It is key that our next leader understands Wales
3 min read
No area has been more faithful to Labour than Wales. The leader must speak up for vulnerable people in this region and throughout the UK, writes Carolyn Harris MP
There is no hiding from the fact that the Labour party needs to listen to the messages from our defeat in December – and to learn the lessons, however uncomfortable. Labour seats have turned blue, and we need to organise and win back the trust to turn them red once again.
Too many working-class communities that have been Labour seats for as long as I can remember have for now lost faith in our party. It’s not easy to write that, it hurts to admit it – but if we are going to rebuild ourselves into something that is stronger and something that voters trust and have confidence in, then we have to accept it.
But while we may still be reeling from the result – feeling broken and perhaps a little lost – we must remember that over 10 million people voted for Labour and it is our duty to do everything we can to represent them and ensure that we turn things around.
The election of our new leader is imminent, and we must not underestimate the importance of getting this right. We are on a precipice and the decisions our party makes now will have a monumental effect on its future.
“It is key that our next national leader understands Wales”
There are plenty of arguments out there for who we should choose to take on the challenge, but the most important thing is that we get the right person.
We need someone who accepts the fragile state that the party finds itself in; someone who has the strength and rationale to lead, to implement change and to rebuild amid the turmoil and backlash that he or she will undoubtedly face.
We need someone who believes in our party to their very core. Someone who is ready to stand up to the Government and hold them to account; someone who has a proven record of fighting for the oppressed and the vulnerable; someone who will use both the successes and the failures of our past in order to build a stronger future for the many.
As deputy leader of Welsh Labour, for me, it is also key that our next national leader understands Wales – our country, our traditions and our politics. Too often in the past, the challenges of our communities have been overlooked, as have the achievements of our Welsh Labour government.
Without fail we have returned Labour governments in Wales since devolution and performed better than almost every other part of the UK in 2017 and 2019. I am excited about the opportunity of working alongside our new national leader and sharing our achievements as a devolved government.
It is up to us all now to embrace the opportunity that we have. We cannot change the past, but we can, and must, learn from it and use the lessons to build a better future – starting by electing a leader that can lead Labour to victory in the next election.
Carolyn Harris is deputy leader of Welsh Labour and Labour MP for Swansea East
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