Eluned Morgan defends her first 100 days leading Welsh government

Eluned Morgan has defended her initial 100 days as the head of the Welsh government, while opposition parties utilized the milestone to assert that she was failing the nation. Andrew RT Davies of the Welsh Conservatives and Rhun ap Iorwerth from Plaid Cymru criticized the first minister regarding waiting times and alleged that she was not opposing contentious UK Labour policies. During a Senedd debate held on Wednesday, Morgan cited a “lengthy list” of accomplishments, highlighting public sector pay increases and funding allocated to address NHS waiting lists. The leader of Welsh Labour assumed the role following Vaughan Gething’s resignation during the summer. Morgan became the leader of Welsh Labour unopposed, following several months of internal party unrest concerning Gething’s leadership. She has pledged to direct the government’s attention to a set of priorities, including commitments to reduce lengthy NHS waiting times in Wales and improve educational standards. Previously, opposition parties have described the first minister’s proposals as lacking concrete detail. The Welsh Conservatives initiated a Senedd debate to commemorate Eluned Morgan’s 100th day as first minister, which falls on Thursday. Andrew RT Davies, the Senedd Conservative leader, stated: “We in Wales, regrettably, have a higher proportion of the population on a waiting list than any part of the United Kingdom.” He noted that while fewer than 150 individuals await two years or longer for English NHS treatment, the corresponding number in Wales stands at 24,000 “and rising”. Mr. Davies characterized this situation as a “damning indictment of government failure here in Wales”. He further accused Eluned Morgan of remaining “silent” regarding the cessation of universal winter fuel payments and the decrease in agricultural property relief from inheritance tax. He contended: “The first minister has in her first 100 days failed to stand up for the people of Wales.” Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, asserted that nothing had “fundamentally changed” over the past 100 days. Although he acknowledged the first minister’s priorities as “admirable,” he added: “100 days in the truth is there’s no plan and no sign of a plan.” Ap Iorwerth criticized the first minister for not managing to “move the dial” on issues such as funding for Wales, the winter fuel allowance, and the two-child benefit cap. He stated: “I am afraid that what we have seen is Labour in Welsh government under the new first minister shifting into the mode of defending their masters at Westminster.” Morgan affirmed that her cabinet was “focused on the priorities of the people of Wales”. She declared: “We haven’t been idle since August”. She also stated that the Welsh government had “delivered public sector wages which have risen higher and faster than that of prices.” She continued: “We have invested £28m to cut waiting times and £13m on better end of life care. We have launched our north Wales medical school,” and further mentioned that her government had allocated £7.7m to a center for burns and plastic surgery at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, in addition to securing a £1bn investment for Shotton Mill. She remarked: “This is a lengthy list,” adding: “It will be longer as we continue to deliver.” She asserted: “The first 100 days demonstrates how Welsh Labour is delivering real investments, real jobs, real support for communities, not promises and pledges, but delivery.“ She concluded: “Our government is ambitious for our nation, is driven by the people’s priorities, and it’s absolutely focused on delivery.”