Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates says rebuilding after the party’s May Senedd defeat will take time, with elections due across all 22 Welsh councils next May. Labour fell to third place, winning nine of 96 Senedd seats, down from 30 of 60 in the previous parliament.
Skates rejected the idea that losses next May are inevitable, saying Labour aims to retain as many councils and councillors as possible. In 2022, it won 43% of council seats and overall control of eight councils; he said the political backdrop may be less favourable this time.
Privately, senior Welsh Labour figures say recovery could take years; one said the party needed rebuilding “pretty much from dust.” In his conference speech, Skates is also due to argue for transferring power from Westminster to Wales and from Cardiff to local communities.
