Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Welsh Labour in denial
Nation Cymru reports that Jo Stevens has been strongly criticised for refusing to admit that the unpopularity of Keir Starmer was a major factor in Welsh Labour’s Senedd election defeat.
Instead, she used an article published in WalesOnline to put the blame for the defeat on the outgoing Welsh Labour government:
Echoing campaign positions taken by Reform UK, Ms Stevens criticised policies like the 20mph default speed limit in urban areas, which is saving lives, and the planting of trees in Africa as part of a modest aid programme.
In her article, Ms Stevens stated: “We have a long list of proud achievements – protecting public services, introducing breakfast clubs, building new schools, and making prescriptions free. These are tangible changes that made real differences to the lives of people across Wales.
“Frustration about Welsh Government’s delivery has, though, been growing for many years. Before the pandemic, it was clear that people were running out of patience with our record on health. It felt like we were about to reach a tipping point. Mark Drakeford and Vaughan Gething’s mature handling of the pandemic, in contrast to Boris Johnson’s partygate scandals, afforded Welsh Labour the benefit of the doubt.
“But goodwill has a sell-by date if it isn’t backed up by delivery – and we cannot simply rely on the achievements of the past to carry us through.
“Ultimately, despite record investment, standards in our schools and the performance of our NHS just aren’t good enough. We could not convince voters that we had a credible plan to improve public services.
There is no doubt that the failure of Welsh Labour to deliver was a major complaint, but as one party source said, the number one issue on the doorstep during the Senedd election campaign was Starmer himself. By not acknowledging that, Jo Stevens becomes part of the problem.
