STARMER’S WELSH VOTES BOOST
LABOUR leadership frontrunner Sir Keir Starmer has received a significant boost to his campaign with more than half of the party’s council group leaders in Wales declaring their support for him.
A statement signed by eight council leaders and four group leaders in authorities where Labour is in opposition said: “We’ve seen first-hand the impact that 10 years of Conservative government has had on public services and on the communities we represent.
“The sustained cuts to public service funding have meant that we’ve been faced with having to make painful decisions while we try our best to protect vital services and deliver social justice at a local level in the most difficult of times.
“We want a Labour Party that can offer an alternative government and end Tory rule in Westminster.
“We want a government that seeks to invest in local government and other public services and ends all the cuts and misery that comes with Conservative rule in Westminster.
“To do that, we need a leader who can convince people that our values of fairness and justice are their values. Someone people will put their trust in to run our country and deliver a better future for the people and places we represent.
“We know how hard leadership is and, in our view, Keir Starmer is the candidate with the right qualities and values to do the job, we urge our party members to support Keir Stammer.”
The statement has been signed by council leaders Andrew Morgan of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Huw Thomas of Cardiff, Rob Stewart of Swansea, Anthony Hunt of Torfaen, Huw David of Bridgend, Jane Mudd of Newport, Ian Rogers of Flintshire and Neil Moore of Vale of Glamorgan.
Opposition group leaders Darren Roberts of Merthyr Tydfil, Joan Butterfield of Denbighshire, John Ariel Roberts of Anglesey and Dimitri Batrouni of Monmouthshire have also signed, with others expected to do so.
Cllr Morgan, who also leads the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), added in a personal statement: “I’ve thought carefully about who to back.
“Fundamentally Labour needs to win the next election and be in power if we are to implement policies and change people’s lives for the better.
“Having good policies and wanting to see investment in public services and our communities with the end of austerity is one thing, but we need a leader who is credible to the country and can command public support so Labour can win, form a government and implement those policies.
“Taking all this into account, I’ve decided to 100% back Keir Starmer for leader.”
Baroness Debbie Wilcox, who until becoming a peer recently led both Newport council and the WLGA, said: “We have to elect a person who is capable of taking Labour back into government at Westminster.
“People depend on Labour being in power to change their lives. Keir Starmer is someone to bring the party together and win back the trust of the thousands of voters who deserted Labour at the general election.
“He has a clear vision of how to get Labour elected. He can take on Boris Johnson at the despatch box, hold the Tory Government to account and ensure Labour’s return to power.
“I’ve always been a pragmatic politician – you can only make changes for the better if you hold the reins of power.
“If my experience of my new role in Westminster has shown me anything over the past few weeks, it is that an 80-seat majority in the Commons will make it extremely difficult to win any votes against this Government and this in turn will lead to even greater inequalities across our countries.”