He has previously referred to Wales as a “model” of what a Labor government in the UK would look like, but when Sir Keir Starmer addressed delegates at the party conference earlier this month, he did not mention Wales. The UK Labor leader said today that he and Mark Drakeford are in “constant” contact.

He spoke to WalesOnline outside the Port Talbot steelworks, where he met with unions and senior members of Tata, the company that owns the plant. Sir Keir was asked who is responsible for the historically high levels of poverty in Wales and whether he agreed with Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford, who said the UK was a “family of nations”.

Sir Keir said that the reason for Wales’ economic performance lies squarely with the UK Government, not the Welsh Government, and that the union is made up of “four nations” working together. You can read the full interview below. For the latest analysis on the biggest stories, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.

READ MORE: New 20mph poll suggests Labor has a lot to think about ahead of the election

READ MORE: The powers people think Westminster should give Wales

WalesOnline: Wales has historically been the poorest part of the UK and has been since devolution, why do you think this is?

Sir Keir Starmer: I think it’s because we haven’t had the strategic thinking from the Westminster Government that we absolutely need. They have seen the Westminster Government, over the last 13 years, not follow the rules required for devolution and not co-operate with the Welsh Labor Government. If we had the privilege of coming to power and there was a Labor government in Westminster, we would coordinate, we would cooperate and that would bring enormous benefits.

I will give two brief examples. When we recently announced a plan to reduce waiting lists in England, which had implications for Wales, the Welsh Government realized this and said they would do the same. This morning we talked about the future of steel, which is hugely important for Wales. We need to protect the jobs we have and move toward the jobs of the future. This will only happen if we have a UK-wide industrial and steel strategy for the future. So it will be a very different way of working, which will hugely benefit Wales and indeed the whole of the UK.

Do you think Britain is a family of nations or within a nation?

It is an alliance of four nations working together. I believe that the strength of unity is as much in the future as in the past. If we consider that it was a great challenge to develop our economy, have an industrial strategy for the future of steel production and overcome the climate emergency, it is clear that we can achieve more if we join forces. But the examples I give are of how we can make our NHS work better.

The examples I give about the future of steel here in Wales depend on the four nations coming together. So yes, we have a history that is very important, but I think we also have challenges for the future that, if we can overcome them, can become real opportunities that we can face together.



Labor leader inspects factory in south Wales

Wales is the only country in the United Kingdom where the Labor Party is already in power. Why didn’t you mention Wales when you spoke at the conference?

I mention Wales all the time, in many of Mark Drakeford’s speeches, and I work very closely together, our offices are in contact all the time.

So why not mention this during your conference presentation?

Well, at the conference we announced our NHS plan and we worked with the Welsh Government, who said: “Yes, we will take the consequences and do something like this here in a coordinated, rules-based way”. So you can see the strength of that relationship, and I’m afraid that none of your questions will drive a wedge between me and the Welsh Government, because it’s a very good working relationship.

It will be much better if we can gain enough privileges to come to power, and then what you see will be very different from what you see now. Right now we have a Westminster Government that doesn’t really follow the rules, there’s no coordination and it’s in conflict with the Welsh Government and that doesn’t help the people of Wales at all. What we will get from a new Labor government is coordination, law enforcement and strategic cooperation, and that will help us enormously, not just in health, not just in steel, but in everything that is so important to people here. in Wales

Commenting on his visit, Sir Keir said: “British Steel, the stalwart of British industry, is essential to our growth and prosperity as a nation. From Port Talbot to Rutherglen and Scunthorpe, it has been the fabric of our society for generations, but also for a long time. For too long, our steel industry has been left behind as our European allies advanced. We have to change this. We must make Britain a world leader again. This means reforms, investment, the right industrial strategy and the right decarbonization.

“That means greening the steel that will create the solar panels and wind turbines that will power our homes for years to come. That’s why I’ve made delivering clean electricity by 2030 one of my five missions for the new Labor government. That’s why our Green Prosperity Plan will include a ten-year program of investment in clean steel. We will not back down until these opportunities pass. The Labor government I lead will roll up its sleeves and grab it with both hands.

“Our investments will bring growth and economic security. Our planning reforms will accelerate the construction of critical infrastructure. Our plans to get Britain building again will mean fuller order books and security for industry and workers alike. “We will set aside party politics and work with the devolved regions, industry and unions to give Britain back its steel future.”