Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to tell Welsh Labour that it must listen, take stock and change its approach after the party lost control of the Welsh Government for the first time since devolution.
According to BBC Wales, he will deliver the message to party members at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Conwy, during Welsh Labour’s conference. The speech comes ahead of the publication of a review into why the party was defeated at May’s Senedd elections.
How May’s vote unfolded
For a century, Labour had been the dominant force in Welsh politics. It had led the Welsh Government continuously from the start of devolution until the Senedd election.
That changed in May, when Plaid Cymru became the largest party for the first time and Rhun ap Iorwerth became first minister.
A message to members
Burnham, the former mayor of Manchester, was not prime minister when the election took place. He is expected to acknowledge just how heavy the defeat was.
In extracts released ahead of the speech, he will say: “We have to listen. We have to take stock. And we have to commit to doing things differently.
“But we have to go further than that too. Because, let’s be honest, politicians have always said they’ll listen more.
“This time, we’ve got to do more than talk about giving people a voice. We’ve got to give them real power over the decisions that shape their lives.”
Pushing power further
Burnham is also expected to renew his push for more powers to be handed to local communities in Wales. He last made that case in October, when he met ap Iorwerth in Glasgow.
The rules governing the Senedd are set by Westminster, and under them responsibility for local government lies with Cardiff Bay.
He will describe devolution to the Senedd as a “huge step forward”, but one that was “never just about moving power from Westminster to Cardiff”.
He will go on: “We were always supposed to keep pushing power down and out until it reached every postcode.
“I think that’s the challenge for us today… to make sure Welsh Labour is not just the party that built devolution, but the party that takes it forward once again.”
The review
Prof Anand Menon, of polling company Public First, is due to present his findings on the defeat to the conference on Saturday.
Ken Skates, the Member of the Senedd for Fflint Wrecsam, became Welsh Labour leader in July, after the election. He has described the conclusions as “difficult” and accepted that voters felt the party had taken their backing “for granted”.
Speaking before the review was presented, he said:
“Its findings are difficult, and we take them seriously. People felt that we had stopped listening, public services were not improving quickly enough and we had taken their support for granted.
“Our task is to earn trust again. We will listen carefully, develop a clear offer for Wales and demonstrate through our actions that we have learned.”
Skates also said the Senedd elections “were a pivotal point for Welsh Labour. The results were catastrophic for the party, that was clear for all to see.
“But the reasons for our losses, and there were a multitude of reasons, needed a dispassionate assessment.”
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