Starmer to laud ‘path of change’ in Wales in first Welsh Labour conference as PM

Sir Keir Starmer will hail a “path of change” with Labour governments in Wales and Westminster as he gives his first address to the Welsh Labour conference as Prime Minister.

As Sir Keir plans to hail the Budget allocation for Wales, farmers are set to stage a tractor protest outside the conference opposing the inheritance tax changes the Chancellor unveiled.

The Prime Minister will confirm that a £160 million investment zone in Wrexham and Flintshire will be going live in 2025 in what he will call another essential step towards the change Wales voted for in July.

Labour won 27 out of 32 Parliamentary seats in Wales in the general election, wiping out the Conservatives, who now have no MPs in Wales.

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During a visit to Airbus in North Wales on Friday with First Minister Eluned Morgan, Sir Keir said it was a “game changer” to have Labour governments in both Wales and Westminster.

He will say on Saturday that communities in Wales and across the UK are ready for an exciting new era, with “Labour Wales and Labour Britain” pulling in the same direction once more and serving the people of Wales with the “full force of our union”.

Baroness Morgan, who took over as the leader of Welsh Labour in August, will tout the “power in partnership” between two Labour governments working together to deliver for the people of Wales.

She is expected to announce £22 million to tackle NHS waiting lists in Wales, in addition to £28 million already pledged.

The Prime Minister will also call the Budget allocation for Wales unveiled last month “a record figure”.

He will say: “£21 billion for Wales next year – a record figure. That is the path of change. £1.7 billion extra through the Barnett Formula – that is the path of change.

“More money for Welsh schools and hospitals, more investment in Welsh potential and pride, £88 million for city and growth deals, £1 billion for aerospace, benefiting companies like Airbus, which I visited yesterday in Broughton, and a new hydrogen future in Milford Haven.”

He is also expected to say that he will “defend our decisions in the Budget all day long”.

Farmers unhappy with the changes to inheritance tax unveiled in the Budget will, meanwhile, carry out a protest to coincide with the conference.

Gareth Wyn Jones, a Welsh farmer and YouTuber, said farmers will deliver Sir Keir a letter which starts: “Don’t bite the hand that feed you.”

Mr Wyn Jones told Sky News: “They’re destroying an industry that’s already on its knees and struggling, absolutely struggling, mentally, emotionally and physically. We need Government support, not more hindrance, so we can produce food to feed the nation.”

Mr Wyn Jones disputed the Government’s estimation that only 500 farming estates in the UK will be affected by the inheritance tax changes.

He said: “Look, a lot of farmers in this country are in their 70s and 80s, they haven’t handed their farms down because that’s the way it’s always been, they’ve always known there was never going to be inheritance tax.”

A tractor convoy will be escorted by police to Venue Cymru, where the conference is being held.

The protest organisers, Digon yw Digon, said: “Enough is enough. Our Government isn’t working or listening to us.

“This is an opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with farmers and rural communities.

“We call on everyone to attend in solidarity — whether by walking, driving, or bringing agricultural vehicles such as tractors, slurry tankers, lorries, or 4x4s with trailers.”