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First Minister warns of chaos if Labour loses Senedd election
First Minister Eluned Morgan has warned that Wales would “fall into chaos” if Plaid Cymru or Reform UK were to win next May’s Senedd election.
Speaking at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, Baroness Morgan compared Reform UK’s rise in Wales to the brief surge of UKIP in 2016, when the party elected seven members but later descended into “infighting, broken promises and internal chaos”.
“We’ve seen this play before,” she said. “Right now they’re attacking our support for Ukrainian refugees. This lot are not putting Wales first. They’re putting Putin first.”
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'Fantasy politics'
She went on to accuse both Reform and Plaid of peddling “fantasy politics”.
“Reform blames foreigners, Plaid blame Westminster – different poison, same bottle,” she told delegates. “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, and that’s what Welsh Labour can offer.”
Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens also warned that Reform leader Nigel Farage is a “serious threat” to Wales.
“Reform UK don’t care about Wales. They haven’t got any Welsh policies. They haven’t got a Welsh leader. They can’t even spell Caerphilly right,” she said, insisting only “two Labour governments working together” could keep Farage out of Wales.
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'Failure'
Plaid Cymru hit back, accusing Labour of negativity and failure ahead of Jo Steven's speech on Sunday.
A party spokesperson said: “It’s rather telling that Jo Stevens has opted to use her conference platform to talk Wales down at a time where more and more Labour voters are coming over to Plaid Cymru with our positive vision. After 26 years of failing to ensure national renewal, Labour really isn’t as good as it gets.”
Earlier this month a new Barn Cymru/YouGov poll showed Labour trailing badly, with Plaid Cymru on 30% and Reform close behind on 29%, with Labour languishing on 14%. Seat projections suggest Labour could fall to just 11 Senedd members, with Plaid and Reform neck and neck for the largest group.
Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has said the election would be a clear choice between “a divisive Reform party that don’t care about Wales” and “a pro-Wales Plaid Cymru government that will deliver real change”.
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