Eluned Morgan's brutal takedown of Reform UK
Eluned Morgan's brutal takedown of Reform UK
Wales' First Minister laid into Nigel Farage's party
Eluned Morgan admitted Nigel Farage's Reform UK could get into power in Wales
(Image: Getty Images )
Reform UK is "cynical, dishonest and dangerous" and full of "fear, fury and false promises" - that's according to Wales' First Minister Eluned Morgan.
In a speech made in Cardiff to mark a year to go until the Senedd elections in Wales, the First Minister attacked Reform UK but also said that people being tempted to vote for Plaid Cymru should be aware that doing so could allow Nigel Farage's party into power. Polling has shown that Labour faces a serious threat from both Plaid Cymru and Reform UK at the 2026 election.
There will be a whole new system in place for the election - new constituencies, an increase to 96 Senedd members, and a new way of people casting their ballot. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
Mrs Morgan used the speech to criticise the UK Government and say she was losing patience with her UK Labour colleagues and called on them to "rethink" winter fuel payment changes and that widespread cuts to benefit reform was not the way to get people back into work.
She admitted she had made the speech "more forthright" as a result of the council election results in England which saw Reform triumph at the cost of Labour and the Conservatives.
In her speech, made at Cardiff's Norwegian Church, the Welsh Labour leader said: "Reform is no joke. They're loud and they're showy, they provide an easy story because they're new and disruptive, they sow and reap grievance.
Article continues below
"They offer simplistic responses and no real answers. And if you scratch the surface, what's underneath? A party with no answers for Welsh problems, no plan for our communities, no respect for devolution.
"They want to use Wales to make a point in the English press. Their leader is on the record for admiring Putin and sucking up to Trump. He'd happily dismantle all the NHS and sell off our public services. But we have seen Nigel Farage's party up close in the Senedd.
"In 2016, the UK independence Party won seven seats, but they fell apart as a group when they made contact with serious politics, with six of them leaving for three different groups.
"They call immigration the enemy, while ignoring the fact that our health and care system would collapse without migrant workers. They're cynical, they're dishonest, they're dangerous.
"Fear, fury and false promises - the very worst of the Trump playbook. But they are ahead in some polls, and the risk has never been greater," she said.
Speaking about when she took over as Labour leader last August, Mrs Morgan said she knew "change" was coming.
"A new voting system, a new era, Welsh Labour, a government that's already delivered for 26 years but I also realised the risks of a divided anti-Conservative left vote and the rise of the right wing Reform Party put the whole shape of the future of Wales. That's bleak. Time for change isn't just a slogan, it's a demand."
"Time for change isn't just a slogan, it's a demand. And at the next Senedd elections, Labour will answer that call".
She told anyone considering Plaid Cymru should be aware that could risk allowing Reform UK into power. "If you share our values and you're tempted by Plaid ask yourself this 'Is the prospect of Reform slipping through the back door a risk that you're willing to take?'
"A vote for Plaid risks letting Reform take power."
She also spoke directly to Reform voters. "So to anyone tempted by Reform, my message is simple: 'Come home to the party that built the NHS, that stands by our local councils, carers, health workers, teachers and the working people of Wales'. This is where you belong."
In response, a Reform UK spokesman said: "Welsh Labour is more focused on slogans than solutions. While the First Minister talks about a 'red Welsh way' and promises to 'challenge from within' Labour has had decades in power and failed to deliver meaningful change for the people of Wales.
"Labour wants to sound bold but avoids taking real stands. Whether in Westminster or Cardiff Bay, their record is one of stagnation, mismanagement, and missed opportunities.
"Plaid Cymru offer noise without direction, and the Conservatives have overseen neglect of key areas like infrastructure and local services. Communities across Wales continue to be overlooked.
"Reform UK offers a clear alternative to the status quo. It's time for a government that works for the people, not the political elites."
Article continues below
Labour is on course for its worst election result in the history of devolution according to a major new poll. Read more on that here
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
18 minutes ago
- BBC News
Government struggles to cut foreign aid spent on asylum hotels
The government is struggling to cut the amount of foreign aid it spends on hotel bills for asylum seekers in the UK, the BBC has figures released quietly by ministers in recent days show the Home Office plans to spend £2.2bn of overseas development assistance (ODA) this financial year - that is only marginally less than the £2.3bn it spent in 2024/ money is largely used to cover the accommodation costs of thousands of asylum seekers who have recently arrived in the Home Office said it was committed to ending asylum hotels and was speeding up asylum decisions to save taxpayers' money. The figures were published on the Home Office website with no accompanying notification to aid is supposed to be spent alleviating poverty by providing humanitarian and development assistance under international rules, governments can spend some of their foreign aid budgets at home to support asylum seekers during the first year after their to the most recent Home Office figures, there are about 32,000 asylum seekers in hotels in the promised in its manifesto to "end asylum hotels, saving the taxpayer billions of pounds". Contracts signed by the Conservative government in 2019 were expected to see £4.5bn of public cash paid to three companies to accommodate asylum seekers over a 10-year a report by spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) in May said that number was expected to be £15.3bn. On June 3, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the Home Affairs Committee she was "concerned about the level of money" being spent on asylum seekers' accommodation and added: "We need to end asylum hotels altogether."The Home Office said it was trying to bear down on the numbers by reducing the time asylum seekers can appeal against decisions. It is also planning to introduce tighter financial eligibility checks to ensure only those without means are Whitehall officials and international charities have said the Home Office has no incentive to reduce ODA spending because the money does not come out of its scale of government aid spending on asylum hotels has meant huge cuts in UK support for humanitarian and development priorities across the cuts have been exacerbated by the government's reductions to the overall ODA budget. In February, Sir Keir Starmer said he would cut aid spending from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% by 2027 - a fall in absolute terms of about £14bn to some £ was the scale of aid spending on asylum hotels in recent years that the previous Conservative government gave the Foreign Office an extra £2bn to shore up its humanitarian commitments overseas. But Labour has refused to match that commitment. 'Poor value for money' Gideon Rabinowitz, director of policy at the Bond network of development organisations, said: "Cutting the UK aid budget while using it to prop up Home Office costs is a reckless repeat of decisions taken by the previous Conservative government. "Diverting £2.2bn of UK aid to cover asylum accommodation in the UK is unsustainable, poor value for money, and comes at the expense of vital development and humanitarian programmes tackling the root causes of poverty, conflict and displacement. "It is essential that we support refugees and asylum seekers in the UK, but the government should not be robbing Peter to pay Paul."Sarah Champion, chair of the International Development Committee, said the government was introducing "savage cuts" to its ODA spending, risking the UK's development priorities and international reputation, while "Home Office raids on the aid budget" had barely reduced."Aid is meant to help the poorest and most vulnerable across the world: to alleviate poverty, improve life chances and reduce the risk of conflict," she said. "Allowing the Home Office to spend it in the UK makes this task even harder.""The government must get a grip on spending aid in the UK," she said. "The Spending Review needs to finally draw a line under this perverse use of taxpayer money designed to keep everyone safe and prosperous in their own homes, not funding inappropriate, expensive accommodation here." Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: "Labour promised in their manifesto to end the use of asylum hotels for illegal immigrants. But the truth is there are now thousands more illegal migrants being housed in hotels under Labour. "Now these documents reveal that Labour are using foreign aid to pay for asylum hotel accommodation – yet another promise broken."A Home Office spokesperson said: "We inherited an asylum system under exceptional pressure, and continue to take action, restoring order, and reduce costs. This will ultimately reduce the amount of Official Development Assistance spent to support asylum seekers and refugees in the UK."We are immediately speeding up decisions and increasing returns so that we can end the use of hotels and save the taxpayer £4bn by 2026."
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Reform UK may be doomed if Nigel Farage can't keep talent in the party
SIR – First it was Ben Habib, then Rupert Lowe, and now Zia Yusuf ('Reform civil war over burka ban', report, June 6). Reform UK has lost big hitters who have all played crucial roles in its success. Will Nigel Farage be the last man standing? Henry Bateson Alnwick, Northumberland SIR – Any organisation that expands rapidly will experience growing pains, when disagreements test the leadership. Management students will recognise this as the 'storming' period of team-building. We are witnessing Reform UK's storming period. To move beyond it, the party needs to have a strategy behind which the entire leadership can unite, providing clarity of purpose. It cannot be defined only by what it is against. This is Reform's challenge. It is gaining at the moment because of the complete breakdown in trust in Labour and the Conservatives, yet has grown quickly, without an established policy platform. Until it sets out what it stands for, it will struggle to progress further – and risks falling back. It still has an opportunity – and a bit of time, but not too long – to present a disciplined front and clear objectives. Phil Coutie Exeter, Devon SIR – Banning the burka would be as illogical as banning the kilt or pinstripe suits. Prohibiting the use of a specific item of clothing is pointless – and an affront to personal liberty. What would make more sense is to ban all face coverings, including balaclavas, helmets and ski masks, in particular locations where security may be an issue, such as banks, jewellery stores, courts and tribunals, airports and military establishments. This would not be an insult to any specific section of the community, just common sense. Dr Chris Staley Bredwardine, Herefordshire SIR – Suella Braverman MP is a prominent example of that peculiar 21st-century phenomenon, the authoritarian Tory ('Women should not be veiling their faces in Western society', Comment, June 5). Previous generations of Conservatives viewed banning things as a last resort, to be used very sparingly, and usually in response to political violence. Banning Sinn Fein from the airwaves during the Troubles is an example. Mrs Braverman's concern about our national cohesion is laudable. I happen to agree with her that face coverings are to be deprecated. However, she is quite wrong in seeking to ban them as a first resort. What is wrong with trying peaceful persuasion? If she has tried it, she did not mention it in her article. David McKee Borehamwood, Hertfordshire Leadership of the BBC SIR – The BBC's habitual missteps in coverage of Gaza ('BBC Israel-Gaza report 'fixed on words of Hamas spokesman'', report, June 6) and mishandling of the Gary Lineker saga speak not so much of poor journalism but more of weak populism at the very top of the corporation. It is for the Director-General and Chairman to defend the BBC's journalism, not to launch yet another internal inquiry. It is for those same leaders to act decisively to defend the BBC's independence and reputation above any single star, no matter how popular they might be. The BBC's golden years were in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, when Margaret Thatcher campaigned to weaken it. Then, the BBC was peerless – admired by the good and feared by the bad across the world. Its leaders were cut from different cloth. They were former Servicemen, warriors and statesmen, and won worldwide respect. They knew the corridors of Whitehall and Westminster and had learnt the delicate art of navigating them to the benefit of the BBC and the British public. The BBC desperately needs that type of leadership now. Stephen R W Francis BBC historian Droxford, Hampshire SIR – The refusal of Russell T Davies to make Doctor Who less woke is typical of someone who is paid by a public corporation where the laws of supply and demand no longer apply. Single-handedly, he is destroying a valuable British asset in order to promote his woke agenda. Kelvin Trott Heckington, Lincolnshire Squeezed by Labour SIR – The national debt costs us roughly £274 million a day in interest payments (Letters, June 6), and the Government is adding to this burden every month. Parliamentarians, civil servants and trade unions are protected from the pain experienced by the self-employed and workers in the private sector, who are being catastrophically squeezed. Meanwhile, our wealth creators are leaving by the plane-load. What can we do, when those in power are seemingly unaware that our once-proud, innovative and capable country has become a soft-touch non-entity, unable to do anything right, but still arrogantly claiming to the world that they know best? Malvern Harper Ripley, Derbyshire SIR – Never mind the energy bill burden (Letters, June 5), what about business rates? My rateable value went from £22,000 to £44,000 in April. The amount payable was £23,000, reduced to £13,000 with relief. That's a sum of more than £1,000 a month for a small business, in return for nothing. The impact on the Government's coffers will be negative when I have to make 12 people redundant. Reginald Chester-Sterne Blackfield, Hampshire SIR – Michael Miller (Letters, May 24) says that 'taxes are the membership fee to live in a civilised society'. Perhaps there lies the root of the problem: with increasing worklessness, and claims for sickness and other out-of-work benefits ballooning, not enough people are now paying that membership fee. Mike Hughes London SW10 Beckham's honour SIR – David Beckham is to receive a knighthood for being able to kick a football (report, June 6), while Kevin Sinfield, who led Leeds Rhinos to seven rugby league Grand Final victories and has raised more than £10 million for the fight against motor neurone disease, still awaits his. I'm afraid that this shows anti-Northern bias and reflects the country's obsession with football. Stanley Surr Leeds, West Yorkshire NHS walk-in centres SIR – Wes Streeting's 'raft of changes' to the existing model of healthcare provision, including a plan to keep all but the seriously ill or injured out of A&E, is most welcome (report, June 6). However, while the idea of introducing same-day treatment centres is wonderful, it is not new. A few years ago, I felt the need to visit my (long-since closed) walk-in treatment centre. I was swiftly diagnosed and treated for a condition that would have become life-threatening had the centre not been there for me to use. All those walk-in centres, now shut, were invaluable in bridging the gap between GP provision and A&E. I wish Mr Streeting success with his 'innovative' policy. A city celebrates SIR – Robert Hill (Letters, June 4) says that English and French football supporters would do well to learn some manners from Napoli fans. It is a pity that he didn't look closer to home. I was in Liverpool for the long weekend of May 24-26. I have never experienced such large crowds of football fans, despite being a lifelong Liverpool supporter who is lucky enough to be able to travel to Anfield several times a season. Hundreds of thousands of people filled the streets of the city to celebrate winning the Premier League. You could hear singing and merriment everywhere. I marvelled at what an incredibly diverse bunch of people we Liverpool fans are, with all ages and ethnic groups well represented. Over the three days I did not see anything except joy and kindness, and we non-scousers were made to feel very welcome. Great credit must also go to the blue side of the city, which did nothing to dampen the spirits. It was very sad that the event ended with the incident in Water Street, but even then the city and the club showed their character, pulling together to help those affected. Christine Oxland Wellingborough, Northamptonshire Tailored thanks SIR – My husband was the chief fundraiser for a development mission based abroad, and sought donations from all over the world. I became his thank-you-letter writer (Letters, June 6), and it was my intention to write a letter to each person or company who sent a contribution. They were not always posted, once emails came in, but at least an early response was assured. Learning how to offer appreciation in a different way each time was an interesting challenge, but it is astonishing how it can be achieved with a little thought. For the five years we were abroad, I kept a record of all donations and could make sure that, if somebody sent a second one, the letter would reflect their previous generosity. These things can be done, and are always worth the effort. Jennifer Marston Prinsted, West Sussex SIR – When my son was young, he'd write: 'Thank you for the £2 gift, please up it to £4 next year.' We made him do several more drafts – until he could be polite. Farmers are the custodians of our countryside SIR – I recently drove through the Cotswolds to Wales. The weather was amazing. We had the roof down for nearly 1,200 miles, and were captivated by the countryside: not just the hills and trees, but the corn beginning to ripen, grass being cut for silage, and cows and sheep grazing in neat fields with hedges. We farmers are criticised – at times fairly – but this Government seems intent on getting rid of us. What will the countryside look like in the future, and who will be its custodians, as we have been for hundreds of years? David Taylor Bicester, Oxfordshire SIR – When British consumers go food shopping, they want high-quality, affordable food, with a lower impact on the environment. Supermarkets and farmers work together to deliver this, producing some of the best British food on offer, from delicious strawberries to tasty cheddar. British food is renowned across the world, in part because of its high environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards. Yet these come with costs. Since Brexit, farmers in England no longer receive subsidies for producing food, only for delivering environmental improvements, helping the Government meet legally binding targets. This funding lets farmers invest in protecting rivers and wildlife, planting trees and hedges, and growing food in a more environmentally friendly way. All this is at risk if investment in sustainable farming is cut at the upcoming Spending Review. Much of this vital work would stop, putting farm businesses at risk. We therefore urge the Chancellor to protect the sustainable farming budget. Letters to the Editor We accept letters by email and post. Please include name, address, work and home telephone numbers. ADDRESS: 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 0DT EMAIL: dtletters@ FOLLOW: Telegraph Letters @LettersDesk
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
Rayner faces Labour backbench call to ‘smash' existing housebuilding model
Labour's Chris Hinchliff has proposed a suite of changes to the Government's flagship Planning and Infrastructure Bill, part of his party's drive to build 1.5 million homes in England by 2029. Mr Hinchliff has proposed arming town halls with the power to block developers' housebuilding plans, if they have failed to finish their previous projects. He has also suggested housebuilding objectors should be able to appeal against green-lit large developments, if they are not on sites which a council has set aside for building, and put forward a new duty for authorities to protect chalk streams from 'pollution, abstraction, encroachment and other forms of environmental damage'. Mr Hinchliff has told the PA news agency he does not 'want to rebel' but said he would be prepared to trigger a vote over his proposals. He added his ambition was for 'a progressive alternative to our planning system and the developer-led profit-motivated model that we have at the moment'. The North East Hertfordshire MP said: 'Frankly, to deliver the genuinely affordable housing that we need for communities like those I represent, we just have to smash that model. 'So, what I'm setting out is a set of proposals that would focus on delivering the genuinely affordable homes that we need, empowering local communities and councils to have a driving say over what happens in the local area, and also securing genuine protection for the environment going forwards.' Mr Hinchliff warned that the current system results in 'speculative' applications on land which falls outside of councils' local housebuilding strategies, 'putting significant pressure on inadequate local infrastructure'. In his constituency, which lies between London and Cambridge, 'the properties that are being built are not there to meet local need', Mr Hinchliff said, but were instead 'there to be sold for the maximum profit the developer can make'. Asked whether his proposals chimed with the first of Labour's five 'missions' at last year's general election – 'growth' – he replied: 'If we want to have the key workers that our communities need – the nurses, the social care workers, the bus drivers, the posties – they need to have genuinely affordable homes. 'You can't have that thriving economy without the workforce there, but at the moment, the housing that we are delivering is not likely to be affordable for those sorts of roles. 'It's effectively turning the towns into commuter dormitories rather than having thriving local economies, so for me, yes, it is about supporting the local economy.' Mr Hinchliff warned that the 'bottleneck' which slows housebuilding 'is not process, it's profit'. The developer-led housing model is broken. It has failed to deliver affordable homes. Torching environmental safeguards won't fix it—the bottleneck isn't just process, it's profit. We need a progressive alternative: mass council house building in sustainable communities. — Chris Hinchliff MP (@CHinchliffMP) June 6, 2025 Ms Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, is fronting the Government's plans for 1.5 million new homes by 2029. Among the proposed reforms is a power for ministers to decide which schemes should come before councillors, and which should be delegated to local authority staff, so that committees can 'focus their resources on complex or contentious development where local democratic oversight is required'. Natural England will also be able to draft 'environmental delivery plans (EDPs)' and acquire land compulsorily to bolster conservation efforts. Mr Hinchliff has suggested these EDPs must come with a timeline for their implementation, and that developers should improve the conservation status of any environmental features before causing 'damage' – a proposal which has support from at least 43 cross-party MP backers. MPs will spend two days debating the Bill on Monday and Tuesday. Chris Curtis, the Labour MP for Milton Keynes North, warned that some of Mr Hinchliff's proposals 'if enacted, would deepen our housing crisis and push more families into poverty'. He said: 'I won't stand by and watch more children in the country end up struggling in temporary accommodation to appease pressure groups. No Labour MP should. 'It's morally reprehensible to play games with this issue. 'These amendments should be withdrawn.'
