‘Standing side by side with people’: Cymru reflections from Cardiff Bay

As candidates and activists prepare to battle for power of the Senedd this May, LabourList has travelled to Wales to report on the Labour campaign in what will undoubtedly be a critical election campaign for the party.

Beginning in Cardiff, LabourList’s Senior Reporter Daniel Green and I have been on the ground meeting with candidates to assess the mood in the early stages of campaigning, as Labour looks to prove the polls wrong and retain control of the Senedd.

To start our trip, we met with the current leader of Cardiff council and Senedd candidate in the new super-constituency of Caerdydd Penarth Huw Thomas, at Cardiff Bay train station. Here, Thomas discussed with us the increase in funding from the Welsh Labour government to improve connectivity for the area, as building works were well underway around us. He told us that Cardiff will see the introduction of a New South Wales metro service, alongside a road-bound tram service from Cardiff Bay station, helping to increase footfall across the city.

READ MORE: ‘Biggest investment programme in our history’: Welsh Labour commit to NHS revamp if successful in Senedd elections

Thomas described this as a wider package giving confidence to residents and would-be investors of a city region with an opportunity to grow and expand, as a government that wants a city to succeed provides infrastructure to ensure this.

Sitting down over a cup of coffee and a Welsh cake, the council leader seemed relatively sure of himself as we commenced with the interview, asking primarily for the Senedd hopeful’s assessment of the Labour campaign in Wales. It would be interesting to know if the data matches the doorstep, as polling suggests Labour could slump to as low as third in the upcoming Senedd elections.

“Anyone who is involved in politics checks the polls daily and we all know what they say. My overwhelming impression… is that the response on the doorstep is far better than the polls would suggest.”

He explained that Labour’s decision to place a cap on reduced energy bills until July was being very well received by voters, who he acknowledged were especially concerned about the cost of living amidst uncertainty surrounding oil prices.

This question also allowed for a direct comment on Labour’s biggest competitors in Wales, Reform UK and Plaid Cymru – both parties Thomas feels, bring little more than instability and big promises that are unable to withstand even the slightest amount of scrutiny.

Thomas stated that Plaid’s ultimate goal of independence was not in line with the majority of Welsh voters’ feelings toward the matter. Regarding Reform, he believed that, overall, Welsh voters do not align with the “divisive, right wing, xenophobic policies” on offer.

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As Prime Minister Keir Starmer continues to struggle in national polls, are issues in Westminster having an effect for Labour candidates on the Welsh doorstep? Thomas acknowledged that talking points often pushed by “the right-wing media” would occasionally arise when canvassing. However, he believed the PM’s “calm and measured” response to the crisis in Iran had offered the opportunity for people to “pause for thought”.

Whether losing heavily in Wales would mean he felt Starmer would have to step aside, Thomas refused to speculate on hypotheticals. He did, however, acknowledge that it would be a “significant moment”, should the polls be correct and Labour suffer a bruising defeat.

The Cardiff politician agrees with the framing of the upcoming election as the one put forward by First Minister and Welsh Labour leader Eluned Morgan at the party’s campaign launch earlier this month. This election is about offering “the next chapter of devolution”, he explained, standing by the criticisms of the previous Conservative government’s unwillingness to invest in devolved powers. Both Morgan and Thomas argue that for fourteen years the role of Labour in the Senedd was to fight to “protect” Welsh interests. Now, with a Labour government in Westminster as well, Welsh Labour can begin to deliver on promises of “renewal.”

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‘Renewal’ was a word Thomas used not only to describe the offer Welsh Labour were providing in their bid to win votes. Rather, renewal is also a process that Welsh Labour are undergoing internally, as Thomas described ‘fresh faces’ beginning to emerge with a desire to deliver for people. He noted that for the first time big names were stepping down from their positions in Welsh Labour politics, opening a door for those who have developed their own record of delivery to walk through.

I asked Thomas if he was to describe what a renewed Welsh Labour Party looked like in a sentence, what would it be?

“Standing side by side with people in terms of their lived experience and presenting and offering solutions that have a direct impact on the quality of their lives,” Thomas responded.

On ambitions for the future, we asked the question everyone wants the answer to. ‘Would Huw Thomas ever wish to be First Minister?’, in the instance that there was a vacancy for the role. Thomas did not give an answer either way, but humbly acknowledged he was in politics to “make a difference”.

“Ultimately, whatever role, it’s where you can make a difference. That is what I am looking for.”

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