In an exclusive interview, Eluned Morgan, the Labour First Minister of Wales, has urged voters not to treat the upcoming Senedd elections as a referendum on Keir Starmer’s leadership. Instead, she has called on the electorate to focus on the country’s future, as the party faces a potential fight for third place.
Morgan has stated that it is not the time to send a protest vote to the Prime Minister, particularly when two pro-independence parties – Plaid Cymru and the Greens – could potentially gain power. She emphasised that so much is at stake for the economy and public services in Wales.
The First Minister has vowed to not retreat from fighting for Wales’ priorities, even if they are at odds with the UK government’s agenda. However, Labour faces an uphill battle, with polls suggesting the Senedd race could end the party’s decades of dominance in the country.
Addressing the potential leadership pressure on Starmer, Morgan expressed confidence that the Prime Minister would “get a grip” on running the country after a turbulent first 18 months in power. Yet, she declined to answer whether Starmer should lead the party into the next general election, stating that it is up to MPs to decide.
Morgan welcomed Starmer’s tougher stance towards Donald Trump, but she would like the Labour leader to go further in resetting the UK’s relationship with the EU. The First Minister argued that it is “critical” for Wales to have the closest possible trading relationship, as 59% of its exports are goods-based, compared to 32% for the UK overall.
While Morgan said now is not the time to rejoin the EU, she believes that option should not be ruled out in the long term. She emphasised the need for the closest possible relationship with the bloc, though acknowledged that it is not entirely within Wales’ control.
Addressing the challenges facing the Welsh government, Morgan defended her administration’s handling of NHS waiting lists, stating that they have decreased by 90% since their peak. She argued that comparing Wales to England is like “comparing apples with pears” due to differences in how the two countries count their data.
The First Minister also warned Welsh voters against the prospect of two pro-independence parties, Plaid Cymru and the Greens, ending up in power in Cardiff. She suggested this would be a “massive distraction” from the day-to-day business of running the government, and the implications for prosperity and public services in Wales would be “dire” due to the £14bn funding gap.
Turning her attention to Reform UK, which polls suggest is on course to take second place, Morgan warned against the “politics of anger and division”, suggesting that Nigel Farage “doesn’t know the first thing” about Wales. She suggested that Reform UK, in Wales as in the rest of the UK, is on course to be “Conservative 2.0” after so many defections.
