Welsh Labour used English printing firm

WELSH Labour has confirmed it used a printing company in England to communicate with its 25,000 members about the Senedd election.

But it promised that all the campaigning literature sent and delivered to voters would be printed in Wales.

Jeff Jones, a former Labour leader of Bridgend council who lives in Maesteg, said he was astonished when he received an envelope full of promotional material for the election which had been sent to him by an English print company.

The envelope had the sender’s address on the back: Potts Print (UK) of Cramlington in

Northumberland.

Mr Jones said: “It’s not unreasonable to expect that a letter from Welsh Labour to its members will have been printed in Wales.

“When I was standing for the council, I always got a local firm based in Maesteg to print my leaflets, even though I could probably have got them done cheaper elsewhere.

“It’s important to provide work to local businesses, in my view.”

A spokesman for Welsh Labour said: “Potts were the print company used for a mailing to Labour Party members.

“Our main leaflets, the Senedd constituency and regional list freeposts to voters, are being printed in Wales through a company that we have a longstanding relationship with.”

A Plaid Cymru spokesman said: “It’s my understanding that all of our literature, including communications with party members, is printed in Wales.”

During the 2019 European Parliament election campaign, leaflets promoting Welsh Labour’s candidates were mistakenly delivered in the north of Scotland.

It was suggested there had been a breakdown in communication between the print company – which had produced Labour leaflets for use across Britain – and the Royal Mail.