United Kingdom: After a historic defeat in Wales, Andy Burnham calls on Labour to re-evaluate its strategy

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is calling on the Welsh Labour Party to learn from its historic defeat in the May 2026 regional elections. At the Welsh Labour Party conference, held on Saturday, November 14th in Llandudno, the Prime Minister intends to advocate a new political approach based on listening to voters and greater devolution. This speech comes after Labour lost power in Wales, a first since the creation of the devolved institutions in 1999.

The British Labour Party is going through a particularly difficult period in Wales. In the May 7th elections to the Senedd, the Welsh Parliament , Labour suffered an unprecedented defeat, finishing third behind the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru and Reform UK. With only nine seats in an assembly now composed of 96 members, Labour lost control of the regional government it had led for nearly three decades. This debacle allowed Rhun ap Iorwerth, leader of Plaid Cymru, to become First Minister of Wales.

Having arrived at Downing Street in July, two months after this defeat, Andy Burnham now wants to initiate a political rebuilding process. In his planned speech to Labour activists gathered in Llandudno, the former mayor of Greater Manchester is expected to acknowledge the mistakes made by his party. He intends, in particular, to call on political leaders to listen more closely to citizens' concerns and to abandon empty promises. For the British Prime Minister, regaining electoral trust requires concrete changes in the way the party governs.

A defeat that forces Labour to rethink its strategy

The leader of the Welsh Labour Party , Ken Skates, appointed in July after Eluned Morgan's departure, also acknowledges the scale of the electoral setback. He believes that voters felt their voices were no longer being heard and that public services were not improving quickly enough. According to him, Labour also gave the impression of taking its electoral support for granted. This is a particularly harsh assessment for a party that historically dominated Welsh politics.

An independent analysis, conducted by Professor Anand Menon for the consulting firm Public First, is to be presented at the conference. This work aims to identify the reasons for Labour's collapse and the changes needed to regain voters' trust. The rise of Plaid Cymru and Reform UK illustrates a profound political realignment, in which Labour can no longer rely on its traditional dominance.

Andy Burnham wants to strengthen the powers of local authorities

To address this crisis, Andy Burnham wants to take decentralization further. The Prime Minister believes that the transfer of powers from London to Cardiff, which began in 1999, should not be an end in itself. He now advocates a greater redistribution of responsibilities to cities, regions, and local communities, so that residents can participate more fully in decisions that affect their daily lives.

This proposal, however, has met with some reservations. Plaid Cymru criticizes the British government for not going far enough in funding rail infrastructure and transferring certain powers to Wales. The nationalist party believes that the Prime Minister's statements must be followed by specific financial and institutional commitments. For Andy Burnham , the challenge, therefore, lies in convincing people that this new direction will not be merely a change of rhetoric.

The crisis within the Welsh Labour Party is also a national issue for the British Prime Minister. As his government seeks to revive the economy and strengthen local powers, the May defeat serves as a stark reminder of the difficulties faced by long-established parties in power. Labour's ability to regain a central role in Welsh politics will depend, in particular, on its response to concerns regarding public services, investment, and living standards.

The Llandudno conference thus appears as a first step in the reconstruction of the Welsh Labour Party. Between self-criticism, institutional reform, and a desire to win back voters, Andy Burnham is attempting to give a new direction to a deeply weakened party. But after nearly thirty years in regional power, Labour will now have to demonstrate, from the benches of the Welsh opposition, that they have truly understood the reasons for their defeat.