Welsh Labour First Minister Eluned Morgan made an unexpected gaffe on the campaign trail, accidentally urging supporters to back a rival party. The slip of the tongue occurred during a crucial week-to-go event in Barry Island, where Baroness Morgan, the leader of Welsh Labour, was addressing a crowd.
Concluding her speech, she declared: "One week to go, let’s open that new chapter for Wales, let’s have fairness you can feel, let’s vote Welsh Labour in the election next week." However, she then added in Welsh, "Pleidleisiwch Plaid Cymru," before swiftly correcting herself to "Plaid Lafur (Labour Party)." The audience responded with laughter, applause, and cheers.
Explaining the gaffe to ITV Wales, the First Minister said: “We’re all a little bit exhausted, once you switch into Welsh the word ‘Cymru’ comes off your lips. Obviously I’m very, very keen for people to vote Welsh Labour in this election. You know where you stand, waiting lists are coming down, nine months in succession. The plan is working – don’t put it at risk.”
Labour has led Wales for more than two decades, but if opinion polls are to be believed, Plaid Cymru and Reform UK are vying to become the biggest party in the Welsh Parliament after 7 May. Earlier in the day, the Labour First Minister of Wales quipped that Welsh Labour and UK Labour are like Gavin and Stacey. Addressing a crowd of Labour supporters in Barry Island on Thursday, Baroness Eluned Morgan referenced the hit BBC series, adding “we’ve got lots in common, but there are times when we do things differently”.
Lady Morgan said: “There’s a lot at stake here. I started one of my first speeches saying how Welsh Labour and UK Labour are a little bit like Gavin And Stacey, so it’s absolutely appropriate that we’re back here (in Barry). We’ve got lots in common, but there are times when we do things differently, and I’m proud that we always stand up for Wales. We’ve got a shared belief, though, in making things better for working people. It’s important that we’re kind at heart, we’re resilient, and that is the line that we have to defend to make sure that in one week’s time that spirit is still kept alive.”
Lady Morgan and Sir Keir Starmer presented a united front when he visited South Wales in February, stressing the importance of delivering “side by side”, but the Prime Minister has been absent from the campaign trail. The First Minister previously said Sir Keir was welcome to support Welsh Labour’s campaign if he brought more investment to Wales, but now prefers him to focus on “trying to resolve the situation in the Middle East”.
