Eluned Morgan (Image: Jayne Cowan / Alamy)
Last Updated: 1 hour ago
Welsh Labour has unveiled a headline pledge to freeze Welsh rates of income tax throughout the next Senedd term as the party prepares to launch its manifesto in Swansea on Monday.
First Minister Eluned Morgan is set to place the commitment at the heart of the party’s pitch to voters ahead of May’s Senedd elections, framing it as central to easing financial pressures on households across Wales.
“Today I make a clear promise to the people of Wales: in the next Senedd term a Welsh Labour Government will not raise income tax,” Baroness Morgan will say.
“Fairness starts with understanding the pressure families face but fairness also means action.
“This manifesto delivers real help with the cost of living.”
Cost of living measures
Alongside the tax freeze, the manifesto sets out a series of policies targeting everyday household costs. Welsh Labour is pledging to cap single bus fares at £2 nationwide, maintain £1 fares for young people and free travel for the over-60s, and deliver 20,000 new childcare places – with provision expanded from nine months old.
Baroness Morgan will say: “We will cap single bus fares at £2 across Wales, we will keep the £1 fares for young people and free travel for over-60s, and we will create 20,000 new childcare places, expanding provision from nine months old so families can work and get on.
“Because fairness means making everyday life that little bit easier.”
Wider pledges
Beyond cost of living measures, the manifesto also commits to £4bn of investment in the NHS, action to clean up rivers and tackle fly-tipping, and a pledge to end homelessness.
Political context
The manifesto launch comes at a challenging moment for the party. Labour has led Wales since devolution began in 1999, but recent polling suggests that dominance could be under threat. An MRP poll carried out by YouGov for ITV Cymru Wales indicated Plaid Cymru is on course to become the largest party in the next Senedd, with Reform in second place and Labour third.
