‘This election isn’t about change versus more of the same. It’s about whether we keep driving forward now we’ve turned the corner leaving austerity and cuts behind, or gamble with what we’ve built’
Across Wales, too many people feel that life is still harder than it should be.
You can work hard and still worry about the next bill. You can see your town centre lose another shop or worry your children will have to leave Wales to find decent work. That isn’t fair. And as First Minister, I believe we have to start by facing that reality honestly.
After years of Tory austerity and cuts, we are putting record funding into public services. We have protected things that matter most to people. But I know that for many families, it still doesn’t feel like things are improving quickly enough. That’s why we have to keep going, and make families feel that sticking with us will bring real rewards.
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Because Wales is standing on the edge of a new chapter. For the first time in years, we have a real chance to move from simply managing Tory cuts imposed on us to shaping our own future. The work of 25 years of devolution – building skills, infrastructure and confidence – is beginning to pay off.
Investors who once looked elsewhere are knocking on our door, and the foundations are in place for a new wave of jobs across Wales. I’ve seen what drives that investment. When I worked in the private sector, I learned that stability matters, infrastructure matters, and people matter most of all. That’s exactly what I’m focused on in government.
You can see it already. Huge energy projects in the north. An AI growth zone in the south. Advanced manufacturing in the east. Renewables off our western coast. Since becoming First Minister, £16 billion of business funding has come into Wales since we announced we would be hosting the most successful Wales Investment Summit the country has ever seen. These aren’t numbers on a page. They are jobs, apprenticeships and opportunities arriving in Welsh communities. New life and new hope.
But growth alone isn’t enough. It has to be fair. A fair future means knowing you can see a GP when you need to. It means moving care closer to home and cutting long waiting times, safer streets and visible policing. It means young people being able to train, work and build a future here in Wales. It means town centres that feel alive again, and a proud Welsh culture and language that continue to thrive.
The choice facing Wales is becoming clearer. Some parties promise “change” but can’t explain how they would govern or pay for it. Others, like Reform, trade in anger, offering cuts and chaos that would put vital services at risk.
Reform will tell you that the whole country is broken, but offer no real solution other than raging against the system. We know there is unfairness in the world right now, and while Reform are pointing fingers and placing blame on others we’re taking action.
Welsh Labour has a different approach, not just to Reform, but to our colleagues in England too – free prescriptions, free school meals for all primary pupils, paying the Real Living Wage to care workers bringing our railways back into public ownership. These weren’t slogans, they were serious political choices.
This election isn’t about change versus more of the same. It’s about whether we keep driving forward now we’ve turned the corner leaving austerity and cuts behind, or gamble with what we’ve built. With a new generation of candidates and a clear mission, Welsh Labour is ready to write the next chapter and build a fair future for Wales, together.
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