Welsh Labour Manifesto

:00:13. > :00:32.... APPLAUSE.

:00:33. > :00:44.Thank you everybody for coming today and thanks For hosting us here. You

:00:45. > :00:51.have been generous with your facilities. Working with Welsh

:00:52. > :00:56.Government and local employers, schools and universities, our

:00:57. > :01:01.colleges are giving young people a head start in life. We know that FE

:01:02. > :01:06.is under massive, sustained pressure in England. It's a Cinderella

:01:07. > :01:10.sector, they're devoid of the support that it deserves. Different

:01:11. > :01:15.priorities, different choices, different outcomes. In the UK

:01:16. > :01:20.manifesto launches in recent days, we saw that contrast so sharply

:01:21. > :01:24.didn't we from Labour policies that resonated, that showed that we still

:01:25. > :01:28.believe in society and that no-one should be left behind. From the

:01:29. > :01:33.Tories, we had something different. I'm not sure what the official title

:01:34. > :01:37.of the document was, but it should probably be called "cruel

:01:38. > :01:43.intentions", the nasty party is back and how. A dementia tax, an end to

:01:44. > :01:46.the triple lock and yet another social care contrick. It was all

:01:47. > :01:49.made clear this morning apparently for those that watched it. They were

:01:50. > :01:53.none the wiser as to what is going to happen in England. Their

:01:54. > :01:57.manifesto says one thing to older people in this country, and it's

:01:58. > :02:01.this message - the Tories are taking you for granted. They think you're

:02:02. > :02:07.in the bag. They've moved on. They think this is over. How does that

:02:08. > :02:12.make you feel? And what did they say about Wales in their manifesto?

:02:13. > :02:17.Barely a mention comment for a series of thinly vealed threats

:02:18. > :02:29.about withdrawing funding and decision-making from our

:02:30. > :02:33.communities. We have heard Rhodri Mentioned this morning. He said we

:02:34. > :02:35.don't trust them and they don't understand us.

:02:36. > :02:46.APPLAUSE. On so many things, Rhodri's words

:02:47. > :02:50.remain prescient. How proud he was of what we've helped to build

:02:51. > :02:53.together as Welsh Labour, he was indisputably the person more than

:02:54. > :02:59.any other who made those words Welsh Labour move from an idea, a title,

:03:00. > :03:05.to a real campaigning fire breathing entity. We all owe Rhodri a debt of

:03:06. > :03:09.gratitude, none more than me. I know that everyone of us in this room

:03:10. > :03:14.could share a memory, a story or a favourite saying about Rhodri, he

:03:15. > :03:19.truly was one of a kind. It is difficult for us to think about life

:03:20. > :03:24.without him, not least because he was still giving so much to our

:03:25. > :03:28.party and our country. No easy retirement for Rhodri. A bit more

:03:29. > :03:32.time in the garden and with his grandchildren, but he was still on

:03:33. > :03:35.the doorsteps fighting for votes, fighting for Labour. And I know our

:03:36. > :03:41.thoughts are with Julie and the family at this difficult time.

:03:42. > :03:46.He'll be our inspiration in the days and weeks ahead. Much was made of

:03:47. > :03:50.Rhodri's affable nature but by God he was a determined man and he knew

:03:51. > :03:54.the value of winning. He wouldn't accept defeat. When he got knocked

:03:55. > :03:58.back he came back twice as strong. That's the bit of Rhodri we are

:03:59. > :04:02.going to take into the campaign over the next few days. Rest in peace

:04:03. > :04:04.Rhodri, we'll do our best to make you proud.

:04:05. > :04:20.APPLAUSE. Despite the many advantage we made

:04:21. > :04:24.as a party in Wales over the years some people have still questioned

:04:25. > :04:29.why we need a separate Welsh Labour manifesto but it's simple, the same

:04:30. > :04:35.reasons we produced our Welsh Labour manifesto in every general election,

:04:36. > :04:39.we have always understood political parties don't choose what elections

:04:40. > :04:44.are about, not even the media does that to their eternal frustration,

:04:45. > :04:49.voters decide what the issues are that matter to them. That's why we

:04:50. > :04:54.feel it's important for us in one document to detail what Welsh Labour

:04:55. > :04:58.wants to do on all the things that matter to people and communities. So

:04:59. > :05:02.alongside the commitments we have for the NHS in Wales there are

:05:03. > :05:07.ambitious pledges about defence, tax and Brexit. We have seen already in

:05:08. > :05:13.the manifesto launched last week by Jeremy what a difference it makes

:05:14. > :05:16.having a stronger Welsh Labour presence in that process. A

:05:17. > :05:20.commitment to make right the mess of the Tory Wales act and adopting our

:05:21. > :05:28.approach which will bring clarity for devolution. As I discussed the

:05:29. > :05:31.manifesto with colleagues across the party it made me proud we were

:05:32. > :05:38.debating how to make this country a favour and better place to live.

:05:39. > :05:43.Today we build on that work. Our Welsh manifesto is an ambitious,

:05:44. > :05:47.comprehensive plan of what Welsh Labour can do together, working in

:05:48. > :05:52.the assembly and Westminster. Unlike the Tories we stand ready to deliver

:05:53. > :05:58.on big projects that will get our economy moving. Support for tidal

:05:59. > :06:03.lagoons starting with the Swansea project, support also for rail

:06:04. > :06:08.electrification. The Metro project and the new development bank for

:06:09. > :06:11.Wales. The Tories have done nothing to advance Welsh infrastructure in

:06:12. > :06:19.the last seven years and they will do nothing for the next five if they

:06:20. > :06:23.are given the chance. We need a strong team of Welsh Labour MPs

:06:24. > :06:27.working with us in the assembly, we have done so much but we need to do

:06:28. > :06:31.more to put these issues high up the agenda. To do that we need two

:06:32. > :06:36.Labour governments working together to make our economy work for

:06:37. > :06:42.everyone, not just a few people at the top. Working in partnership. I

:06:43. > :06:45.can tell you, Welsh Labour will commit to protecting the funding

:06:46. > :06:51.that would have come to Wales through the EU, the Tories want a

:06:52. > :06:53.promise that, our communities will lose out but we promise to protect

:06:54. > :07:05.that money. APPLAUSE That money will be spent in Wales on

:07:06. > :07:12.Welsh priorities, not stashed away in Whitehall is as the Tories are

:07:13. > :07:16.threatening. We will fulfil the promises that Tories and Ukip say

:07:17. > :07:20.they will break because we believe in fairness and delivering on what

:07:21. > :07:25.people have a right to expect. After years of Tory cuts an estimated ?1.5

:07:26. > :07:30.billion extra will come to Wales every year through a UK Labour

:07:31. > :07:33.spending plan. And on the election of a Labour government in

:07:34. > :07:39.Westminster we are committed to an immediate, brands of spending review

:07:40. > :07:44.in Wales. We will allocate any new resources to priority areas, job

:07:45. > :07:48.creation, the NHS and education. Remember that each cut made to the

:07:49. > :07:53.Welsh Labour budget made our work more difficult. It denied our

:07:54. > :07:57.classrooms the investment we would want to put in. It cut the numbers

:07:58. > :08:02.of doctors and nurses we could employ. It closed much loved

:08:03. > :08:08.libraries and community leisure centres because of the cuts Tories

:08:09. > :08:12.imposed. And for what? Have they balanced the books? They have not.

:08:13. > :08:17.Debt has doubled under the Tories. They have doubled debt and slashed

:08:18. > :08:23.public services to add insult to injury. Look at the Tory vision now

:08:24. > :08:27.for public services just 12 miles over the border. The trumpet

:08:28. > :08:31.policies like grammar schools, nobody says bring back the secondary

:08:32. > :08:35.modern is, they say bring back grammar schools. They promote

:08:36. > :08:40.selection, they have given up on the idea of good public services for

:08:41. > :08:44.everyone. A great education for all will be off the table and other

:08:45. > :08:49.Tories in England. Even David Cameron's government did not go that

:08:50. > :08:56.far. They are going to focus on the interests of the few and not the

:08:57. > :08:58.many. That's not something we are doing in Wales, from education to

:08:59. > :09:02.skills to the economy we are building a future, a decent home, a

:09:03. > :09:09.good job and a great school for everyone, a fairer deal for us all.

:09:10. > :09:14.Because fairness is at the heart of our approach. So today we set out

:09:15. > :09:18.how we will get our economy growing again through serious infrastructure

:09:19. > :09:22.investment in Wales. Through our new approach to developing skills and

:09:23. > :09:27.supporting businesses to grow. And it's not just about more work, it's

:09:28. > :09:32.about better work and today Welsh Labour also sets out our different

:09:33. > :09:36.approach to fear work. Working through a genuine social partnership

:09:37. > :09:44.with public service employers, businesses and trade unions we are

:09:45. > :09:47.committed to tackling the issues. So we will establish a fear work

:09:48. > :09:51.commission, building on what we have achieved with the workforce

:09:52. > :09:56.partnership Council. One thing I can promise you is we will continue with

:09:57. > :10:06.our work to repeal the UK trade union act for devolved public

:10:07. > :10:12.services. APPLAUSE We will end the practice of

:10:13. > :10:16.blacklisting. We will enforce ethical procurement practices and we

:10:17. > :10:24.will end the use of exploitative zero-hour contracts. That's

:10:25. > :10:29.something we are doing now. And that's the difference we can make

:10:30. > :10:33.together, we need to remind people in every constituency that really

:10:34. > :10:37.it's only a vote for Welsh Labour that can make that difference. A

:10:38. > :10:40.vote for a Plaid Cymru in this election will help the Conservatives

:10:41. > :10:45.build a bigger majority. It's that simple. But more than that it's time

:10:46. > :10:51.to remind voters that time and time again Plaid Cymru do not make the

:10:52. > :10:56.choices Wales need. Voting with the Tories and Ukip to deny the NHS more

:10:57. > :11:01.money. Voting with the Tories and Ukip to try to form an unholy

:11:02. > :11:04.coalition to run the Welsh government. What job would be a

:11:05. > :11:12.Hamilton have got in that administration I wonder? It's the

:11:13. > :11:19.different vision for Wales you want, that is what most people are saying

:11:20. > :11:23.to me. But to get that people have to vote for it and that means voting

:11:24. > :11:30.Welsh Labour. Nowhere is the different vision for the next five

:11:31. > :11:35.years more stark can hear in the north of Wales, a place which is a

:11:36. > :11:39.mystery Theresa May, should not know she this morning. Work is underway

:11:40. > :11:44.across the Welsh Labour government to help successfully deliver the 14

:11:45. > :11:48.billion project and ensure it brings good quality jobs, infrastructure

:11:49. > :11:55.and housing to the entire region. No mention of that in the Plaid Cymru

:11:56. > :11:59.manifesto and I wonder why? We announced a ?20 million fund to

:12:00. > :12:03.establish an advanced research as to Jude which will support key

:12:04. > :12:07.employers in the region and help develop game changing new

:12:08. > :12:11.technologies in areas such as aerospace, nuclear and automotive.

:12:12. > :12:17.In March we announced plans to invest more than ?200 million in the

:12:18. > :12:19.EA 55 corridor to ensure the region has been modern strategic road

:12:20. > :12:25.network it needs to support the growing economy. We are leading the

:12:26. > :12:28.way in developing a North Wales growth deal which will see the North

:12:29. > :12:32.Wales mainline electrified and new links developed with the Northern

:12:33. > :12:35.powerhouse in England and the Midlands engine. The Tories have

:12:36. > :12:40.gone quiet about this, just as they have fallen silent on any new

:12:41. > :12:45.investment year in the north of Wales. We have committed ?50 million

:12:46. > :12:48.to taking forward the first phase of the North East Wales Metro, to

:12:49. > :12:53.develop an integrated transport system. It is a Labour who will

:12:54. > :12:57.ensure ages two has regular and accessible links to the north of

:12:58. > :13:00.Wales to support the economy. We are backing a third crossing to support

:13:01. > :13:07.the economy of the north-west of Wales. ?1 million of funding to

:13:08. > :13:11.develop a new business hub in Wrexham. And we have announced the

:13:12. > :13:17.development bank for Wales will be located here in the north. Our

:13:18. > :13:24.commitment to the steel industry helped save jobs all across Wales

:13:25. > :13:29.including of course in Shotton. We are making available ?60 million for

:13:30. > :13:34.all sites in all those sites to be developed, I can tell you that since

:13:35. > :13:39.summer of last year the Tories have shown no interest at all in our

:13:40. > :13:44.steel industry. We have worked with Tata Steel, we met them in Mumbai

:13:45. > :13:48.and London and Cardiff, I visited every one of their sites in Wales

:13:49. > :13:52.because of the sheer hard work of a Welsh Labour government we have

:13:53. > :13:54.those steel jobs in Wales and don't ever let the Tories tell you

:13:55. > :14:09.anything different. APPLAUSE People are right to say North Wales

:14:10. > :14:11.is a battle ground just as it was in the assembly election, do you

:14:12. > :14:17.remember when the Tories said they would make a clean sweep? I appeared

:14:18. > :14:24.at the ITV studios to be told the Tories were talking up victory,

:14:25. > :14:29.telling people they would win all their target seat in Wales and they

:14:30. > :14:33.didn't. It was their arrogance which was there an doing and we are seeing

:14:34. > :14:37.signs of that again, taking people for granted and thinking they have a

:14:38. > :14:43.God-given right to rule. The people of Wales no different. They said

:14:44. > :14:48.last year they had won Wrexham, a done deal they said, but the people

:14:49. > :14:53.of the north of Wales show them there was no done deal, now being

:14:54. > :14:57.taken for granted, no Tory walkover and it's what Wales needs again to

:14:58. > :15:00.make sure we have as many Welsh Labour MPs as possible from the

:15:01. > :15:05.north and across Wales to ensure the Welsh voice is strong in

:15:06. > :15:09.Westminster. The strong message people can give is that only Welsh

:15:10. > :15:15.Labour MPs will fight for jobs, only Welsh Labour MPs will fly the flag

:15:16. > :15:20.for the North. We do not need more Tory MPs from Wales who will make up

:15:21. > :15:25.a parliament of sheep blue rosettes. What we need our Welsh Labour MPs

:15:26. > :15:30.fighting for their constituents and the people of Wales. This is a

:15:31. > :15:34.manifesto for the north and the whole of Wales. I don't know how

:15:35. > :15:40.many of you saw the TV debate on ITV last week, the Tory leader openly

:15:41. > :15:45.mocked for repeating the Tory campaign strapline of strong and

:15:46. > :15:48.stable, the irony this morning! The people in that crowd were right to

:15:49. > :15:56.do so because people in Wales deserve better than slogans repeated

:15:57. > :16:01.over and over and over again. They need policies. The Tories think they

:16:02. > :16:04.can sneak their way through the a couple of sound bites, no new

:16:05. > :16:06.policies and hiding their candidates. And they're Prime

:16:07. > :16:12.Minister, away from public attention. It's an embarrassing

:16:13. > :16:17.campaign and it's because of this simple truth. They have worked out

:16:18. > :16:22.that the more people see of them the less they like them. The more they

:16:23. > :16:25.are reminded of what happened the last time the Tories trampled all

:16:26. > :16:30.over Wales, the more they are reminded of the fact that the nasty

:16:31. > :16:36.party never went anywhere. They just got a bit better at hiding their

:16:37. > :16:41.intentions. Well, we cannot give them a free pass, we cannot let them

:16:42. > :16:45.hide away. Welsh Labour is here to call them out and this is what our

:16:46. > :16:50.manifesto does today, a comprehensive vision for the future

:16:51. > :16:56.of our country, a vision full of hope based on fairness and

:16:57. > :17:00.prosperity for all. Because friends, this is Welsh Labour, standing up

:17:01. > :17:08.for Wales. APPLAUSE