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Welsh Labour has unveiled a major pledge to spend £4 billion on what it calls the “hospitals of the future” as part of its Senedd election campaign.
First Minister Eluned Morgan announced the plans at the party’s campaign launch in Newport on Monday, with the investment programme spanning 10 years.
What’s included in the hospital plan?
The programme would see a rebuild of University Hospital of Wales (UHW) in Cardiff – the country’s largest hospital and major trauma centre for south Wales. Built in 1971, a 2019 report found the site was “no longer fit for purpose”, with recent reports detailing problems including leaking ceilings, pigeon droppings and heating issues.
A Labour source confirmed that several sites in the north and west of Cardiff, as well as in the docks, have been under consideration for a new hospital – with the existing site also an option. The project could be funded through a “mutual investment model” involving both private and public money.
The plan also includes the redevelopment of Wrexham Maelor Hospital and support for a new hospital in west Wales – where plans have existed since 2019.
Morgan’s message to voters
Morgan told activists: “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.”
When asked by BBC Wales how the Welsh government had allowed the hospitals to deteriorate to a point where they need replacing, Morgan placed the blame on the previous UK Conservative government.
“We simply haven’t been given the money, in particular when it comes to building works from the UK government. But now that money is coming,” she said. “We’ve closed the Tory UK government chapter which was all about defending Wales from cuts. Now we can look to rebuilding the NHS in Wales.”
Five key pledges
The hospital building programme formed part of five pledges set out at the campaign launch. Labour also promised to tackle the cost of living through a £2 cap on bus fares, provide “jobs for the future”, and protect the environment by cleaning up rivers and seas – with Morgan warning polluters: “If you pollute our rivers, you will pay.”
The party pledged to end homelessness by 2034, with no child in bed and breakfast accommodation by 2030, and to transform mental health support with a same-day, easy-access service.
Shots fired at opponents
Morgan took aim at rival parties, saying Reform “offers rage, loud rage, but no real answers”, while Plaid Cymru offers “slogans” – some of which were “even quite good. But when you ask for the detail… it all starts to dissolve.”
She added: “When it comes to government, Plaid always has a complaint, Welsh Labour has the plan.”
Starmer welcome – with conditions 🤝
Asked about the Prime Minister joining the campaign trail, Morgan quipped that Sir Keir Starmer was welcome “if he brings me another £14bn”, referring to a recent rail investment announcement. “If he brings me another £14 billion, he’s very welcome to come back,” she said.
Opinion polls suggest Labour could come third behind Plaid Cymru and Reform in the Senedd election on 7 May.
