Historic election defeat: British premier says Welsh Labour may have lost sight of devolution principles

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Saturday that Welsh Labour may have lost sight of the principles of devolution ahead of its historic election defeat in May, as he called for greater cooperation within the party. Addressing the first Welsh Labour conference at Venue Cymru in Llandudno since the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) election, Burnham said the party needed to rebuild its relationship with communities and work toward a unified political vision.

"Somewhere along the way perhaps we lost sight of some of the principles that drove devolution in the first place," he said. "We probably stopped listening as much as we should have, and actually stopped driving power down into every Welsh postcode, which is what the vision to me really should always have been about - about people and places." Burnham, who has been pushing for further devolution of powers to local councils since becoming prime minister, said he wanted to establish "one Labour team for Wales" with party members "pulling in the same direction".

He said he wanted a party "where I'm pulling with you and not creating problems for you or going against what (Welsh Labour leader) Ken Skates or colleagues want to achieve." The prime minister also said he had put the full devolution of employment support on the table with the Welsh government. His remarks came ahead of the publication of a review examining the reasons behind Welsh Labour's election defeat, which ended the party's 27-year hold on power in the devolved government.

Burnham acknowledged the difficulty of accepting the result but said Labour would "come back stronger" with a "vision for a stronger Wales in a fairer UK." He also highlighted Labour's achievements during its time in government in Wales, including free school meals, free prescriptions and the creation of Transport for Wales. "Being in the UK is good for Wales because of the partnership that we can develop together," he said. Referring to his recent visit to Aberfan, Burnham said the disaster had left the "biggest mark" on him, highlighting the importance of justice, fairness and dignity for communities.

He said his vision for Wales included a "reindustrialized nation with revitalized high streets."