20/02/2016 Welsh Labour Party Conference

The Labour Party has been in power in Wales since devolution began 17

years ago, but what policies do they have to offer for the next five

years? Welcome to conference 2016. Good morning and welcome to our

second spring conference programme. A fortnight ago, we were with the

Lib Dems, the Welsh Conservatives, Ukip in Wales and Plaid Cymru are

still to come, but today we are with the Welsh Labour Party who are

meeting at Venue Cymru in Llandudno. You can join in the debate, we are

on Twitter and it would be great to hear from you. Joining me as usual,

the guide through the conference, is Welsh affairs editor Vaughan

Roderick. What a political morning, historical, the Cabinet meeting in

Downing Street, we can't ignore the bigger picture today. In terms of

Europe, big developments this morning. Yes, David Cameron has his

deal and the starting gun is about to be fired for the referendum and

that sums up, if you like, the problem Welsh Labour is going to

have and all the Welsh political parties will have between now and

the Assembly election, how to debate Welsh issues in the Shadow of these

huge ongoing debate about Europe. We will see them try and juggle things

around today, one suspects we will hear references to Europe from the

stage while they are still trying to put across key Assembly messages.

And will they succeed question mark it will be a huge issue casting a

Shadow over the election, but they will be determined to get the Welsh

affairs agenda going. They will try their best but all of the Welsh

party leaders indicated that they would prefer the referendum to be

held in the autumn and the same thing goes for Scotland and Northern

Ireland. It is going to be very difficult for them. So they may try

and sharpen the messages, hone them down to a simpler message, to try

and get through, but it is going to be difficult, particularly this

weekend. We will hear from Carwyn Jones in his speech shortly. What

will be the main message coming out of the conference, do you think?

Well, if the spin coming out of Llandudno is to be believed, they

are going to portray this election as a choice of First Ministers,

between Carwyn Jones and Andrew Arty Davies. I think if that is the case,

I think Labour could be making a huge strategic error -- Andrew RT

Davies. If they are trying to polarise it between Labour and

Conservative, then I think we will hear a lot of attacks on the

Conservatives and not many on Plaid Cymru and Ukip and the Liberal

Democrats, but we shall see. What would be the thinking behind that

decision? To keep the other part is clean ready for a possible

coalition? -- parties. The think it would be they think Carwyn Jones is

a credible First Minister and people in the Labour Party don't think

Andrew RT Davies is, so if they try and make a presidential, people will

choose Carwyn Jones. The problem is quite simply this, Labour polling

around 30-35%, you have three parties polling in the high teens

and early 20s, Ukip, Conservative and Plaid Cymru, and Labour need to

keep those three parties where they are, close together and bunched up,

or else they will start to lose constituencies if one of the three

opposition parties breaks away from the other two. So elevating the

Conservatives, trying to portray it as a two horse race, to me, is an

incredibly rash gamble that could backfire on them very badly. The

other message coming through seems to be we are only halfway through

the job, we need this extra five years to complete delivery, if you

like. How is Carwyn Jones going to sell that one beyond the Hall? It is

a huge problem. Labour have been in power since devolution but they were

in power in Wales two years before that, they have been in power since

1997, almost 20 years. All laws political logic would tell you after

20 years, you would expect a change in the election, so we need more

time, when you have already had 19 years, is a very hard sell. Thank

you Vanessa. As we were saying, the First Minister is getting ready to

address delegates -- thank you for now. Let's get more reaction on the

main story of the day, the deal struck in Brussels. After two days

of negotiations with other EU leaders, David Cameron announced he

had managed to secure a package of measures giving the UK special

status in the EU. He is meeting the Cabinet in Downing Street right now

after which he may announce a date for the referendum on whether

Britain should stay or leave in the EU. We could get that tomorrow, the

thinking at the moment is it is going to be the 23rd of June, we

will get confirmation. Before we came on power, our reporter caught

up with the MEP Derek Vaughan, who gave us his reaction. The Prime

Minister has done his deal, so congratulations to the Prime

Minister. When you look at the reforms he has negotiated, it ranges

from the trivial to the useful to the slightly concerning, but he has

done that deal and I believe in a few weeks' time, we will forget

about the deal and the most important question is is Wales

better off in the European Union and the answer is of course, yes. Do you

think the deal will have any impact on the way people vote? It may sway

some people, particularly in the Conservative Party but the majority

of people will look at the bigger question, is Wales better than the

European Union and we know we are, because of the funding we get, the

jobs linked to trade and the workers' writes that come from the

EU, so it is strongly in Wales' interest to campaign in -- stay in

the EU and we will campaign for that. Wales is a beneficiary when it

comes to the EU but the UK is a net contributor. Do you frame the

arguments differently when campaigning in Wales? Absolutely.

The UK is a net contributor, but when we do do research, Wales is a

net beneficiary to the tune of ?838 million and if we left the EU, we

would still have do pay in to be a member of the single market and we

would move from being a net beneficiary to a net contributor, so

that seems to me ridiculous. We are much better off financially and

economically being in the European Union. When it comes to the Labour

Party, are united on this issue, does everyone feel the same way? The

Labour Party is the most United party in this referendum campaign.

Our leader Jeremy Corbyn will campaign to stay in, we know almost

every single MP will campaign to stay in, we believe every Welsh

Labour Assembly member will campaign to stay in so we will be fighting

hard to make sure we secure the future of Wales in the European

Union. Jeremy Corbyn hasn't always been so pro-Europe, has he? In the

past, maybe not, but we were absolutely delighted when he said he

believed the UK's interest was in the European Union and he would

campaign to stay in. Of course, in the Labour Party, we want a

different type of European union, union that is focused on jobs and

growth, more of a social Europe, so we will be arguing that case as well

but overall, it is much better for the UK to be a member of the

European Union. Finally, when it comes to the Welsh is the campaign,

do you think this issue will now dominate that campaign, overshadow

it, as it were? Well, it is bound to get entangled in some way but there

will be overlap as well, so doing a campaign for the Welsh is the

elections, I will be saying the Welsh Government has delivered EU

funds for Wales, so we have fantastic examples right across the

company, whether it is growth jobs Wales, funded by the European Union,

the second campus at Swansea University where they are all

apprenticeship schemes, all those things are funded by the European

Union but backed by the Welsh Government, so we can find some

overlap between the Assembly elections and the EU referendum

campaign. Derek Vaughan, thank you. Derek Vaughan, MEP, speaking to our

reporter in Llandudno. We will catch up with Stefan messenger throughout

the programme. In terms of the Labour Party here in Wales, have

divided are they on Europe? Historically, there are some big

divisions. Historically, there were, if you remember all the way back to

1975, the county with the highest proportion of no votes in 1975 in

anywhere in England and Wales was mid Glamorgan because Labour, back

in 1975 in Wales, pretty solidly against it, because a lot of major

figures were against it. Michael foot, Neil Kinnock, at the start of

his career. Now things have changed, very few Labour Eurosceptics in

Wales. There are a few greybeards around, if I can put that away,

people like Denzil Davies, former Treasury Minister, back in those

days in the 1970s, but amongst the active membership of the Labour

Party, I haven't come across anyone who is planning to be on the No

side. So it will be awkward in terms of the Yes Campaign. You will have

Labour politicians sharing a platform with conservatives on the

referendum front and yet trying to attack them when it comes to the

Welsh election. How is that going to work? Let's remember there is a gap,

not a huge gap, of about six weeks. Labour learnt a lesson in Scotland

about how damaging sharing platforms with the Conservatives could be

politically, so I suspect that in at least the early part of the

referendum campaign, the campaign that is going on at the same time as

the Assembly campaign, that you will see very little cross party

activity. I don't think it is in anybody's interests to muddy the

waters in Wales. We don't know yet what Andrew RT Davies, whether he

will be a leave all remain, I suspect remain, but we will see. But

UNC Carwyn Jones, Leanne Wood and Andrew RT Davies and Kirsty Williams

standing on the same stage saying remain behind them -- you will not

see. But there are difficulties and difficulties for us as broadcasters.

How do you balance two sides of an argument where four out of the five

main parties are on one side and only one party is on the other and

you are meant to be balancing? It will cause all sorts of

difficulties. No one really knows how it will play out but I am

willing to bet we won't see cross-party activity this side of

the Assembly elections. Which is precisely why Carwyn Jones and

others had written to David Cameron saying please don't do it in June.

If it does, they will be pretty cross, weren't they? Yes, and Carwyn

Jones will have do answer questions about how much clout he has within

the Labour Party because let's remember, Jeremy Corbyn and the

Labour MPs say they favour having a June referendum. Well, that does

call into question how much clout Carwyn Jones actually has within his

own party and I think he will be asked that question and it may be

quite difficult for him to answer it. We will have him on the

programme later and we can certainly as Kim. In terms of Jeremy Corbyn,

his speech, we heard of this morning and we are about to hear it on this

programme. Tricky, coming into Wales? How are things between Jeremy

Corbyn and carbon at the Redcar win Wales -- and Carwyn Jones these

days? Pretty friendly, no incoming or outgoing fire, he has said things

the Welsh Government would want him to say but the problem is there are

large numbers of people in Labour in Wales who believe Jeremy Corbyn is

not a help for them in the Assembly elections, that he is in fact a

hindrance and you can see that every day, we get press releases in the

bay from the Conservative Party which always referred to the Labour

Party as Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party, even when it is Jeremy

Corbyn's Labour Party hasn't moaned the grass... They are trying to

attach Jeremy Corbyn's name to the party and Wales Labour Party will be

trying to keep a bit of distance, but they cannot ignore him, they

cannot say don't come, so how they handle that will be... It is

interesting, what does it say about the positioning on the political

spectrum about the Labour Party? You would have thought such a left-wing

leader would have gone down well in Wales but it is not the case. Let's

be clear, Jeremy Corbyn is very popular with a lot of grass roots

members in Wales, as he is across the UK and an awful lot of people,

even people who are not great fans of him as leader, agree with him on

a lot of the issues. The problem is they can see the polling like

everyone else can see it and the polls reflect that Jeremy Corbyn

hasn't yet, things may change, but he hasn't yet won the trust and the

confidence of the bulk of the voters. He is not doing very well in

the polls and there is no reason to think that is any different in Wales

to the rest of the UK. Let's cut to the chase, Carwyn Jones doesn't want

him throughout the campaign to be banging on doors in Wales, does he?

No, but he can't keep him out either. One would suspect there are

probably some constituencies where Jeremy Corbyn might be an asset to

the party. Probably not the ones you think. People say he might go down

well in the Rhondda, but I don't think that is necessary the case,

but constituencies like Cardiff Central, there may be some use for

him there. And here we have Ken Skates, the minister, addressing

conference at the moment. We are expecting Carwyn Jones very shortly

and as soon as he gets to his feet, we will cut back to the conference.

In terms of delivery, then, is 17 years in power but we need more

time... Can we say, you know, this is Carwyn Jones saying I am only

halfway through the job because I have only been in power. Is he

disowning the ten years before him, what is going on? I think there is

an element of that. If you were to ask me how long does Carwyn Jones

intend to remain as First Minister, presuming he is First Minister after

the election, I would say he is probably intending to do ten years.

And ten years would be about another four years before there was a Labour

leadership election, pour out of the five years of the next Assembly

term. So for him, it is halfway through and there has been an

element of disowning going on. Remember that description of Labour

having taken their eye off the ball on education, for instance. And we

have seen new measures being introduced, particularly in

education and in health and the economy and so on which assured, the

Government argues, pay off over the next five years, but it is a very

hard sell. The question is to what extent you can run, as they did

quite successfully, one has to say, in 2011, against the Government in

Westminster. That is a bit more difficult this time, I think they

are going to have to do a lot more defending of their own record. Last

time, Carwyn Jones was relatively new in post, he could pretend change

had happened. Rhodri Morgan had given way. Can't do that this time.

Let's go to the conference centre. Stephan messenger, how are they, are

they in fine form? Yes, welcome to Llandudno and welcome to Venue

Cymru, the largest venue yet, 900 delegates, 200 more than last year.

Let me give you a tour, this is the reception, through there is the

conference hall itself, where earlier we were hearing from Jeremy

Corbyn. Carwyn Jones will take to the stage soon. Hoping to talk to

members of the Labour Party and assembly members. Delegates are

quite buoyant, they are lively and in an upbeat mood, they say they

were impressed by the six key pledges earlier in the week, clear

messages that they can sell on the doorstep when it comes to the

election. Things like 100,000 more apprenticeships, the most ambitious

childcare offer anywhere in the UK. Jeremy Corbyn has just come off the

stage and he gave his reaction to the political editor and we will

play that interview later. Interestingly he framed his

arguments very much as Labour versus Tory, and that is what we are

expecting Carwyn Jones to do as well later. Saying, I am the First

Minister, do you want me or do you want Andrew Davies? We are expecting

him to poke fun at the Tory leader when he takes to the stage any

minute. He says that he has an inspiring record of hope and

achievement and he was praising members saying that they have a lot

to teach the party in the UK and the UK public as well when it comes to

an alternative to the Tories. It will be interesting to see how

Carwyn Jones reacts when he takes to the stage soon. We will rally round

and find delegates to get their reactions as well. In terms of the

reaction to Jeremy Corbyn in the hall, is he very, very welcome

there? Well, he certainly had a standing ovation when he came in,

whooping and cheering at different points. He was very praising Welsh

Labour, saying that it is part of the UK that the party can learn

from. His speech was well received by delegates. We have not really had

much of a chance to speak to them since he came off but we are hoping

to get the reaction of Jeremy Corbyn speaking to our political editor

very soon. You will have plenty of time. Thanks very much. We will be

back with you shortly. As we prepare to hear from Carwyn Jones, we have

had the pledges and the line of attack and the spin, what else will

we hear from him? Well, it will be interesting to hear how much defence

of his record we will get. He is in land at no. It is in North Wales. --

he will have to address issues surrounding health because it is a

live wire issue in that part of Wales. It is probably the most

important part of Wales when it comes to the assembly elections in

May. Labour are genuinely worried about what will happen to them in

the north of the country. The other opposition parties are very bullish

about how they might do, sensing that there are a number of Labour

held constituencies that could be vulnerable in the north of the

country. I would expect him to have to address that and possibly pitch

specifically to voters in the north of the country. Do we translate

Labour vulnerability from the general election to this election?

You would start with the ones they took in the Westminster election

which they don't currently hold in the assembly, like the Vale of

Clwyd, the Vale of Glamorgan. There are other seats, like Wrexham and

seats across Wales where Labour won last time. With around 35% of the

vote. They won because the opposition vote was divided between

numerous parties, which is why I say I find this framing of Labour versus

Tory to be almost bizarre. In terms of a strategy. They would have

thought it through carefully, though. Of course. Is it just down

to personalities? They probably see a sharp contrast between Carwyn

Jones and Andrew Davies. There is an element in Welsh Labour that loves

to rile Plaid Cymru. They will say that if it is us against the Tories

it will annoy plaid Cymru. You get it from both sides. There is a quite

childish sort of dissing of each other that goes on between them. I

would be amazed if Carwyn Jones and the Labour strategists have let that

sort of thinking influence their assembly strategy in a way that I

think, you know, is very risky for them. It's a big gamble. That's just

me, I maybe wrong and they could be right. You are thinking it could be

huge Philip for the Tories by raising their profile? Labour is

polling in the mid-30s which is good enough for them to remain the

largest party in the assembly, comfortably, provided the opposition

vote is equally split. If you elevate one party above the others,

if you are sending signals to Ukip voters to vote for the Tories, you

could get Carwyn Jones out, and they may take that option. This is the

wife of Carwyn Jones introducing him, Lisa Jones. No, we are not

ready to cross over there yet, but it means he is imminent. He is

running late, what does that say? Ten minutes late. Anyway, these

things can slip at conferences. This is a tricky election and this speech

will really count, the trickiest one for Labour so far since devolution?

This is a key speech and one of the reasons it is running late is that

they may alter it because of the developments on Europe. He will have

to address the European question. It would have been there anyway but I

wonder if the section is having to be rewritten and it may explain a

bit of the tardiness. This is a difficult speech for Carwyn Jones

but then he is good at this stuff, he is an effective platform speaker.

Still an Carwyn Jones's wife. He is effective and often seen as a better

manager rather than a conviction politician. He has the fight in his

belly to go for it, though? Well, yes. When he goes for it he goes for

it big time, there are people in the Labour Party who feel that sometimes

he can come across as arrogant or even patronising. That's one thing

that he has to watch. And in terms of... You think he might be

saying... Will we hear from him that this is it and he will have one more

term? I don't think a party leader... He will try to avoid

saying that. David Cameron has said this. In terms of him carrying on,

going on forever, you don't think it's likely? I don't think he will

say that, no. Let's make it clear, I have not had private conversations

where he has told me his thinking. My guess would be that he would

think about doing the same thing that Roger Morgan did, around ten

years, that would give a new Labour leader about a year in the run-up to

the next assembly election. Let's cross to the conference to hear what

Carwyn Jones's wife has to say. Sat in the first assembly in 1999, when

he was promoted to Minister of agriculture and finally he was

elected in 2009 as First Minister. APPLAUSE

It was a very hard time. As you know, it was a difficult time for us

is a family because Janice, his mother, my lovely mother-in-law, was

seriously ill and died shortly after but he did all of this with

unwavering passion and conviction. SPEAKS WELSH. I am very proud to

welcome my husband, best friend and inspiration to the platform, Carwyn

Jones. APPLAUSE

. Wow Full follow that! Thanks for

those lovely words. I will remind you of them when you are telling me

off for forgetting something. That was quite something. Many thanks.

APPLAUSE It is great to be back here in

Llandudno. I would like to thank Jeremy for being here today, his

inspirational words this morning, and his commitment to the Welsh

Labour win. To our Shadow Secretary of State and campaigner

extraordinaire, thank you for fighting our corner in Westminster.

And to our retiring AMs. I will miss you and Wales will miss you, but I

know you will be supporting our team in winning in May. Thanks for your

hard work. APPLAUSE It's always of course a great

pleasure to be able to speak in Llandudno. I remember before we met

in 2011, speaking to the staff at Welsh Labour they said they wanted

to do something different with the branding and focused on me. I had

not been leader for very long and they wanted to cash in on that

freshfaced optimism. I said that was fine but a bit uncomfortable. Do

what you think will work as long as it is not too over the top. They

said great, don't worry, it will be understated. What did I see on the

first morning? A 30 foot banner of me! The BBC nicknamed it

Carwynzilla! You don't know what self-doubt is until you have seen

your own face five foot wide. I asked Lee says she wanted to keep it

and she laughed. -- Lisa. Apparently we have now used it to wrap up the

Ed Stone! I'm glad we have more traditional branding on show.

on a more serious note it is worth going back to the moment in 2011

when we gathered here to reflect on what we said at that time. The

Tories had been in power in Westminster for nine months and

already set about wrecking the social fabric of Britain. Attack

after attack at our communities, laying waste to opportunity and the

basic notion of fairness that was sacrificed on the altar of

austerity. We in Wales knew that we had a mighty responsibility on our

shoulders, we promised to stand up for Wales and we did. When the

Tories cut our budget we made tough choices in order to protect the NHS

and our schools, spending more on education and health than is the

case in England. When the Tories closed down Remploy we stood with

disabled workers and save jobs. When the Tories tried to slash pay, we

went to the Supreme Court and won a victory for fairness and the right

to a decent wage. When the Tories trebled tuition fees

for students, we stepped in and said we would pay the difference because

we believe in your future. APPLAUSE.

And you know what makes me more proud than anything else that we

did? When the Tories cut the future jobs fund, when they took away a

lifeline to young people in the very teeth of the recession, when people

needed a helping hand more than ever before, we didn't stand idly by and

pointed the finger of blame. We created Jobs Growth Wales and 1,500

people have been given the chance to work. Welsh Labour did that and

don't let anyone forget it. And now the Tories are trying to foist on us

Wales Bill that will drag us backwards. It will drag power back

to Westminster, undermine the devolution settlement and give power

to faceless bureaucrats in Whitehall and we will say no to that as well.

The constitutional wrangle has gone on for long enough. Even I am bored

of it now and I am fond of the constitutional debate, but this the

buckle has two stop. The Wales Bill debacle is just another result of

Kamrrem's chaos in Westminster -- David Cameron's chaos. This is the

Prime Minister that almost lost Scotland and the pantomime we have

witnessed in Brussels has done very little to help the In Campaign for

the European referendum. He has instigated unprecedented junior

doctor strikes in England and his constant undermining of the settled

will of the Welsh people is a gift to the otherwise moribund

nationalist movement in Wales. It is time to send a message to David

Cameron that Wales is not a second-class nation. Wales will not

put up with second best and Welsh Labour will fight you every step of

the way. The Tories have never been a friend

to Wales. And week after week, we have seen them try to use our

communities to set the agenda in London. When they lied about our

NHS, we called them out and now we have the international evidence to

support our case. We stood up for Wales, we still do stand up for

Wales and every day, we will fight the corner for our country, but we

now know that we need to do more. In 2011, I promised a decade of

delivery, a ten year focus on the bread-and-butter issues that matter

to peoples everyday lives. There is no question that in the early days

of devolution, the young Assembly became an ideas factory of inventive

policy, the foundation phase, free bus passes, a cap on care charges,

ideas we have kept unrefined and will deliver for young people. Now

ours is the task to combine ideas with delivery. That is the mission

of my political lifetime, to deliver on that early promise. And that is

why we have made some tough decisions and we have taken some

flak. School tests, many were sceptical but for the parents and

children, it was the right thing to do. Tuition fees policy, some didn't

like it, some still don't, but for our students, it was the right thing

to do. I health board in special measures, is that we have never

taken before but it was the right step for the patients in North

Wales. I have never been afraid of the tough decisions in the last five

years and I will never be afraid to make more in the next five years,

because this is a Government ready to stand up against vested interest.

And since 2011 and despite the Tory cuts, we have made enormous

progress. Since 2011, people's GCSE results have risen by 78%. Results

for people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds have

increased faster still. A start results at A-level are the highest

they have ever been. The attainment grab bag of the late gap is now

closing at every key stage of education. Cancer survival rates are

growing faster in Wales than anywhere else in the UK, even as

more and more are diagnosed. In Wales, the number of people

suffering delayed transfers of care are coming down. In England, they

are at record levels. And next year, we will be training more nurses than

ever before, the highest since devolution, a 10% increase on this

year. In 2011, unemployment was at 9.3%, now it is that by .3%, lower

than Scotland, Northern lower than London. Our investment figures are

the best for 30 years -- now it is at 5.3%. In this six and a bit years

I have been First Minister, I had left no stone unturned in getting

out and selling Wales to the world and in the last five years, the

world has come to Wales. Our record inward investment figures make a

mockery of those who want to return to the days of the Welsh development

agency. The biggest tip that Wales ever saw in the GDP happened in the

so-called halcyon days of the WDA, in the early 1990s. The jobs that

did come in were secured over expensive lunches with promises of a

low pay economy. They were here today but gone tomorrow jobs. But my

ministers have been out and fought for the best, good jobs, decent

wages. We are not interested in waiting for scraps from the table.

Wales is on the up. And on every measure that matters and despite a

record cut to our budget, we are doing better. And it is because we

are getting the basics right. It means that our people and their

institutions have more opportunity to shine. Wales is on the up, Wales

is on the map. We are halfway through that decade of delivery and

making progress every day. The momentum we are seeing in schools,

hospitals, the economy, can only know be scuppered by a change in

political direction in the Assembly. -- only now be scuppered. Now, you

know I am not in the habit of agreeing with Andrew RT Davies. Who

is that, somebody said. But those who don't know, and there is no

reason you should, he is the Tory leader in the National Assembly. But

he said two things in response to some recent polls which I totally

agree with. He said that the Tories are the only alternative to Welsh

Labour in the Assembly. And he has also said it is a straight fight

between me and him for who will be the next First Minister of Wales,

and he is dead right on both counts. Sure, there are distractions on the

sidelines, not least from Ukip, but we can never lose sight of the fact

that this election is a straight fight between us and the Tories. Our

vision and values against theirs. And that is not a fight the people

of Wales can afford us to lose. APPLAUSE.

So together, for Wales, we must make our case more clearly, more

passionately and more persuasively than ever before. We have achieved

so much, but there is much more to do. So, we have made six new

promises to the people of Wales. 30 hours of free childcare for working

parents, covering not just 38 weeks of the year, as elsewhere in the UK,

but 48 weeks' worth of care for three and four-year-olds. Our

commitment doesn't set down what -- Centre on what Government wants to

deliver, it centres on what parents need and this will cement the flying

start scheme we have placed in the most disadvantaged communities. This

is not an investment just in working families, in the children's future,

but in the economy too. We know how hard it is for so many working

mothers in particular to get back to work and had a's commitment will

make family life that much easier. -- and with today's commitment.

Wales will have the most comments or childcare offer in the UK. That is

something to fight for. Last year, Wales recorded our best

ever GCSE results thanks to our schools challenge come reprogram,

some of the most challenged schools reported increases of over 10% --

schools challenge Cymru. But we can never be too ambitious, so we commit

to establishing a ?100 million school standards fund to improve

still further on the results our pupils and teachers are achieving

together. With Welsh Labour, we can prove that all schools can be good

schools and that is something to fight for.

And when people finish their education, they have a right to a

good job, with excellent training and good prospects. That is why a

future Welsh Labour Government will pledge the fund 100,000 extra

apprentices by the end of the next Assembly. That scheme will be open

to all ages and it means that everyone has the opportunity to

fulfil their potential in the workplace. As far as possible, we

will meet that challenge of a good job closer to home. With Welsh

Labour, good quality work and training, that is something to fight

for. We know that small businesses are

the lifeblood of our economy, our communities and our high streets

too. So we will give a tax break to all small businesses in Wales using

our new powers on business rates. This will help three quarters of

business premises in Wales and half of all eligible businesses will pay

no business rates at all in the future. The message we get from SMEs

is for Government to keep it simple and let them get on with it. This

level of support will do exactly that, no red tape, no complicated

forms, just helping hand in tough times. With Welsh Labour, a business

friendly Government on your side. Conference, that is something to

fight for. Conference, we will develop a new treatment fund in

Wales to ensure that people suffering life-threatening

conditions can have access to the latest medicine and treatment. We

know that new technology, medicines and treatments represent a serious

challenge to NHS budgets, just as they also represent a new lifeline

to seriously ill patients. We know these treatments are being developed

and tested on an almost weekly basis and this dedicated central fund will

enable the most advanced drugs and high cost treatments for

life-threatening illnesses to be available in Wales first, not just

for cancer but other conditions such as cystic fibrosis and multiple

sclerosis. With Welsh Labour, an NHS that will stay free from

privatisation but keep pace with modernisation and that is something

to fight for. Finally, we believe that people in

old age who need extra help, those who have paid fair and paid in, they

deserve a fairer deal. So we will double the capital limit they will

be able to keep on the sale of their home should they need to go into

care. That is ?50,000 people Campas onto their family. They have earned

it, they should be allowed to use it. With Labour -- Welsh Labour,

responsibility rewarded, that is the Wales I believe it, where those who

have put in a decent shift get a fair deal. Those are the six pledges

we announced this week that we will take to the people of Wales. But I

want to add to that today. I can say with absolute certainty that when

income tax powers devolved to Wales, there will be no tax rises under the

Welsh Government after May. This again will demonstrate

responsibility rewarded. If you work hard, we are going to stand with you

and be there in the tough times, working together for Wales. And as

we are in the north of Wales, I have one more pledge to share with you

today. If we form the next Government, that just as the

south-east of the country will get the Metro project, so too we will

start planning for the North to get its own integrated transport system.

APPLAUSE. Our vision... Our vision is to

create a reliable, efficient and quality integrated transport network

across the region that will connect people to communities, jobs and

services. And when additional powers of rail are devolved, we will have

they tools to develop an integrated system, faster and more frequent

rail is to employment centres and the north-west of England. Improved

train stations, reliable bus networks, combined ticket

arrangements and walking and cycling routes that link communities.

Integrated travel hubs would facilitate travel across the region

and we know that the 855 is a key trunk road and we continue to invest

in improving its resilience -- the A55. That is what will happen if we

form the next Government. We need, of course, to be very clear

in our own minds about the challenge ahead of us in May. This will be our

toughest ever Assembly election campaign, coming off the back of a

difficult General Election, trying to manage the record cut to our

budget, fighting a Tory Government doing everything they can to

undermine us and for another reason to, the Ukip challenge. It is very

real. It isn't going away and the General Election showed us in Wales

in particular just how badly it can hit us in seats we hold. So how do

we answer this challenge, what will Ukip do to our politics? Well, it

can do one of two things, it can challenge us to be better or worse.

It could make us change our message, tone down our positive, progressive,

internationalist values, to mimic Ukip and offer a red tinge to the

answers they give on community cohesion and Europe. We could give

into their kind of politics and let them think that there are easy and

so is but I think to respond in that way would make our politics worse.

They can challenge us to be better and not give anyone in our

communities the excuse to turn to Ukip and make sure that the mantra,

you are all the same and you break your promises, make sure that is

never true. Make sure the NHS is there for people and make sure that

towns and villages are a source of pride and make sure there is housing

for those who need it. And create good jobs, and accessible to all, as

local as they can be at good pay and with these in training. Faced with

the Ukip challenge that is the path Labour must take. Listen harder,

work harder to earn trust and do better at delivering for them. That

is the right response and that is the Welsh Labour response.

I can tell you, the answer does not lie in the gutter but in raising our

game. Let those people thinking about voting for Ukip hear the

message loud and clear, we have heard your complaint and we promise

to listen and deliver for you. Other parties will seek to define us in

the man's head, attacks will be lazy, you can write them now, we

have had long enough and it's time for a change. The last time I

checked democratic politics doesn't work on a turn basis. You have to

win people over and win the battle of ideas and have a compelling

vision for Wales that is ambitious, deliverable and affordable and I

make no apology for Welsh Labour wanting to win that contest again

and again and I make no apology for saying we are going all out for

another win in May. Let me tell you about the Welsh

Labour Party that I'm proud to lead. We are a party that knows the true

meaning of the word aspiration, it is not a word that belongs to the

Home Counties focus groups, it belongs to us all. My mum and dad

wanted the best for me and I want the best for my kids as we all do.

We need to be proud of our role in helping everyone to realise their

ambitions. People aspire to a decent roof over their heads and that is

why will end the right to buy in the next assembly. -- we will end. Maybe

you are ready to bite your first home and that is why we established

and will extend the help to buy scheme. People want the best art for

their children but don't have the networks and money to do the classes

and coffee mornings that bring others together and that is where

our new childcare scheme comes in, making sure that all parents and

children have access to the best practice and facilities at that

crucial age. Some people aspire to set up and run their own business

which is why we have established a new ?50 million entrepreneur fund

and will cut business rates. Depending on where you are on wide

journey, your ambitions and aspirations will be different but

Welsh Labour believes that government has a role in helping

people to achieve, we are not and never will be like the Tories, the

sink or swim party. Together for Wales is a phrase that really mean

something to us in this hall. We need to make sure it means something

to everyone in every corner of Wales before this election campaign is

done. It feels as though I have or are you been to every town and

village in Wales a few times over and I will do so again. This is the

bit we got into politics to do, to make our case and make a difference

and that's what we need you to do over the coming months, this week I

was with our excellent candidate, Lee Walters, brilliant visit to a

local nursery to talk about our childcare pledge. A young girl in a

tutu took a shine to him and would not let him go. He went about a

traditional Labour red! I'm not sure he has ever suffered from being over

helped but that's what the campaign Trail is all about com 80s where you

experience the fun side of life, I was with Jane who took me on the

famous High Street tour of Barry and for a socialist of renowned, I don't

think I have seen her on first named terms with so many business owners.

It is a fantastic deli in Barry, it has a sideline in novelty party

food. Don't eat the custard creams, I have not experienced anything so

sour since the last Katie Hopkins:! -- column. That pledge to cut tax

for high-street businesses was music to the ears of the people we met

because running a small business is a Labour of love. Do you take

someone on, take the risk? Our pledge will help businesses say yes

to those questions. Yesterday I was with Aaron Jones in real at a

nursery and I talked to Michelle who runs the nursery about the

difference that Fine Start is making to same and if families in Wales. We

know that the childcare pledge will make a massive difference to

families the length and breadth of Wales, helping so many people to get

back to work. Thanks to what we have done in recent years we know that

the job is waiting for them too. we didn't just take Wales through

the economic storm, we did not just whether the cuts, we did better, we

change Wales for the better and made Wales are global brand and gave the

unemployed are helping hand. We saved our airport, and gave everyone

in the NHS are guaranteed living wage, no to fracking and yes to

clean energy, and we did all of this and much more with a Tory government

trying to wreck it all from Westminster. But we need to do more.

To do it all again. To do better still. We are halfway through the

decade of delivery, and we can't afford to let the momentum going

now. The pledges that we have made this week show that we have the

ideas, the energy and the passion to win again, and to govern again. I am

incredibly proud to be First Minister of Wales, incredibly proud

to be Welsh Labour leader and it means more to me than I can tell

you. It's something I will never take for granted. I know just how

tough this election is going to be, everyone will have to play our part,

to pull together, to work together, to campaign together. Our future is

bright. Our best days are ahead. Let's get out there, win the

arguments, door by door, street by street, and win a better future for

our country and we will do that by working and campaigning together for

Wales. Thank you. STUDIO: Carwyn Jones taking the

applause after that speech where, as predicted, he did set out the fight,

a straight fight between Labour and the Conservatives. Halfway through a

decade of delivery, that was his big message. And his wife there, Lisa,

who introduced him, taking to the stage as well. We were reminded of

the six pledges announced earlier in the week and he added two more, no

tax rises if and when tax is devolved to Wales, and he also

talked about a new integrated transport system for North Wales. He

will be joining us shortly on the programme, we hope. Neil Griffith, a

member of the Shadow Cabinet, applauding there. As expected, a

standing ovation for Carwyn Jones after the speech. Let's get the

thoughts of Vaughan Roderick. Setting out that straight fight with

the Tories? Yes, that is what they decided to go for and I have orally

said what I think about that. There were problems because he said it's a

two horse race, me and him, it's between the two of us. Then we have

the Ukip threat is real and not going away. Which one is it? We will

see how it plays out but I have my doubts. Barry interestingly, as part

of the strategy presumably there was no mention Hartley of Plaid Cymru

and the Lib Dems. No mention at all of the Lib Dems. -- hardly. It may

be because he knows that Labour aren't going to get a majority in

the assembly and he will find it difficult and instinctively would

not want to do even ad hoc deals with the Conservatives and Ukip.

Although a coalition between Labour and Plaid Cymru looks unlikely

because there is not much appetite in plaid Cymru for that, but after

the election the first thing we will need to do is to get through to the

summer and then try to think what we will do for the next five-year is,

and to get to the summer I will need some sort of understanding with

Plaid Cymru. -- five years. It may also be that Plaid Cymru seats...

They are not threatening Labour in any of the constituencies he is

really interested in apart from one, Llanelli. It's a long stretch, to be

honest. The threat to Labour comes from the Conservatives and that may

be part of the reason why he is discussing it. It doesn't really

matter to Labour which of the opposition parties picks up the

seeds, what matters to them is holding constituencies. In terms of

the new pledge, that he unveiled today, we will not raise income tax

if and when it is devolved. -- seats. Did we expect that? That is

in contrast to what is promised in Scotland where Scottish Labour are

going into the election saying we will raising tax in order to reduce

cuts. -- raise income tax. It's a fine judgment. If he says I'm not

going to raise taxes he has to take ownership of part of those cuts.

Because people will be able to say to him, well, you know, if you are

blaming Westminster for how the councils have been financed, you

could do something about that and you have chosen not to. On the other

hand going into the election with the promise of a tax rise or even

the possibility of a tax rise, that is a risky strategy. Scottish Labour

have to take risks but Welsh Labour doesn't really. In terms of lowering

the possibility of lowering taxes, that was not in there but the Lib

Dems are promising that? We will expect something similar from the

Conservatives. They talk about a low tax economy, but polling is that

difficult on the issue. It's not as simple as tax cuts equals votes

unless you tell them where the savings are going to come from.

Thank you. Let's go back to Llandudno and the delegates have

left the hall, and Stephan has grabbed a few of them. It's getting

pretty loud and there is a bit of hubbub going on behind me. Jeremy

Corbyn is still mingling and Venue Cymru here. I'm joined by Lucy

Steele and Councillor Callum Hawkins. Let's talk about the Jeremy

Corbyn speech, what did you make of it? -- Higgins. He comes across as

authentic and it's great to see him at the Welsh conference addressing

Welsh issues and Welsh politics. In the context I'm glad that Carwyn has

been addressing policy stuff in his speech. What is his role in the

elections, people are arguing he is a distraction? We are a party that

covers the whole of the UK and we have a UK leader and a Welsh leader.

They have separate jobs which is important to recognise. Lucy, you

are a youth delegate, how is it going for you? It's going well and

it is my first so it's very exciting and I did not really know what to

expect but I'm happy with what I've seen so far. Carwyn Jones speaks

about a new momentum, do you think when you are out and about, are

people in Wales feeling that momentum? I think so, with the whole

Jeremy Corbyn thing, it has shaken things up for the whole of Britain

and for Wales as well, I think, with this assembly election I think

people asked -- are still hyper about it. Let's talk about the

speech of Carwyn Jones. We have just heard from him. What did you make of

his... Basically saying, I should be the next First Minister, forget

about Andrew Davies. I think he's right to say we are in

the middle of a process of changing services in Wales. It is a halfway

point, a job half done and he is putting forward policies to carry on

without change, hard-hitting policies that will make a difference

to people's lives. That is what people want, they want to see things

that apply to them in real daylight, rather than political theory talked

about in speeches. This was about delivering childcare, business tax

cuts, things that really matter to people. Lucy, what about the six key

pledges, where you impressed? I was really impressed, being a university

that I will be able to afford it and I am really glad we have a grand and

I hope it stays that way because young people are the future, so it

is important we have university -- ag rant. Even if university isn't

the road view, we have 100,000 new apprenticeships by the end of the

next Assembly elections, so I hope that will be good for young people.

Labour has been in Government for 17 years, I guess the real challenge is

to cut through the opposition parties, the noise from them, saying

you are tired, it is the same old Labour, how'd you do that? I think

Carwyn Jones addressed it, it is a lazy argument to say it is our turn

because you have been there long enough. You put your policies board

and let the public decide. I think the priority was right today, about

the policies that matter day today and people can make that choice,

whether they think we will carry on delivering. I think we will, I think

our policies will help the economy and that future generations,

particularly in apprenticeships, as we mentioned. Those are things that

matter to people and it is up to the other parties to put their own

message forward. I think it is a lazy argument to say we have been

here long enough. The Health Service is going to be the real challenge,

conveying bad on the doorstep, because that rhetoric, especially

from Westminster, has cut through -- conveying that. I think the London

media has made it hard to put a positive message board about the

Welsh NHS. I think people's experience of it is very good, they

value their GP services and hospital services. Record investment in the

NHS is a fact in Wales, it can't be disputed and we have do push it on

the doorstep. How do you deal with the issue of the long waiting times

and the discrepancy between Wales and England, that is fact, isn't it?

The report from the OECD says there is not major differences between any

of that of old nations, some things are better, some not as good, so you

have to improve anywhere -- of the devolved nations. We are putting

more money in than ever before and we will carry on doing so. You are

both young people, what about a vision for you? We often hear young

people don't vote. You are obviously the exception. Do you think Carwyn

Jones has done enough to appeal to young voters? I think he has,

bringing in lots of pledges for people like me, who are young, and

some people do really feel this interested in politics and I think

that is something we need to discuss and I think bringing in the grant

for university is definitely help and the jobs for 15,000 people,

thanks to Jobs Growth Wales. So I think that will push people to think

maybe we should vote, because this is something that applies to us,

something that is really important to me and I think it will bring

other people, who see politics and think it is not the me but it really

is and he proved that today. The tuition fees grant, we haven't had a

firm commitment in terms of Labour, there have been lots of policy

announcements, the Conservatives and Clyde Comrie saying how they would

do it differently. What Labour are doing, would you like to see that

state? I wouldn't like to see reductions for students to study

anywhere, I know different parties are taking different approaches, but

I think we have a good and proud record of keeping tuition fees as

low as possible for Welsh students wherever they go and I would like to

see a concentration on work for graduates in Wales to attract

graduates back so they invest in Wales once they have skills. Is it

affordable and sustainable? ?22,000 less in debt, we have that much less

than England, so it is important that people go out into the jobs

world without all of that debt, because it can be disheartening and

I would feel terrible if I was in that much debt, so I think the Welsh

as a, what they have given to us, is really good. A quick word, it has

been a tough time belabour the last couple of years, how'd you feel

about the momentum going forward -- tough time for Labour. I am talking

about the infighting in Westminster, the row over the leadership UK wide.

I think the Assembly is different Westminster and I think people

really feel that, they see we are devolved nation and we are in

Westminster. We have got some pledges for us and I think the

people of Wales and see it as a local thing and that is really

connecting to people. I think the election has concentrated minds in

Wales, we are getting on with it, we are united in Wales and we are

campaigning already and it is a positive step and I hope the whole

party nationally looks at these elections as an opportunity to unite

and go forward. Both of you, thank you very much, great to hear from

you. That is all from us for now. Thank you very much. Going back to

Carwyn Jones' speech, where he joked that even he was fed up of the

constitution, he was bored by it. We have the Wales Bill in Westminster,

that is not going to be an issue is it, in this election? Is the

constitution off-limits? Well, the problem we have is there are some

deadlines involved here and some of those deadlines come before the

election. The Conservatives, the Government and Westminster, want to

publish the final draft of the Wales Bill before St David's Day. That is

in a couple of weeks' time. We don't know if it is going to be delayed,

what concessions there may be. The whole thing is a bit of a mess at

the moment and if it becomes enmeshed with the Assembly

elections, things could get very, very messy. Do you remember what

Carwyn Jones' slogan was back in 2011? "Standing Up for Wales". He

would like nothing better than to fight this election by saying Wales

voted in a referendum for legislative powers and Westminster,

those Tories in Westminster, are trying to take those powers away. So

I think it could become enmeshed in the Assembly elections and there is

this idea that voters don't understand these constitutional

issues, they are not interested in constitutional issues. Well, hello,

we are having a referendum on Europe. That is a constitutional

issue. If Carwyn Jones can portray Westminster as staging a power grab

against Wales, that is a constitutional issue which would

engage collectors. This idea that electors are only interested in

public services and schools and hospitals, that is not the case. If

you can frame a constitutional issue in a way that makes people feel they

are being unfairly treated, be devolution or Europe, or whatever,

it can work for you as a political issue. One of the main criticisms of

the Conservative Government in Westminster is the Welsh Government,

Carwyn Jones in particular, likes power but doesn't want the

responsibility of raising taxes and so forth. So he likes, lording it,

they would argue, but doesn't want to be the one raising the money and

be responsible for that. If they go into this election saying they won't

raise taxes, can the Conservatives capitalise on that question what

even if you get powers, you don't use them? They will try and do that

that you have to look at the Welsh taxpayers, and this will be part of

Carwyn Jones' calculation. Wales is by most measures the poorest part of

the United Kingdom, the tax base is small. There aren't many who pay the

40% rate of tax, without talking about the top rate. So any increases

in income tax wouldn't actually bring in that much money. That is

the first thing. And there is also questions about the mechanism of if

you raise taxes, how much of that money would Wales actually keep?

Might there be fiscal problems, because we don't know the details of

how the settlement will work, whereby Wales raises the money and

as a result gets less from when spinster? What is the point of

raising taxes it doesn't bring extra money? -- gets less from

Westminster. There are huge issues yet to be addressed. Thank you very

much an hour, we can cross back to the Shadow Secretary of State for

Wales, who is just getting her microphone on. Thank you very much

for joining us, rushing out of the hall, and you were on stage there.

17 years in power, why do you deserve any more? I think the

important thing is we are actually delivering for Wales. We have an

excellent delivery record to date, but much more important than that

for people now is what we are offering for the future and I think

the pledges that car when has announced today are really important

for people in Wales. -- that Carwyn Jones. We know how important it is

to have really good childcare that is accessible so parents can work.

We know how important it is to have apprenticeship opportunities, not

just the young people leaving college but for older adults who

want to change career. So there is a huge wealth of information in those

pledges. Again, the small-business pledge, giving opportunities to

small businesses. The opportunity for people to get the treatment they

need, the opportunity to raise standards in our schools and of

course, the opportunity for older people to retain more of the savings

they have if they do have to go into care. These are important things for

people in Wales and what really matters now is when people make

their choice in May, that they actually think about who do they

want to run the country? Do they want Labour, who have got a record

of being able to deliver what they promise, have got sensible ideas on

how to take things forward? Or a ragbag collection of people who seem

to change their ideas every day? You said there would be a huge amount of

these pledges, but what about the cost? 30 hours of free childcare for

48 weeks? That is not cheap, how much would it cost? The important

thing is we have the infrastructure in Wales to provided. We have seen

how David Cameron has fallen over himself in England because he tried

to impose a childcare pledge on a structure that wasn't there, so this

has been growing gradually in the Welsh economy and we have been very

clear that it is targeted at those parents who will be in work and it

is for three and four-year-olds, so it is very clear how we target it.

But how much would it cost? I am not going to go into the figures now

because I will not make a mistake... So we don't know. But do we know how

much it would cost, the doubling of the 50,000 capital limit for people

who go into care? We don't know the cost of that either? Will we know

the cost before the election? Yes, of course, in fact the cost on that

has been put down as about 10 million. You are never going to be

able to absolutely judge when people go into care, but that is a figure

we have put down. So if things have been costed, they have been looked

at, yes, and we can go into detail if we need to. In terms of the

devolution of income tax, we have from Carwyn Jones that income tax

would not go up if he were to continue as First Minister. Why not

put them up? Wales, as you say over and over again, faces incredible

cuts, the budget shrinking from Westminster, that is your mantra

always, why not raise taxes? Well, we have been absolutely clear, we

have absolutely no plans to make a differentiated tax rate here in

Wales from that in England. We know perfectly well that there are

perhaps 50% of the population of Wales that live within commuting

distance of the border and they know work is being done on what type of

effect these changes might have. We think it would be irresponsible to

go ahead on that basis. If other parties are talking about cutting

taxes, they need to explain which services they are going to cope. But

you could put them up, I am saying, get more money into the coppers and

say to however many 40% tax payers there are in Wales, not many, but

say we will take more from you. As I say, we have made a firm pledge that

we will not put taxes up, we will not mess about with people's income

tax. We want to be absolutely clear about that to the voters of Wales.

Can I ask you about the main news development this morning and

overnight, the negotiations in Brussels and the Cabinet meeting in

Downing Street. We expect the date for the referendum now and it looks

as if it could be June the 23rd. Jeremy Corbyn is happy with June,

Carwyn Jones is very unhappy. Who is right? I think the important thing

is, look, we have had David Cameron in Brussels, what it really tells us

is that if you want reform in the EU, you can go and get to the

negotiating table and you can negotiate reform and when we go into

the referendum now, what we need to remember is the number of jobs in

Wales that depend on that referendum and that is what the argument needs

to be about, not what date it is. Carwyn Jones is very concerned,

isn't he, that it could overshadow the Assembly elections? He has

written to the Prime Minister, he wasn't backed by Jeremy Corbyn on

that. You sit in Jeremy Corbyn's Cabinet. Who do you back? Do you

want a referendum in June? I don't want a referendum at all, but as we

are having a referendum, obviously it will have an affect on the Welsh

elections and I think it will have an affect whether it is sooner or

later, because there seems to be an obsession in the media with the

referendum -- have an effect. Thank you very much for joining us. Now,

before we came on air this morning, as we have been hearing, the leader

of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn addressed the Welsh conference for

the first time and here is what he had to say.

SPEAKS WELSH. Thank you very much for inviting me

here today. It is an absolute pleasure to be back in Llandudno in

Labour Wales, where our party has been making a massive difference for

the past 17 years. Let me just run through some of the things that have

been achieved what Labour in Wales has achieved. A Health Service is

free from unnecessary top-down reorganisation and privatisation.

Where's your hospitals are not struggling with record deficit due

to the legacy of Private finance initiative. You in Wales funded

investment on the books and this is delivering. The Tories are desperate

to run down the NHS in Wales, but the record tells a very different

story. The NHS in Wales is treating more people than ever before and 90%

say they received good treatment. Free prescriptions for all, and a

new treatment fund being set up for life-threatening illnesses. On

cancer waiting times Wales is doing better than England and is a viable

rates are improving faster than anywhere in Britain. -- survival

rates. You have protected the social care budget which was slashed in

England putting an increased burden on the NHS in England and is

terrible for people affected and a false economy as well. In Wales you

did not pick a fight with hard-working, dedicated junior

doctors. There are good industrial relations in Wales. APPLAUSE

No strikes provoked and no operations cancelled unnecessarily.

We strongly support the doctors and don't want to put patient safety at

risk. Last week I had the privilege of spending a couple of hours with a

group of junior doctors. Let's be clear, they are not junior, they are

dedicated, highly qualified people on whom we all depend. They are

alarmed that the direction that our NHS is taking. As a parting gift to

them at the end of the meeting they gave me this book by a GP. Don't get

me wrong, he does not want to dismantle the NHS, his agenda is

very much the opposite. What he describes is how it starts with an

internal market. And ends up going through a whole process of

privatisation, and contracting out and ends up with the introduction of

universal private health-insurance. Quite bluntly, our NHS is ours for

ever to keep, free at the point of use for everybody. APPLAUSE

Labour cares and invests in care. The founder of the National Health

Service said, and there are many things he said that our brilliant

but I will quote this one, illness is a misfortune, the cost of which

should be shared by the community as a whole. That is surely a watchword

and principle that possibly many Tories simply do not understand. We

understand it, we get it and we will defend the NHS.

I want to say a big thank you to Welsh Labour for their work on the

NHS, in particular to the health Minister Mark Drakeford for the work

he has done, it is fantastic that we have achieved so much. In Wales you

have built an education system that has delivered the best ever GCSE

results. When new schools are built and primary school pupils get free

breakfasts, and the poorest college students will get the education

maintenance allowance that was cruelly scrapped by the Tories. In

my constituency in London there is no EMA, apart from that that my

council can deliver that young people are losing out on educational

opportunities and it does not happen in Wales. Welsh students are not

shackled by mountainous debts and grants are maintained, and it is

shocking that English judo and is leave university with an average of

?22,000 more in debt and Welsh students. This is a shocking burden

that shackles young people as they start out in life and it is known as

a prize they have such difficulty in getting housing as they move on. --

it is no surprise. Then there is jobs growth in Wales which has

helped 15,000 young people into work and the Young entrepreneurs bursary

that helps young people set up 400 businesses in Wales. And your plans

to deliver 100,000 quality apprenticeships. We have invested in

young people and their education and skills, by doing so we are investing

in our future, for all of us. I'd visit colleges and universities all

over Britain when I travel around and I have to say I was really

impressed with the new campus of Swansea University on the day, and

the support given by the Welsh government. -- on the Bay. Looking

at the high-tech work they are doing, we had a good day, and it is

paying dividends, it is developing the periphery of the university

because of the investment that was put into the campus in the first

place. The Tories are not investing in young people but cutting down

their opportunities. Weighing them down with debt, limiting their life

choices. We all know this is not fair. Labour in Wales proves there

is an alternative, the rest of Britain needs to listen to what

Wales is doing. There is so much that the Labour

Party across Britain can learn from Wales and we will. I want to pay

tribute to Carwyn Jones, the First Minister and thank him for all that

has been achieved for the Welsh Labour Party and the people of

Wales. I want to thank the assembly members for the work they do and the

party members and activists which ensured we got a Welsh Labour

government in the first place. Thank you to all of them and to our party

staff for the work they do and will be doing in these crucial couple of

months ahead. I also want to thank the Shadow

Secretary of State for Wales, I was delighted when she accepted the job.

She makes a fantastic contribution in the Shadow Cabinet. She makes

sure that the voice of Wales is heard and respected in Westminster.

She brought in a couple of party members -- a couple of hundred party

members to an event which was a fantastic evening and showed the

vibrancy of the Labour Party in Wales. In an age when politics is

treated with cynicism, what an inspiring record of hope and

achievement that has been here. Delivering despite the fact the

Tories have got your budget by more than ?1 billion. Perhaps the

greatest achievement would bear fruit until the summer, the football

team. -- will not bear fruit until the summer. In international

competition for the first time since 1958 when I was nine. It is a

problem for me because I'm an Arsenal fan, but it's all right,

when you watch Power Mac and it is in Aaron Ramsey in the red shirt, --

our magnificent Aaron Ramsey. Our loyalties will not be split at all.

Go Aaron Ramsey. APPLAUSE All eyes will be on Europe this

summer, not just for football but for political reasons as well. EU

referendum is now likely to take place in June and Labour will be

campaigning for Britain to stay in. In Wales you know the benefits of EU

membership delivering jobs, growth and investment in Wales as much as

any part of the UK. It is the role that Labour has played in Europe to

deliver rights to minimum paid leave, writes for agency workers,

paid maternity and paternity leave, equal pay and discrimination laws

and protection for the workforce when companies change ownership. It

was Labour and are excellent MEPs in partnership with trade unions that

made sure that Cameron's attempts to dilute workers rights were kept off

the negotiation agenda this time. We will be running in campaign because

the case for being in Europe is about delivering a better Britain

for workers and consumers. Despite the fanfare, the deal that Cameron

has made in Brussels on Britain's relationship with the U is a

sideshow, and the changes he has negotiated are largely irrelevant to

the problems most British people face and the decisions we must now

made. -- with the EU. His priorities have been appeasing his opponents in

the Conservative Party but he has done nothing to promote secure jobs,

protect our steel industry, or stop the spread of low pay and the

undercutting of wages in Britain. Labour's priorities are for reform

in the EU and it would be different, and David Cameron's deal is a missed

opportunity to make the real changes that we need. We will campaign to

keep Britain in Europe in the coming referendum regardless of the

tinkering of David Cameron because it brings investment, jobs and

protection for workers and consumers. Labour believes that the

EU is a vital framework for European trade and cooperation in the

21st-century and voting to remain in is in the best interests of our

people. We want to be progressive to make the EU work for working people

including strengthening workers rights, putting jobs and sustainable

growth at the heart of EU economic policy, democratisation and greater

accountability of EU institutions and an absolute halt to the pressure

to privatise public services by some elements in the European Union.

Cameron will do nothing... APPLAUSE He will do nothing against these

issues, his emergency brake on migrant benefits is largely

irrelevant, there is no evidence that taking benefits from low-paid

migrants will put a penny in the pockets of low-paid workers in

Britain and stop the exploitation of migrant workers by unscrupulous

employers. APPLAUSE The issue that the Tories don't

address is the low wages and the way employers are systematically

undercut by undercutting industry agreements. We will stand up to the

xenophobia of Ukip. Attacking Europe or deeper nice thing immigrants does

not increase anyone's pay, it does not build a single home or provide a

single child with a free breakfast. -- demonising immigrants. It does

not deliver for anyone who needs help. APPLAUSE

Theirs is a vision of despair. A mantra of hate and fear. Labour will

never pander to the xenophobia or any kind of racism whatsoever within

our society. The NHS in Wales and the NHS in England both know the

value of thousands of doctors dedicated to our NHS and anyone who

has been treated by any of our magnificent staff knows how strong

the commitment is. But while Labour in Wales is working together with

people to improve lives but the actions of the Tories in Westminster

act against that at every turn. The Institute for Fiscal Studies says

that tax and benefit changes in the past five years have left left the

average household in Wales 506 the pounds worse off. When the Tories

get in power, this is what they do, tax cuts for the few, the super-rich

and big business, public service cuts and welfare cuts for the many.

You know which side the Tories are on. We have gratuitous inequality in

this country, the average pay of top Chief Executive is compared with the

average worker is risen from 47 Times in 1998 to 183 times last

year. For too many people in the UK who are not the super-rich elite,

and there are quite a few, life is racked by insecurity at work and at

home and the Tories are making it worse. Labour believes that we only

succeed if we all succeed, together. The impact of this insecurity on

people's lives can be huge. It affects physical and mental health

and I want to pay tribute to Luciano Berger, the Shadow Minister for

health, who has campaigned relentlessly that it is matched by

reality and are Labour Party is determined that mental health should

not be treated as a pariah but a central part of our caring role in

society. The Tories have no plan for the economy, no strategy in industry

and no wish to make the economy work for everyone, they stood by as the

steel industry got into trouble and jobs were lost and communities

suffered like import Tolbert. Across Europe other countries took action

and the Tories stood by and let those jobs go.

We have met with our European counterparts with this and raised it

and I raised it with the Chinese president when I met him and

delegations from China. We can, even in opposition, do our best to take

action to protect our industry. The Tories have failed to invest in

modernising the economy. We are way behind other countries on our

digital infrastructure, our transport, energy system and our

housing. Just this week, the OECD has downgraded its UK growth

forecasts and told George Osborne it is time to stop the austerity and

invest in our country's future. Austerity is a political choice.

APPLAUSE. This OECD reverence confirms what

our Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell and I have been saying since

September, the Tories' austerity is a political choice, not an economic

necessity. Their cuts both and unnecessary. In 2010, they said

their long-term economic plan would sort all this out and the deficit

would be abrogated by now. Last time I looked, it is 2016. Their

long-term plan has taken much longer than they said, but that matter the

lid they turn to short-term plan time and time again, it is to shrink

the state, shrink stability and opportunity. Low pay, job

insecurity, holding people back. Meaning too many families are

struggling to make ends meet, to pay the rent and pay the mortgage. A

good job, a good home, should be the source of security. For too many

people, their job and their home are a source not of security but of

anxiety. 6 million workers in Britain are now paid less than the

living wage in low pay Tory Britain. And what is the Tory response to

this crisis? To weaken trade unions, the most effective way in which

people stand up for better pay. And instead of backing the real living

wage, they are bringing in a pony living wage, lower, of course, and

younger workers are blocked out from this modest increase -- a phoney

living wage. There is a housing crisis across Britain. Under David

Cameron, homeownership is then, rent is up, eviction is up and

homelessness is up. And what is the response crush model lowest rate of

house building across Britain since the 1920s and forcing councils to

sell off council housing at a time when it has never been more vital. I

know Labour in Wales is consulting on whether to scrap the right to

buy, because we need more, not fewer council homes to deal with the

housing shortage. When Labour's Therese appears, our

trees appears, put an amendment to the housing bill before the House of

commons, to ensure that homes for rent in the housing sector must be

fit for human habitation, the Tories voted it down. They don't believe

that of the private rented sector believes matter than it needs to be

regulated. I do, you do and we will regulated Macca delete regulate it.

Whether it is the crisis of low pay for the housing crisis, it is Labour

offering solutions. Labour councils like a real difference in

communities and the Labour Government make a difference here in

Wales. It was a great Labour politician that described what

Labour does. We build security, we build the institutions of fairness

and we build them in place of fear. We offer hope, collective

opportunity and, of course, we are the party of social justice and

environmental justice. When it comes to rip off energy bills, it is

Labour councils that are setting up energy companies, such as in

Nottingham, the Robin Hood energy company, to get a better deal for

residents and to tackle climate change. We can reduce bills the

people and we can tackle climate change, there is no contradiction.

That is why 70 Labour councils are committed to eliminate all carbon

emissions by 2050, including major cities like Edinburgh, Newcastle,

Manchester and Liverpool and here in Wales, Swansea and carefully. And

Labour Wales are set out a clear policy -- Kyo Philly. A low carbon

transition and supporting transition the twin energy services. And what

have the Tories done? They continue to fail to invest in low carbon

energy, cut solar energy but increase them for fracking and

diesel generators. That is the Tory choice. On pay, housing and the

environment, the Tory stand-by. Labour is standing up. The message

for the election in May is very clear. Labour is the best protection

for your community against the onslaught of Tory cuts. We must

expose all the Tory failures. Class sizes up, hospital waiting lists up,

homelessness up, eviction is up, queues at food banks up, child

poverty up, while services like social care, on which communities

absolutely rely, are being cut. They failed to rebuild and rebalance the

economy. They are hoping that rising household debt would somehow or

other keep the economy afloat. We know what happened last time they

did this. Having Labour on your side is the best protection for your

community. Where there is a Labour mayor or cancel or Government such

as we have here in Wales. Communities are paying the price.

Cutting corners in public service funding, as the winter floods show.

If the Tories had continued our investment in flood defences,

particularly the north of England, had kept on the very skilled senior

staff in the Environment Agency, employed to make these decisions in

emergencies, and had protected the emergency services who responded so

magnificently to try and save lives and homes during those very

difficult days and weeks, we would not have seen that level of

destruction and flood damage that caused so much anguish to so many

people, as their homes were damaged and their belongings ruined. A flood

is a disaster for individuals. Well done in Wales. Then up to protect

the flood defence programme here. APPLAUSE.

Now, transport infrastructure is absolutely crucial to industrial

development and growth and I praise the Welsh Government's support for

the reopening an improvement of the Valley railway lines. Plans to

improve links in the south-east of Wales and the crucial need to

improve the North Wales line and the road links that go with it. One of

the most beautiful railway lines in the world has to be the mid Wales

line. Growing up in Shropshire, I love travelling on it and my heart

truly sang when I went on to the coastal railway route. We have some

fantastic railways in Wales and I look forward to the renaissance of

them with a continuing Labour Government in Wales. Now, I am going

to be back in Wales many times over the next few weeks, but I will be

back next month delivering the Kia Harding Memorial address. A man who

represented a Welsh constituency, founder and first leader of the

Labour Party and did so much to inspire us. We learn from the past

in order to guide us in the future -- Kier Harding. Labour offers a

much-needed alternative to the falls economy the Tories are offering. We

have already challenged them in Parliament and outside and one on a

number of quite important issues. We forced them into a U-turn on cutting

working tax credits, meaning that 3 million families will no longer be

hit this April with a ?1000 cut to their family income. That was a

Labour victory over the Tories. We made them backtracked on plans to

further cut police numbers in the Autumn Statement and thus protected

the community policing budget, which is so important across the whole of

the UK. And we stood up for human rights against the proposal that the

UK Justice Ministry would run the Saudi Arabian Prison Service on

behalf of the Saudi Arabian Government. How outrageous is that?

We forced them to backtracked on that as well. -- backtrack. Because

our party, Labour... Your mints for later. Labour is standing up, not

standing by. We let people down last May. We lost the election. All the

horrors that the Tories are inflicting and doing now is because

Labour didn't win. But since then, the membership of our party has

doubled also I was very proud to be elected leader of our party and I

want to see a new kind of politics. Honest, straightforward,

straightforward thinking and straight talking. Because our party

is one of social justice. Every child deserves a good education.

Every student, the option to study at college or university. Everyone

deserves a decent and secure home to live in. Nobody should ever be left

destitute. The grotesque levels of inequality are run justifiable and

they must go. We are living through an area of the most grotesque and

deepening inequality, in Britain and in the West. In the USA, the issue

has come full circle. That debate is now, at last, dominating much of the

politics and the primary campaign. We must ensure that it also

dominates the political debate in this country. Inequality is

unnecessary and wrong. We can, will and must do something about it.

APPLAUSE. The cynics say there is something

inevitable that the next generation will be worse off than this one. You

know, your children won't get the same services you get from your

grandchildren and so on, it gets worse and worse. I say this, it is

not inevitable and not necessary. It is our socialist duty to expand

wealth, but crucially to share it, so the next generation is better off

than this one and our grandchildren are better off than our children in

a sustainable, productive world. These things are possible. They are

delivered by the collective endeavour of people and the

collective inspiration of our communities and of our party. We are

united in our determination to take on the Tories and to fight for the

better country that Labour can deliver, as you have delivered in

Wales. You have got a great record here in Wales and a great plan to

deliver for a better future. Together, we will deliver it and

continue delivering for the people of Wales.

Jeremy Corbyn addressing the conference earlier this morning.

Well, breaking news now, in the past few minutes, the Prime Minister has

announced a date for a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.

Speaking outside Downing Street, he said Britain would be safer and

stronger in a reformed European Union. On Monday, I will commence

the process set out under our referendum act and I will go to

Parliament and proposed that the British people decide our future in

Europe via an in-out referendum on Thursday the 23rd of June. The

choice is in your hands, but my recommendation is clear. I believe

that Britain will be safer, stronger and better off in a reformed

European Union. Thank you very much. David Cameron speaking earlier.

Joining me from conference in Llandudno, the Shadow leader of the

Commons, Chris Bryant. Good morning and also of course, a former

European minister. I am the last Europe minister. It is David

Livingstone now and I was the last one! You did it so well, no one

could succeed you. Three people took over my job. Sorry, I think you are

asking me what I think about the referendum on the 23rd of June and

you will be shocked to hear I am for staying in. My membership card says

that the Labour Party fundamentally believes we can achieve far more

when we work together, when we cooperate, than we do when we try to

go it alone and in the end, that is my view about Europe as well. I

think we, as Europeans, as British people, are able to achieve far more

for Britain when we cooperate. If you think about people trafficking,

that goes cross-country, doesn't it? Of course you have to cooperate if

you are to tackle bad and some of the horrible scenes we have seen in

this country where people have been trafficked through seven different

countries in the European Union, we need to use the European Union

better to tackle that. Likewise, we are not hermetically sealed when it

comes to the climate and if you are going to tackle climate deregulation

and change, you have to do that jointly, so I am passionately for

in. And what about the deal? Did Mr Cameron get a good deal for the UK?

It's better than it was but to be honest we would be cutting off our

nose to spite our face if we left the European Union. How many jobs in

Wales rely expressly and solely on our membership? Think of Airbus and

so many different parts of the aeronautical industry in Wales are

here because of that joint effort with other countries within the

European Union. On top of that we know that we have had structural

support in the valleys, which has been invaluable to keeping the

economy going in tough times, money that would not have come from a

Westminster government especially a Tory government. For my voters in

the Rhondda I would be letting us down if I weren't going to devote

every drop of my blood, energy, passion, and sweat and my

intellectual energy and whatever I've got to trying to make sure that

every single person in Wales votes to stay in the European Union on the

23rd of June. Forget about David Cameron. That's interesting, that is

your focus, but what about the elections, you have to maintain

energy for those? If you are channelling everything into the

referendum it will overshadow the assembly campaign? My comrades in

the Rhondda, we will be knocking on doors for as many days as we can.

And talking about Europe? Yes, because that will also be something

people are concerned about. Then we have to focus on the 23rd of June

because that is about the future. This is exactly why Cameron Jones --

Carwyn Jones did not want it in June. He did not want it in June, in

September if at all. The fact that Jeremy Corbyn back to June

referendum, it is going to overshadow that and there will be

lots of people in your party very cross that that is presumably

inevitable? It's not our decision when the referendum is, it will be

on the 23rd of June and we have elections in May and I'm determined

to make sure that Labour returns a victory if it can, a majority in the

National Assembly for Wales because it is in the interests of my

constituents and incidentally, we saw today this morning from Cam Ranh

and absolutely cracking speech. -- from car -- from Carwyn Jones.

Making sure businesses have a chance to prosper and have lower business

rates. Pledges around having to go into residential care and being able

to keep more of the capital costs. These things that appeal to people

in my constituency as well as in other special funds for dealing with

cancer. When you look at the successes we have had, nothing is

perfect, but people will want to go coming yes, we want Labour back in

the assembly and back in the driving seat in May. Is that how it will

Devi up? Assembly members focus on the elections and MPs for Labour

focus on the referendum? Is that the divide? I will be knocking on doors

in the Rhondda and we do all the time, we do. I know everyone always

goes, we never see you, and there was a man last week who told me that

I'd never knocked on his door but I reminded him that I did last year

and he told me I never did! He said, oh yes. We do it all the time in the

Rhondda. We are the Labour team and we will do it right the way through

to the elections and then we will fight for a Yes vote in the

referendum. The campaign has begun. Thank you very much. After his

speech this morning Jeremy Corbyn spoke to our political editor and

top of the agenda, no prizes for guessing, was the deal. Jeremy

Corbyn, you have been very critical of David Cameron's deal on the EU

but the trouble is that you have to sell it on the doorstep? The problem

is that Cameron has actually done nothing to help ordinary people in

Britain and he has done nothing about wages and jobs and nothing

about longer-term investment that is a missed opportunity. We are

talking about a Europe that is not promoting austerity and is promoting

investment in people. We are where we are, isn't this old-fashioned

tribal politics coming in and actually it could endanger the

attempt to remain in the EU which is something that you support? Not at

all, this is not tribal politics, this is about the Labour Party

representing people and their needs and desires and pointing out what

Cameron has done is not actually helping anyone, it is not helping

wages and jobs and investment and it does nothing for the steel industry.

All of these things he could and should have been doing but instead

it is a war within the Tory party that has been played out across a

whole continent. What about protecting the sovereignty of the

UK, presumably that is something... Sovereignty in the UK has never been

at risk, no one's sovereignty is at risk in the European Union, it is a

union of states with a common agenda. He has decided to turn it

into something else and it was never on the agenda anyway and he knows

that. It's all about the Tory party and not about this country. It is

about a dispute in the Tory party between xenophobes who want to leave

anyway and Cameron who once essentially a sort of market

orientated Europe. We want the social Justice Europe. It will

involve the entire country. Indeed it will come at the referendum will

come and I guess it will be in June. We are looking forward to it. What

about the issue of the Kurds to benefits for migrants? Will you