going to stand here and let vultures tear the heart out of all we’ve built? Welsh Labour is ready to stand up… but we need our entire movement beside us. Because the result of May’s contest will resonate through all of our communities.
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