Labour Senedd election campaign 'to be overseen by Treasury Minister in the House of Lords'

Martin Shipton

A major political row has broken out after it was reported that a Treasury Minister in the House of Lords has been appointed to oversee Labour’s election campaigns, including next May’s Senedd election.

The Times reported that Lord Spencer Livermore, who previously was campaign director for Ed Miliband’s unsuccessful general election campaign as party leader in 2015, has been brought back as Labour’s election coordinator.

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'Make or break'

It stated: “The Prime Minister has turned to the Treasury minister and former aide to both Miliband and Gordon Brown as he seeks to avoid catastrophic losses next May.

“Livermore, one of the party’s most experienced electoral strategists, is to take charge of Labour’s 2026 campaigns for Holyrood, the Senedd and thousands of English council seats after next month’s budget.

“The move reflects growing concern in Downing Street over the party’s readiness for the local and devolved elections that will make or break Starmer’s leadership.

“It comes after Labour fell to a distant third place in the Caerphilly by-election to the Welsh Parliament last week, winning only 11% of the vote, behind Plaid Cymru and Reform UK.

“The scale of the challenge was also laid bare by new YouGov polling for The Times this morning. Labour’s score of 17% — level with the Conservatives, ten points behind Reform and only one point ahead of the Greens — is its lowest recorded with the pollster.

“As Starmer’s new national campaign co-ordinator — a role that has been vacant since last year’s general election — Livermore will lead efforts to avert a similar disaster playing out at the ballot box next year. In doing so he will reprise the role he played for Miliband in 2015, a campaign that ended with David Cameron’s Conservatives unexpectedly winning a majority.

“Under Starmer’s leadership he has returned to the fold as strategist in a series of largely unnoticed but crucial roles and is highly regarded by Morgan McSweeney, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff. Livermore was part of the small team — led by McSweeney and Pat McFadden, Starmer’s previous national campaign co-ordinator — who devised Starmer’s 2024 election strategy.

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Economic policy

He also served in Rachel Reeves’s shadow ministerial team in opposition and has continued to wield influence over Labour’s economic policy as financial secretary to the Treasury.”

A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said: “After their defeat in Caerphilly, it’s clear Labour still haven’t learnt a thing, now handing a key part of their Senedd election campaign to a Treasury Minister sitting in the House of Lords - someone who has already fought failed elections.

“How little trust they must have in their own colleagues in Wales to run their own campaign, and what a sad symbol of everything that’s going wrong for them.

“Labour have given up on Wales. Next May, people will have the chance to vote for a government rooted in their communities, driven by ambition, fairness, and an unwavering belief in Wales - a government led by Plaid Cymru.”

Mishandled

A Welsh Labour source said: “This just doesn’t make sense. We can all see the appeal of taking the campaign out of the hands of Welsh Labour, who so badly mishandled Caerphilly. From a failed attempt to stitch up the selection for a political ally—which led to the resignation of the council leader and an almost blanket refusal from local members to campaign—to a series of bizarre social media posts, the campaign was poor.

“None of that means we should allow the campaign to be run by the UK Treasury . How can we credibly distance ourselves from an unpopular UK Government if someone working for its most unpopular department is leading the campaign? From rail funding to the cut in Winter Fuel support, Welsh Labour must be free to take its own stance and clearly articulate where we disagree with the UK Government. This honest approach has served Welsh Labour well over the years and led to great success.

“The Welsh Labour Party must defend this tradition—not only because it is in our electoral interest, but because, as the electorate understands, it is the very point of devolution. There is a troubling trend of increased interference in candidate selections, meddling in campaigns, and senior staff lacking any understanding of our history as a Welsh Labour Party.

“Next year’s campaign presents a real threat to our party and our movement. Those leading it must be embedded in that movement and have a deep understanding of our successful positions. Now is the time for us to once again strike out in our own unique Welsh direction. The people of Caerphilly voted for Plaid Cymru—we cannot ignore that fact. We need a campaign that shows all of Wales that we are the champions of Wales and of social justice, and that we can deliver on their aspirations for the future. A uniquely Welsh message of hope.”

'Inaccurate'

A spokesperson for Welsh Labour said: “The Times article was inaccurate, and the party (Wales or UK) didn’t feed into that article. It is correct that Lord Livermore will be the National Campaign Coordinator next year, but for England-only elections.

“Our campaign will still be led by our Welsh Labour leader, Eluned Morgan.”

Gabriel Pogrund, the Whitehall Editor of the Sunday Times and one of the writers of the Times article, stood by the story. Together with Patrick Maguire, the other bylined writer on the Livermore story, he wrote the best-selling book Get In, about Keir Starmer’s rise to power.

Pogrund told Nation.Cymru: “This is fascinating - as no 10 have confirmed that Spencer [Livermore] is overall national campaign chair!

“But I’ve heard grumblings from Scotland about this very issue, so clearly there’s a row afoot.”

In Westminster-speak the word “national” invariably refers to Britain or the UK, not to England.

Another Labour source told us: “Spencer Livermore is the new national campaign coordinator. It’s all elections. It’s not just May 2026. It’s an ongoing permanent position. Mandelson held it back in the day, and Douglas Alexander under Gordon Brown.

“The national campaigns coordinator role liaises with everyone and decides national messaging / PM strategy etc.”

Asked about Lord Livermore’s role in the Senedd election, the source said:“It would actually be much better for Welsh Labour if Spencer came to Cardiff for six months and took over. But that won’t happen.”