The Labour Party in Wales has an identity crisis.

Two slogans which are very often used together, but could hardly be more contradictory.

Slogans are like pimples, some of us get them, but we all like to pick at them, and I will.

On one hand, we have the ‘Red Welsh Way’ crowd. Largely formed of Senedd backbenchers, they believe in further devolution of powers to Cardiff Bay, particularly in fields like rail infrastructure and justice, and see the Senedd as an institution which ought to represent Wales in a ‘federal’ vision for the United Kingdom.

On the other hand, we have those who like to use the slogan ‘Partnership in Power’.

They believe in little (if any) further devolution of powers. Led by Labour’s MPs, especially Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens, and Labour figures who are most loyal to Keir Starmer, they firmly oppose re-designating HS2 as an England-only project, devolving justice and policing, and seemingly see the Senedd as a Welsh embodiment of the UK political establishment.

On the line between the two camps, you’ll find Labour’s Wales leader, Ceredigion Penfro candidate and First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan.

Despite being the main user of the phrase ‘Red Welsh Way’, the Baroness seems to have little interest in pursuing it (whatever it may be).

When 11 of her backbenchers wrote to the UK Government in December, accusing them of ‘rolling back devolution’ in its Pride in Place programme, she merely ‘raised concerns’ with Starmer.

This is a trend: any unhappiness is vented in a letter to the UK Government, which falls on deaf ears, and probably ends up going straight into the shredder.

So, where do Labour truly stand on devolution?

The reality is that we don’t know.

Sure, they claim a lot of credit as the party who ‘created’ it, but now they control the UK Government, the venom is gone. Under the status quo, there is no prospect of further powers anytime soon.

The ‘Red Welsh Way’ slogan means nothing.

Other parties are very clear on their stance: Plaid Cymru support maximum devolution and want it to be a launchpad towards an independent Welsh state.

The Conservatives are campaigning actively against any further powers whatsoever and would reverse the Senedd expansion. Some parts of what remains of the Tories want the Senedd gone altogether.

The Liberal Democrats and Greens are clear that they want to expand devolution, the Greens going so far as to say they would campaign in favour of independence in any referendum.

Reform UK’s policy is less clear, but Nigel Farage has said that the ‘ship has sailed’ on the debate, suggesting support for the status quo. Their 2024 manifesto rather unhelpfully made no mention of Wales or devolution, so they probably just don’t care.

Labour, for their own sake, need to figure this out very soon.

There is a clear consensus in Wales, and especially in west Wales for more devolution, as demonstrated in numerous elections and referendums over the years, but Ms Morgan needs to keep her Westminster masters on side. Do they go for the ‘partnership in power’ route, expecting voters to support the actions of the almost universally disliked UK Government, or do they take us down the ‘Red Welsh Way’, which would require them to take responsibility for the state of Wales at the moment?

They can’t have it both ways.

The ‘Red Welsh Way’ would undermine the ‘partnership in power’, and a ‘partnership in power’ makes a ‘Red Welsh Way’ impossible.

Perhaps they aren’t in any rush to clarify this, as the cards are firmly in the hands of Keir Starmer and Jo Stevens in Westminster anyway.

https://x.com/LloydCymru