Welsh first minister: Senedd election should not be referendum on Starmer | Welsh politics

Wales’ Labor chief minister has urged voters not to treat the May election as a referendum on Keir Starmer, urging them to focus on the country’s future as the party is on course to fight for third place.

Eluned Morgan said it was not the time to send a protest vote to the prime minister at a time when two pro-independence parties – Plaid Cymru and the Greens – could come to power and so much was at stake in terms of the economy and public services.

In an interview with the Guardian, he said he would not back down from fighting even if Wales’ priorities clashed with those of the UK government. But Labor faces an uphill battle surveys show that The Senedd breed could end its decades-long dominance in Wales.

Starmer said he was confident the prime minister would “gain control” of running the country after his first 18 months in power, as he faces renewed leadership pressure over Andy Burnham’s possible return to Westminster.

But he refused to answer whether Starmer should lead the party at the next general election, saying it was a gift from MPs. “However, if Labor do poorly in Wales in May, there is no doubt the pressure will increase on Keir,” he said.

“I hope people in this election will understand that this is not the time to send a protest vote to Keir Starmer. This is a time when people need to find out what is best for their communities and service delivery.”

Reform UK and Plaid are on track to win more seats than Labor, reflecting public pressure for change after 26 years of Labor control.

However, Morgan argued that 14 of these were under the Conservative Party’s austerity policy and that Wales had only just emerged from this situation. “We are getting out of this situation now. We have reasonable budgets that will allow us to look to the future with hope,” he said.

“When you’ve been in power for 26 years you get a pretty good idea of ​​how to govern. The UK government is still relatively new in this position, so I’m sure they’ll get a better handle on creating a clearer strategic vision for the country.”

Morgan this week welcomed Starmer’s tougher stance on Donald Trump after the US president threatened to impose tariffs. “International law means you must stand up to people who threaten the world order,” he said. “But also realize that you have to stay cool under these circumstances.”

But he wants Starmer to go further on resetting the EU, saying it is “critical” for Wales to have the closest trading relationship possible because 59% of its exports are goods-based, compared to 32% in the UK.

“Since we left, Wales has been proportionately more affected than England because our economy is a goods-based rather than services-based economy. The irony, of course, is that it is the communities that voted for Brexit that are paying the price in terms of employment for this reduction in trade.”

On rejoining the EU, he said: “Now is not the time to rejoin, but I think it should not be off the table in the long term.

“I want to see the closest possible relationship with the EU. But I don’t think all of that is within our gift. It’s about what the EU would be willing to offer us.”

Morgan said he was focusing on “bread and butter” issues in Wales, such as growing the economy and improving public services.

Despite his government’s criticism of NHS waiting lists being higher than in England, he said there had been a 90% drop since the peak and going up against England was like “comparing apples to pears” as the two countries were counted differently.

Welsh voters need to “wake up” to the possibility that two pro-independence parties could come to power in Cardiff, suggesting it would be a “huge distraction” from the day-to-day business of running the government.

Plaid’s leader, Rhun ap Iorweth, said a vote for his party would not constitute an endorsement of independence, although Morgan suggested it would be “too tempting” for him not to pursue it.

He said the impacts on welfare and public services in Wales were “horrendous” due to a £14bn funding gap. “You can’t have it both ways. As we head for the door, the nationalists are trying to say, ‘Give us more money, England’.”

Turning his sights to Reformation England, which polls suggest will come in second place, he warned against the “politics of anger and division”, suggesting Nigel Farage “doesn’t know the first thing” about Wales.

He suggested that in Wales, as in the rest of the UK, the Reformation was on track to become Conservatives 2.0 after many departures. “I hope the people of Wales will not be fooled by any suggestion that there is a new party here. Here we have recycled Conservatives on the road to oblivion.”