Welsh Liberal Democrats: “We Will Save Devolution From Labour”

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have said Wales needs a “change in the way we are governed” after more than two decades of Labour rule, as the party set out their vision for the Senedd elections during a major speech at the party’s Spring Conference.

Addressing members, Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson for Wales David Chadwick MP said the next Senedd election would be a test of whether devolution could deliver real change for communities across Wales.

Chadwick argued that after 27 years in power Welsh Labour had allowed public services and economic opportunities to fall behind the rest of the UK, warning that falling turnout and declining public trust in politics risked undermining faith in devolution itself.

Speaking at the conference, David Chadwick MP said:

“After twenty-seven years of one-party rule, Wales is crying out not just for a change of government, but for a change in the way we are governed.

“The greatest threat to devolution today is not those who oppose it. It is the failure of those who have taken it for granted. If we believe in devolution, then we must prove it can deliver for the people of Wales.”

Chadwick said Wales was now lagging behind in several key areas, including NHS waiting times, wages and educational outcomes, with too many young people leaving their communities because they cannot see a future for themselves in Wales.

He warned that growing political frustration was creating fertile ground for populist parties.

“When voters stop believing politics changes anything, when turnout falls and cynicism becomes common sense, democracy itself is weakened.

“Reform do not rise because Wales is naturally extreme. They rise because too many people feel ignored. They promise easy answers but they have no serious plan for Wales.”

Chadwick also criticised the Conservatives for abandoning responsible government in favour of divisive culture wars, while warning that Plaid Cymru’s constitutional focus risked creating division without delivering solutions to the everyday problems facing Welsh communities.

Setting out the Welsh Liberal Democrats’ alternative, Chadwick said the party would focus on restoring trust in government, strengthening local democracy and building a stronger Welsh economy.

He said the party wanted Wales to have powers equal to Scotland over areas such as rail infrastructure and the Crown Estate, while ensuring the transition to green energy created jobs and supply chains rooted in Welsh communities.

“Wales has the coastline, the ports and the skills. The energy revolution is happening off our shores, and the jobs must be anchored in our communities.

“We should not be importing steel into Port Talbot to build wind turbines off our own coastline. That defies all logic.”

Chadwick said the next Senedd election would represent a choice between “stagnation and renewal”, arguing that the Welsh Liberal Democrats were offering a hopeful and practical alternative.

“Reform offers anger. Labour offers complacency. Plaid offers grievance.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats offer hope - hope rooted in realism, optimism grounded in responsibility and change built on community.”

ENDS