ADAM PRICE: LABOUR A ‘CONSERVATIVE FORCE’ WHICH IS ‘ABANDONING SOCIALIST PRINCIPLES’

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price has today issued a scathing critique of the Labour party’s 20 years at the helm in Wales, accusing them of being a ‘conservative force’ whose recent record shows that they have ‘abandoned socialist principles.’

In a direct appeal to Labour voters ahead of the Senedd Elections on May 6^th, Adam Price highlighted how many Labour supporters now had more in common with Plaid Cymru than with the Labour party, not only on the constitution with 52% of Labour voters backing independence, but also in key policy areas.

The Plaid Cymru Leader criticised Labour for their recent refusal to adopt a more “radical agenda” to deliver social justice for Wales through policies such as extending free school meals provision, freezing council tax, and guaranteeing a minimum wage for care workers.

Adam Price said:

“There are two conservative forces at work in Wales – the Tory party which is actively working to undermine our nation, and the Labour party whose refusal to adopt a more radical agenda is holding us back.

“With Labour at the helm for 20 years, even before Coronavirus, almost a quarter of people in Wales were living in poverty. The risk for children alone was higher with 3 in 10 living in poverty.

“People in Wales are paid less than their counterparts in the rest of the UK in every job sector.

“This is why in recent weeks Plaid Cymru has called on Labour to support us in wanting to extend the provision of free school meals, proposing a minimum wage for all care workers, and freezing council tax.

“On every occasion, Labour have refused. The First Minister may talk the talk on social justice, but actions suggest that Labour are abandoning their socialist principles.

“Inequality has been entrenched on Labour’s watch and only a vote for Plaid Cymru on May 6^th with ensure a government for whom social justice is a priority.

“For those who have supported Labour in the past and who share my frustration at the lack of progress in terms of tackling poverty and raising living standards, they can be sure that there is a home for them in Plaid Cymru.

“52% of Labour voters already support independence – I know that even more share my vision of a Wales where every child is given the best start in life, where every family gets a fair deal, and where a strong economy is built in a way that protects people and planet.”