Burnham promises ‘real power’ for Welsh communities as Labour seeks revival
Andy Burnham will promise more power for Welsh communities as Labour seeks to rebuild following its humiliation in the Senedd elections.
The Prime Minister will say Labour needs to “listen” and “take stock” as he addresses the party’s Welsh conference.
Labour went from being in power in Cardiff Bay to a distant third place in May’s elections, with Plaid Cymru taking office ahead of Reform UK.
The drubbing saw Baroness Eluned Morgan, who went into the elections as first minister, lose her seat.
She was replaced as Welsh Labour leader by Ken Skates, who is expected to respond to a review into May’s election losses by acknowledging at the Llandudno conference that a fundamental reset moment is needed for the party.
Mr Burnham will use his speech to set out that devolution from Westminster should not stop at the Senedd, instead saying powers should be pushed out to the Welsh regions.
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.
“After years of slogans, speeches and big-ticket items on the sides of buses, people have lost faith in those words. And I don’t blame them.
“So, 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.”
The establishment of a devolved administration in Wales was “never supposed to be the end of the road”, the Prime Minister will say.
“Devolution was never just about moving power from Westminster to Cardiff. We were always supposed to keep pushing power down and out until it reached every postcode,” he will say.
Mr Burnham will say “the first three decades of devolution were about giving Wales a stronger national voice”, but “together, we can make the next three about giving every region, every town and every community in Wales that voice too”.
The review into Labour’s May election defeat has been carried out by Public First, with the findings set to be presented at the conference by leading academic Professor Anand Menon.
Mr Skates 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.
“Welsh Labour commissioned this independent review because we needed an honest account of why we lost and what must change.
“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.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub