‘Boris to blame’ for growing support for independence
LABOUR leader Sir Keir Starmer has said Boris Johnson is to blame for growing support for independence in Wales and Scotland.
On his first visit to South Wales since being elected to his party’s top job a year ago, Sir Keir said the growing support for independence was Mr Johnson’s fault.
“I think there’s disaffection for what Boris Johnson is doing in Westminster, but the idea that the answer to that is to break up the UK is in my view the wrong answer.
“What we want is a strong Wales in a fair UK. Are people disillusioned with Westminster? Yes they are.”
Repeated polls have shown a strengthening of support for independence within Wales with around 25% supporting it in successive polls – and far fewer saying they are actively opposed to it.
Sir Keir, who was visiting Wales to support the Welsh Labour Senedd election campaign ahead of May’s vote, said: “I think there’s a strong disillusion with Westminster. You pick that up in Wales and in Scotland. In so far as there’s disaffection with politics, the answer to that is a strong Wales, a stronger Wales in a fairer UK.”
He said he is working with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown on a review of devolution, not just in terms of countries but regions. But he declined to be drawn on what powers he personally would like to see devolved to Wales.
“Nothing is off limits. We’re not just looking at what powers may lie in Westminster or in the Senedd but more generally at whether powers can go into the regions across the UK, not just Wales.
“This isn’t just a formal constitutional ambition, it’s literally to put power closer to the people because I think that’s one of the central challenges.”
Campaigning ahead of next month’s election, he said the Welsh Government had been “first class”.
“We’re fighting for every vote in Wales, no-one has actually voted yet and Mark Drakeford and Welsh Labour have got a very good record,” he said.
“The test of any government is how they responded to any crisis, and we’ve had a crisis over the last 13 or 14 months.
“Welsh Labour has been absolutely first class, cautious, reassuring, explaining through the careful plans for safeguarding the economy.
“It’s safeguarded 165,000 jobs and the virus, I think, the infection rate is the lowest in the UK and I think Wales has today become the third fastest rollout of the vaccine in the world.
“If anyone wants to have hard evidence of why they should vote for Labour in three weeks time I would say look at the record in the last term and over the pandemic and let Welsh Labour finish the job they’ve started.”
Asked how jobs and vaccines were solely Welsh Government success stories, he replied: “What the Welsh Government has done which Westminster hasn’t done is to target it on the businesses that most need it taking into account turnover and business rates etc.
“If you look at what distinguishes the Welsh scheme to the scheme in England, it’s that Mark and Welsh Labour have a targeted approach which is why they’ve safeguarded 165,000 jobs.
“The actual rollout, obviously there’s overlap, what happens on the ground is very much a matter for Welsh Labour.
“There are other examples, the testing in England was as good as outsourced, in Wales it’s been under public ownership and local control and been a lot, lot better.
“If you look across the UK people point to Wales, as an example of careful, cautious decisions by Mark Drakeford and Welsh Labour Government and explained to the public. In terms of a test of leadership this has been one and Mark Drakeford has come through it with flying colours.”
‘‘ We’re fighting for every vote in Wales, no-one has actually voted yet and Mark Drakeford and Welsh Labour have got a very good record - Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer