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

The stakes are high in Wales as the First Minister launches Welsh Labour’s campaign to regain control of the Senedd.

In Newport market centre, leader of Welsh Labour and First Minister Eluned Morgan took to the stage in front of a full audience of Labour activists and candidates, beginning the period of campaigning leading up to May’s elections.

Following the major defeat for Labour in Caerphilly, which saw them finish third behind Reform UK and Plaid Cymru last year, the situation in Wales certainly appears as though Labour have a tough fight on their hands. However, with five headline pledges to take to the doorstep, the party certainly feels up for the battle ahead.

READ MORE: Labour loses Caerphilly Senedd by-election to Plaid Cymru

Topping the pledges was a focus on tackling the cost of living crisis. Welsh Labour have committed to introducing a £2 single fair cap on bus tickets, with Under 21s capped at a pound and those over 60 able to ride for free. This policy was used to demonstrate how exactly Welsh Labour would save the pounds in people’s pockets. The First Minister positioned the pledge to tackle the cost of living as Welsh Labour’s drive to deliver ‘Fairness you can feel’ – which is the party slogan heading into these crucial elections.

Equally, should Labour win back the Senedd again, they are promising the largest investment programme in Welsh history for the NHS, building and replacing hospitals with a £4 billion spending pledge.

The First Minister told the room when discussing this policy “The NHS is not just a service, it is a promise.

“We need to renew that promise, not with slogans, but with the biggest investment programme in our history.”

Leader of Cardiff council Huw Thomas, who is running for a seat in Caerdydd Penarth spoke to LabourList following the First Minister’s speech. Huw told me the pledge to build three new hospitals was “without question” the policy he was most looking forward to discussing when engaging with voters.

The Cardiff council leader said: “Three new hospitals in Wales, in particular the replacement of University (Heath) Hospital in Cardiff, which is the specialist surgery hospital for all of Wales, its a tired building… and I contrast it with the Plaid conference at the weekend, they had no ambition for health – just plans to make more plans! Whereas here, the First Minister has come out with a clear commitment £4 billion investment to rebuild our hospitals… that is definitely going to be one of the great selling points on the doorstep.”

Alongside this were pledges to make Wales energy independent, with the hope that this would help protect people’s pockets as the world continues to experience events that impact energy prices. Environmental commitments were also announced with efforts to clean up Welsh rivers and seas, as well as tackling fly-tipping and growing the National Forest.

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Finally, the First Minister announced the ambitious pledge to end homelessness in Wales by 2034, with no child growing up in bed and breakfast accommodation by 2030. She said that these were not just catchy headlines but “red lines” that Labour would not part ways from.

Addressing Reform and Plaid was frequent across yesterday’s speech, but both were considered by the First Minister as having no real plan, seeking to win an election on empty slogans with no real ability to deliver.

Morgan told the crowd of activists: “Reform offers rage, loud rage, but no real answers beyond a reckless plan that would rip up the NHS as we know it.

“Plaid offers slogans, some of them are even quite good, but when you ask for the detail, when you ask for the changes on day one, what gets cut what gets funded on year two… it all starts to dissolve as we have seen over the weekend. There is no plan, there are plans about plans. There is no funding, when it comes to government Plaid always has a complaint, Labour has a plan.”

Morgan made it clear in her speech that she needed to be “honest about the last decade”, recognising that Labour had not managed to bring some of these ambitions forward earlier. But, that was a previous chapter of devolution she said, with Tory austerity starving Wales of funding. Now, with a UK Labour government who Morgan believes have “turned the tap on” for Wales, the real progress can begin.

How this lands with the voters on the doorstep will be watched closely over the next few weeks.

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