‘A fairer Wales for the future – a new chapter for Welsh Labour’

A new year – a time of hope, of renewal and of fresh enthusiasm for getting things done. This year that matters more than ever. 

In just a few months’ time, Wales goes to the polls and people have an important choice to make. We know that too many still feel that life is harder than it should be. Whether it’s worrying about the next bill or seeing another shop close down on your local high street.  

We’re still feeling the impact of the years of Tory cuts and chaos. Throughout those years, Welsh Labour made tough choices to protect the things that matter most to people, we kept core public services standing and shielded the people of Wales from the worst of it, when others would have walked away. But we know it doesn’t feel like it’s getting better quickly enough and it isn’t fair. 

Fairness isn’t a slogan for us, it’s a political choice. It means standing on the side of working people, backing strong public services, and making sure no one is priced out of opportunity in the Wales they call home.

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Everyone deserves to know you can see a GP when you need one. Every young person should be able to train, work and build a life in Wales. Every town centre should feel alive and allow businesses and people to thrive. 

Fairness has been at the heart of plans to transform transport in Wales. We’ve just announced we’d bring in a £2 bus fare cap for adults if we are re-elected in May. Under 21s can already travel for £1 and over 60s are free. We’d bring in a hundred new routes, prioritising hospitals and stations, but also the opinions of those who use the buses and know what routes would make a difference to them. Because public transport should be affordable and accessible for all.  

READ MORE: Welsh Labour pledge new £2 bus fare cap and 100 new routes in Senedd manifesto

For too many people, the cost or unreliability of transport has quietly limited their choices: the jobs they can take, the courses they can study, the family they can visit. Fairness means changing that.

Through our landmark Bus Services Bill, we are ending the era of fragmented services forced on Wales by the Tories deregulating the bus network. From now on, in Wales buses will be run for people, not just profit. Better buses aren’t just about travel — they are vital for jobs, friendships and the environment. We want to build a transport system that works for everyone, that is fair. 

For 25 years we’ve been laying the foundations: devolved government that puts Wales first; investment in skills, digital infrastructure and apprenticeships; a stable, partnership-focused approach to businesses and trade unions; protecting people when the Tories tried to tear the safety net away. 

And that work is paying off. 

Now Wales is standing on the edge of a new chapter. With two Labour governments in Wales and Westminster, we have a real chance to move from simply managing Tory cuts imposed on us to shaping our own future. 

From attracting investors who haven’t seen Wales as an option before, to driving new jobs across the country, we’re seeing a difference. At the end of last year, we had announcements of huge energy projects in the north, two AI growth zones, renewables off our western coast and advanced manufacturing in the east. These are real jobs, real opportunities; for young people deciding whether they can build their lives here, and for communities that deserve to feel optimism again.

But everyone needs to be able to feel the difference this makes. It needs to be fair. 

We want a Wales that works for everyone. A fair Wales for the future. We are turning a page in Welsh Labour history, with a new chapter, a new set of candidates with fresh ideas, energy and hope.  

That’s the choice that Wales is facing in May. Renewal, hope, with the experience to drive change, or promises from other parties who talk a good game but can’t explain how they’d turn it into a serious programme for government.

Reform will tell people that Wales is broken and that anger alone can fix it. But behind the slogans are the same old answers: Cuts to public services, weaker protections for workers, and a politics that divides rather than builds.

We know there is unfairness in the world right now, and while Reform rage against the system, pointing fingers and placing blame on others, we are taking action. 

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Welsh Labour has always set its own course – a different course not just to the opposition but often to our English colleagues too – free prescriptions, free school meals for all primary pupils, bringing our railways back into public ownership. These were serious political choices. 

In May, Wales has a choice – keep driving forward now we’ve turned the corner leaving austerity and cuts behind, or gamble with what we’ve built together over the past 25 years. Welsh Labour has always fought for fairness and with a new generation of candidates and a clear mission, we’re ready to build a fairer future for Wales.

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