‘I want an open and frank conversation with people in Wales who did not feel able to support us at the election’
Today Sir Keir Starmer will be holding two virtual public meetings – his first in Wales since being elected leader of the Labour Party last month – with residents from the constituencies of Clwyd South, Wrexham, Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan. Here he explains his aims...
CORONAVIRUS is the biggest crisis we have faced in a generation. It has changed our way of life: separating friends and families, changing the way we work and exposing the many inequalities that still exist in our society.
It was an honour to be elected leader of the Labour Party last month. This role brings with it huge responsibility, including to the people of Wales. Right now, Labour’s number-one priority is supporting the country through the Covid-19 emergency.
That means being a responsible and effective opposition, supporting the UK Government when they are getting it right and challenging them when we think they are getting it wrong. In Wales, it means being a responsible and effective government – something I know is happening.
My job is also to make the case for Labour in power in the wider United Kingdom, after what was a devastating election result in December. During the leadership campaign I pledged to speak to voters across our nations and regions – to understand why we lost the voters we did and how we can win them back.
Although the pandemic prevents us from travelling, technology makes it possible to come together in different ways. That’s why, instead of physical events, I am asking people to join me in a series of virtual public meetings being held across the country.
Today I will be speaking directly to members of the public in communities in Wales.
These events are about listening. I want an open and frank conversation with people in Wales who did not feel able to support us at the election. I also want to hear about people’s experiences during the coronavirus crisis and what more they want to see done to help keep people safe and well.
I pay tribute to the Welsh Government and the First Minister, Mark Drakeford, who has ably led Wales’ response and sought consensus to work on a four-nation basis. He has been open to scrutiny in the Senedd each week and has brought the leaders of opposition parties into conversations on Coronavirus so that all can play their part in dealing with this crisis.
I know there are concerns about the messages coming from the UK Government and the Prime Minister in Westminster earlier this week. What people across the United Kingdom wanted from Boris Johnson’s statement on Sunday night was clarity and consensus. But his statement created more questions than it answered and it threatens to put our four nations on different paths.
We entered this crisis as one United Kingdom and it’s important we enter the next phase together too.
When this crisis is over I am determined we build a better society.
I know it hasn’t always been easy, and the impact of a decade of cuts by the UK Government has been felt hard. But the work of the Welsh Government points to the better future we can achieve.
Whether it is supporting the incomes of social care workers, or providing a £1.7bn support package for Welsh businesses, the Welsh Government is stepping up when it matters most.
After this pandemic, we cannot continue as if nothing has changed. I know the Welsh Labour Government recognises this and is bringing together experts from across the world to look at how Wales can renew and reshape its economy and public services in a landscape changed by the pandemic.
Wales has always been a key foundation of the Labour Party and the trade union movement. Labour does not win power in Westminster unless it wins in Wales. It’s our duty to demonstrate Labour as a force for good and a force for change. Not just in Wales, but across the whole of the United Kingdom.
To do that, we need to hear people and to listen to people.
I know that our party has a big job to do. We need to help the country get through the current crisis and defeat this dreadful virus. And afterwards, we need to win the argument for a better future.
My pledge to you is that I will face up to that challenge. I will always seek to unite our communities, and together we will build a better future for all.