100YRS OF LABOUR RED WALL IN WALES
Why nation is always a stronghold of the party
THIS year Labour marks the centenary of its most enduring electoral breakthrough... when it won the hearts of Welsh voters.
Since the general election of November 1922 it has remained the country’s most successful political party, sending more MPs to Westminster than any rival. It also dominates the Welsh Assembly, the Senedd.
Wales has provided the party with some of its biggest beasts over the past century. NHS founder Nye Bevan represented Ebbw Vale. Scotsman Keir Hardie, one of Labour’s founders was MP for Merthyr Tydfil for 15 years.
And Neil Kinnock, who plotted the party’s path back to power after the 1983 election disaster, led Labour for nine years while representing Islwyn, previously Bedwellty.
It is a history the First Minister and Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford is keen to trumpet.
He said: “In November 1922 for the first time, Labour won a majority of seats in Wales. We have been in that lead position ever since. A remarkable record worth celebrating.
“But for us it’s not just about looking backwards, it’s about using the anniversary to create a platform that allows us to continue that relationship with people in Wales into the future.”
There have of course been setbacks: the voting system for Senedd elections means that while Labour has always been the biggest party, it has sometimes had to share power with the nationalists and the Lib Dems.
And in the 1983 general election, Labour seats fell to the Tories in a Conservative landslide – as they did again in December 2019.
Other less celebrated episodes include accusations that the UK party “parachuted” in Tony Blair’s choice for First Secretary in the first Assembly in 1999, overriding local demands for a different candidate. But by and large the relationship has proved solid. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror to commemorate the upcoming anniversary of that first win, Mr Drakeford explained why Welsh voters never deserted Labour, saying: “In some ways Wales is a natural Labour country because of our history, the importance of industry and trade unions.
“But it’s also because of the hard work never to take votes for granted.” The Welsh party staying “true to its fundamental principles” has also been key.
Asked if he’d call Wales a “socialist nation”, he said: “I would. People believe in collective solutions to common problems rather than setting people against each other through competition.”
At the 2019 election, the Tories gained six seats from Labour in Wales.
But Mr Drakeford does not believe those voters are lost for good, saying they are open to coming back “if they felt Labour was speaking with them in a way they could feel comfortable with”.
Wales is naturally Labour because of our history
MARK DRAKEFORD WELSH LABOUR LEADER