Starmer has ‘every confidence' in the First Minister and Welsh Labour ahead of Senedd election

ITV News

4 hours ago

The Prime Minister says he has 'every confidence in the First Minister and Welsh Labour' ahead of next year's Senedd election.
Sir Keir Starmer was speaking to ITV Cymru Wales on a visit to RAF Valley on Anglesey. He'll also speak to Welsh Labour members at the party's conference in Llandudno today.
In her speech to the conference, Eluned Morgan is expected to underline how difficult next year will be, saying that 'The next Senedd election won't be a routine affair. It will be a moment of reckoning.
"Reform are rising. Plaid are mobilising. And across the country, people are asking big, serious questions about the kind of future they want for Wales.'
The most recent Barn Cymru poll for ITV Wales and Cardiff University suggests that Labour could come third behind Plaid Cymru and Reform UK.
Starmer to warn of 'backroom stitch-up' in Welsh elections
I asked Keir Starmer if he was worried that Labour might lose Wales after more than a quarter of a century in power and a century dominating Welsh politics.
He said that 'I have every confidence in the First Minister and Welsh Labour. They have delivered over many years for Wales and we have the added advantage now that, with a Labour government in Westminster, working hand in hand with the Welsh Government we are able to deliver...
...just to give some examples, the biggest settlement in the budget since devolution, hugely important under the spending review; much more money into transport in Wales; money for coal tips; money into the energy sector; supporting through the defence spend the 6,000 or so jobs in Wales.
'That's the benefit of having a Prime Minister and a First Minister who, yes, engage and of course the First Minister argues and makes her point and challenges and puts her propositions forward, as she should , as I'd expect.
"And then we engage together and we deliver for Wales and what we both have in our mind is 'are we delivering for the people of Wales?' And the answer to that is yes, look at what we've done in the spending review, in the budget.'
The Prime Minister's visit comes after a week in which he was forced to make major concessions on plans to reform disability welfare payments, following a threatened rebellion by Labour backbenchers. I asked him why it had taken that threat to force him to act and not earlier calls for a rethink from the First Minister.
He said, 'I think that's the opposite of what you've just put to me because, true it is that the First Minister raised issues with me; we've been engaging with her and others. And look, for me, some of these things are common sense.
"I want to get this right. I want the package right and therefore we've had a discussion with the First Minister and others as a result of which we've changed the package and that means that we can deliver the overall reform that we need now.
'In politics sometimes people pretend it's much more complicated than it is. It's common sense to hold a proposition up to the light and make sure it's the right package. We've done that now, we've adjusted the package, I'm pleased that we've gone through that exercise and now we can get on with delivery.'
In her conference speech, Eluned Morgan, is expected to say that the 'moment of reckoning' created by the pressures from Plaid Cymru and Reform UK will mean that Labour needs to work together.
She's expected to say, 'This is not a moment to look away. This is the moment to look forward - a moment of maximum opportunity and, yes, also of serious threat. It's time to stand up. It's time to get involved.
'Now, for the first time in a generation, we have two Labour governments - in Cardiff and Westminster - working together, pulling in the same direction.
'Reform don't want to protect the NHS - they want to dismantle it. Rip it up and replace it with an insurance system. Privatised. Profit-driven. Out of reach for the people who need it most. Because in their world, your health depends on your wealth.
'They point to problems. We are the party of answers - not the party of excuses. Not the party of fear. But make no mistake - they are a threat. To your NHS. To your rights. To our Welsh way of life.'
Meanwhile, the Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens will announce a new £11 million fund for businesses in Port Talbot and the surrounding area s.
She's expected to tell the conference that the 'Economic Growth and Investment Fund' wil support companies that take on workers in that region.
Away from politics, perhaps the most difficult question of all, knowing that the Prime Minister is a big football fan and a supporter of England, is who would he support in the Euros, Wales or England?
'The third game is England versus Wales. I went to see the Lionesses and we discussed that very fixture. I'm afraid I'm going to have to say this: good luck to Wales in every game other than when they play England because I'm an England fan and I will be supporting England on that occasion.
"But for all other games the best of luck [to Wales] - it'll be a great game and the Lionesses know that that is going to be a really important game in the group and I've talked it through with them and their preparation for it.'