Sunak attacks Welsh government during election campaign visit

On the first full day of the election campaign, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attacked the Welsh Government over speed limits and waiting times.

Speaking at a brewery in Barry, he accused the Labour Party of waging a “war on motorists” and said Welsh patients were being let down by the state of the Welsh health system.

However, he was mocked by a senior Labour MP after asking whether people were looking forward to a football tournament for which Wales had not qualified.

Earlier, First Minister Vaughan Gething said ensuring Labor governments were at both ends of the M4 “can transform Wales and Britain”.

However, a Labor MP appeared to distance herself from the First Minister over donations to his election campaign.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said electing Plaid Cymru MPs was “crucial” as “Wales’ voice at Westminster is weakened by the reduced number of MPs”.

The Welsh Government is responsible for, among other things, health, education, local government, transport policy and agriculture.

It consists of Labour Members of the Senedd (MSs) who are not standing for election this year.

Mr Sunak, who was joined at the brewery by Welsh Minister David TC Davies and local Vale of Glamorgan MP Alun Cairns, was given a tour of the brewing processes on the second stop of his four-country tour of the UK.

The constituency was Labor during the Blair years and is a target seat for the party in the July election.

The prime minister, who does not drink alcohol, said the Barry brewery was “part of a proper industry that we are keen to support”.

Speaking to BBC Wales, Sunak accused the Welsh government of waging “war on motorists by imposing a blanket 20mph speed limit”.

Mr Sunak said small business owners faced “thousands of pounds higher tax bills” due to the changes to business rates.

“The Welsh NHS, run by the Labour government, is the worst performing in the UK – waiting times are the longest, emergency times the worst. This is the reality of Labour in Wales.”

The Welsh Government objects to the term ‘flat rate’, arguing that it is an incorrect way to describe a standard speed limit that applied in most residential areas and which used to be 30 miles per hour.

At the start of the visit, Mr Sunak was met with a minute’s silence when he asked if the European Football Championships would be a source of income: “So you’re looking forward to all the football?”

Wales did not qualify for the tournament.

One person replied, “We’re not that involved,” to which another replied, “That’s because you guys aren’t involved.”

The Prime Minister added: “It will be a great summer of sport.”

Jo Stevens, Labor’s shadow minister for Wales, said on social media platform X that it was “another own goal for Rishi”.

Later, one of the business owners pictured sitting next to Mr Sunak said they would not vote for him.

Lee Skeet, owner of Jackson’s Oyster Bar in Cardiff, said on X he was “just asked to be there to talk about hospitality”.

First Minister Vaughan Gething told a conference in Llandudno on Thursday morning: “Today is a day when we can finally feel the end of fourteen years of this British Tory government.” An end to fourteen years of decline, fourteen years of neglect.

“Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss, Sunak. It is finally time to leave these vandals behind. We know we can plan for a different future.

“We know the difference a Labour government makes and we know that two Labour governments at either end of the M4 can change Wales and Britain.”

A Labor MP appeared to distance herself from Mr Gething as she appeared on the BBC Wales Live television program on Wednesday evening.

Asked about the donations controversies that dominated his first weeks as First Minister, Labour MP for Llanelli Nia Griffith said: “I think people see this more as a race between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer.”

“We will focus on that and I’m sure voters will understand that.”

She also said Labor would “definitely not” touch any leftover money from its campaign donations.

Vaughan Gething has now agreed to donate the remaining £31,000 to charity rather than to the Labour Party as would normally happen.

Ms Griffith said: “We are actually not taking that money, that is absolutely clear to us. We are definitely not going to touch it.”

During his leadership campaign, Mr Gething accepted £200,000 from a company owned by a man previously convicted of environmental crimes – raising more than £250,000 in total.

analysis

By Gareth Lewis, BBC Wales Political Editor

After it rained on his parade yesterday, Rishi Sunak appeared to at least avoid any puns about his organizational skills after a visit to a brewery – apart from a minor faux pas regarding football.

The trip to Barry on the first day of the campaign was no surprise, as it is located in the Vale of Glamorgan, one of the Conservatives’ most vulnerable constituencies.

Also no surprise is the line of attack – namely what he believes to be the Welsh Labor government’s previous track record in this country.

But that is not without risk. How much will voters take things like 20mph and the NHS – both Welsh Government responsibilities – into account when they cast their votes in the UK general election?

And it is also assumed that some voters are prepared to overlook what they see as major problems with Conservative politics in Britain over the last 14 years.

“Wales’ voice watered down”

The election is the first since a major border review that will see the number of MPs in Wales reduced from 40 to 32.

With the exception of Ynys Môn, the composition of all seats will change.

Welsh Labor hopes to extend its dominance in Wales while the Conservatives defend the ground they gained in 2019.

At the last election, the Welsh Labor Party won 22 seats and is still the strongest party despite the Conservatives’ performance.

Plaid Cymru is currently the third largest Welsh MP group in Westminster with four seats.

Its leader visited the party’s “key constituencies” on Thursday afternoon, namely Carmarthen, Ceredigion Preseli, Dwyfor Meirionydd and Ynys Môn.

Before leaving, Rhun ap Iorwerth said the election of Plaid MPs was “critical at a time when Wales’ voice at Westminster is being diluted due to the reduced number of MPs”.

“In Wales, this election is not about who holds the keys to Downing Street, but about who will fight for fairness and ambition for our nation, day in and day out,” he said.

“The Tories have wreaked havoc on Welsh communities as more and more people suffer the consequences of lower wages and higher bills.”

“Keir Starmer’s offer to do more of the same shows that Labour would continue to take Wales for granted.”

Jane Dodds, leader of the Liberal Democrats in Wales, told BBC Radio Cymru’s Dros Frecwast that they would be “campaigning hard”.

“Most people who voted Conservative will not want to vote Labour this time, so we have the opportunity to talk to them and make sure we are their choice,” she said.

Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Greens of England and Wales, said she plans to field a candidate in each constituency.

“If we succeed, it will be the first time in the party’s history that we have achieved this.”

“This is a priority for us because we want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to vote Green,” she said.