Carwyn Jones speech to Labour Party Conference
Carwyn Jones AM, Leader of Welsh Labour, First
Minister of Wales, speaking at
the Labour Party Conference in Brighton today, said:
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I
want to begin by extending my thanks to Christina Rees, our Shadow Secretary of
State for Wales. Sadly she can’t be with us this week as she’s nursing a broken
foot.
I
don’t think there’s any truth in the rumour that she broke it kicking Alun
Cairns around Parliament in the first week back, but we’ll ask her when we see
her.
We
all wish you a speedy recovery, Chris.
Secondly,
let me say thank you to Jeremy for his continuing friendship and leadership.
Thank
you, Jeremy for the dignity you showed in a tough general election campaign.
The
Tories came after you in a personal and offensive manner, and you stood up to
that onslaught and led the party with great determination and defied the odds.
This
time last year, the Tories thought they were marching to a 100-seat majority.
Right now, they’re scared of their own shadows, let alone another general
election. What a turn around that is.
Conference,
when I heard Theresa May was giving a speech in Florence, I thought how apt.
Not so much in relation to the Renaissance, but more with a thought to the
works of that great medieval poet, Dante. It has been clear to me for some time
that the Department for Exiting the European Union regard the “Divine Comedy”
as some sort of instruction manual. That masterpiece imagines in glorious
detail the dark and terrifying journey through the nine circles of hell.
Well,
we’ve been going on our own journey for 15 months and still remain in the first
circle of hell – limbo – a remarkable achievement. But, then Dante did have
Virgil as his spiritual guide.
David
Davis has got Nigel Farage. The book really is worth a read as Brexit
re-interpreted. At one point, at the
close of chapter XXI, Dante witnesses a demon mobilising his troops by using
“an ass as a trumpet.” Which goes to
show that every century has its own Boris.
Conference,
this week in Wales we marked the 20th anniversary of the vote to establish
devolution in our country. It was a
turning point for Wales, and a turning point for our Party. The list of achievements
is one of which we can be proud – and it belongs not just to Welsh Labour, but
to the whole Party and movement who made devolution possible.
·
Unemployment
in Wales – routinely lower than the UK average. More jobs, better jobs – Welsh
Labour delivering in Government.
·
Wales,
the first country to move to a deemed consent model for organ donation in the
UK. People owe their lives to that change in the law. Better laws, saving
lives, Welsh Labour delivering in Government.
·
Free
school breakfasts in primary schools. Giving children the best start to the
day, giving parents a helping hand, giving teachers the attention they deserve
in the classroom. Welsh Labour delivering in Government.
·
The
attainment gap between better off and poorer pupils in England and Scotland
continues to grow – in Wales it continues to shrink. A fair start to everyone
in Wales, no matter where you’re born – that is Welsh Labour delivering in
Government.
·
Our
university students in Wales getting the best deal anywhere in the UK.
·
And
who gets the best deal of all? Those students who can least afford university –
that is Welsh Labour delivering in Government.
But,
it isn’t just about policy. It’s also about having a voice and someone to fight
your corner. This week I gave a cautious welcome to the news that Tata Steel
and ThyssenKrupp entered the first stage of a merger deal. A deal that should safeguard sites and
thousands of jobs in Wales.
Does
anyone honestly think that without devolution, without a Welsh Labour
Government determined to take measures to save that industry, putting money on
the table when others looked away, that those steel jobs would still be in
Wales today?
Would
the Tories have knocked down walls for the people of Port Talbot, Shotton,
Newport or Llanelli? We all know the answer to that.
With
our colleagues in the trades unions, our MPs, our AMs and local councillors,
Welsh Labour stood up for the steel industry – and we did what those banners
and badges asked us to do – we saved our steel.
Conference,
we are proud to work with our trades union colleagues in Government.
Together
we have built a genuine social partnership and together we are making Wales a
Fair Work Nation.
And
Conference, earlier this month our Trades Union Act received Royal Assent.
That
means that the pernicious attempts of the Tory Government to attack workers’
rights in Wales have been dis-applied, and, once again, workers in Wales have
the protections we fought so hard to achieve. Protections everyone deserves.
That’s
Welsh Labour delivering in Government.
Devolution
has given Wales a voice. And with Welsh Labour that voice speaks the language
of social justice, fairness, good work, decent pay and thriving communities.
Devolution
has given us something else. A new-found confidence. It is something I see
every day in young people in work, and in our schools and colleges. So where
has that confidence come from? If you could personalise it, you’d have to give
credit to my predecessor, Rhodri Morgan. As you know, Rhodri passed away
earlier this year, leaving behind a fantastic roller coaster of a political
career, a wonderful family and an ocean of anecdotes. In May the Welsh Parliament held the closest
thing Wales will ever have to a state funeral, and we gave Rhodri the perfect
send off.
It
started late. It finished even later. In between there was a fantastic mix of
poetry, politics, sport, laughter and tears. And at the end, no-one really
thought about Rhodri the politician, but Rhodri as a big-hearted, intelligent
and inquisitive man who loved his family above all else. A fine role model, who
we all miss.
Rhodri
always said that Labour did best when it managed to mix together the mushy peas
of old Labour with the guacamole of New Labour. Now, I’ve been in Rhodri’s
kitchen and I can tell you that when it came to culinary combinations, Rhodri
was not always the person you would go to – but on the politics, he, as so
often, was absolutely right. He was
absolutely right about the need for our Party to reflect all sections of our
membership, and all parts of this country.
That
was the key to our success in Wales in the last three elections.
When
the Party at UK level was under serious pressure, our unique and united Welsh
Labour identity meant we remained relevant and competitive in the Assembly and
local elections, when sadly others struggled. It was the unity that gave us
success against the odds. And when in the last days of the general election the
whole party surged, it meant we, in Wales, were starting from a higher
base-line and, as a result, achieved 50% of the vote for the first time in 16
years.
Our
identity as a Party is robust, authentic and complementary to the UK Party as a
whole. And, just as a country we will not countenance a roll-back of our
devolution settlement; there can be no question of Welsh Labour’s long fought
for, and hard won voice being diluted as we look to the future of our Party. I
know that both Jeremy and Tom understand this, and I welcome their unwavering
support for Wales. Thank you, both.
Because
Conference, we know Labour works best when we work together. Together, we
fought a hugely successful general election campaign – not just holding on to
what we had, but winning back seats for Labour.
Vale
of Clwyd – according to the bookmakers, Tories were 1/5 on to win. Result?
Labour Gain. Gower – according to the bookies, Tories were 1/9 on to win.
Result? Labour Gain. Cardiff North – Tories were 1/9 on. Result? Labour Gain.
Working
together we have exposed the Tories on broken promise after broken promise. On
rail electrification in the north and the south – and we know what’s coming
next – they’ll axe Swansea’s Tidal Lagoon.
But,
because Welsh Labour is in Government – there are things we can do. We are
already delivering on our manifesto promises.
·
100,000
new good quality, all-age apprenticeships.
·
The
most generous childcare offer for working parents anywhere in the UK.
·
And
20,000 more affordable homes.
We
can also deliver on priorities for the future of our NHS.
There
is no privatisation of the NHS in Wales – and whilst we have a Welsh Labour
Government there will be no privatisation of the NHS in Wales. Only in Wales
are ambulance crews hitting their targets – because we’ve worked with the
service and designed a better way of working. And next week, the Welsh
Government will publish new guidance for our pioneering legislation on safe
nurse staffing levels in Wales.
Conference,
Wales is the first country in Europe to legislate on nurse staffing levels. I
am proud that Wales has taken the lead in this area, empowering nurses and
ensuring the resources are there to care sensitively for patients. Legislation
that the Party promised in the UK manifesto in May, already being delivered by
a Labour Government in Wales.
And
working together we are making our communities better, fairer places to live.
When
Carolyn Harris MP began her brave and dignified campaign to end child burial
charges in the UK, we in Wales did not wait for the Tory Government to act. We
said, yes, that is the right thing to do, and, as a result, the Welsh Labour
Government has announced the abolition of all child burial charges in our country.
That is what we can do when we work together.
And
the country needs us to work together more than ever before, as we fight the
fundamentalists pursuing a hard Brexit. We are fighting tooth and nail against
the Tory power grab, dressed up as the EU Withdrawal Bill. It shows up their
Government as simply incapable of listening to other people’s views, or
respecting their legitimate interests – in other words, as lacking the basic
skills needed to negotiate successfully.
And
looking at the way in which they are failing the country in their negotiations
with the EU, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised.
I’m
delighted at the support we are receiving from Labour colleagues in Parliament
at fighting this real threat to devolution as we have known it for the past 20
years.
I’m
also incredibly proud of the work we have done together already – our team in
Cardiff Bay has worked hand in glove with Keir Starmer and the front bench in
developing our Brexit policies. As a result of that work, in Labour we now have
a sensible, evidence-based, economically sound set of principles and ideas that
can see this country through Brexit in an orderly manner.
Contrast
that with the spectacle of the Tory approach. Sorry, correction – the various
Tory approaches. Does anyone really know who speaks for them on Brexit anymore?
Where
has the Prime Minister of this country gone? If, before the general election, the country felt
as though it had a robot for Prime Minister, we’d now be forgiven for thinking
we have a hologram.
She
went to the country and asked for the support of our communities for a hard
Brexit, the country said no. The country said no to some other things as well –
our older people said no to being taken for granted. Wales said no to being
short-changed. Scotland said no to independence. And crucially, our young
people said no to being ignored. They said, through their votes, what we all
feel – Britain deserves better than this. This country deserves a Labour
Government in Westminster.
A
Government that actually cares about the future.
I
know that the people of Wales need that more than ever. Under the Tories, we
have had to take £1billion out of our public services in Wales. That’s the
annual budget of the entire North Wales health board. Our communities are
resilient, but they’re being unfairly punished. And with Theresa May and the
Tories they will be asked to give yet more. To give up. To give up their
livelihoods, their libraries, their leisure centres, and their right to a fair
deal. To give up hope. Enough is enough. It is time for hope.
It
is time for Labour, in Wales and in Westminster. Standing up for Wales. Working for fairness.
Working, together. Winning, together. That’s a future the country hopes for and
that’s the country we can deliver. Together for Wales. Together for Britain.