Andy Burnham admits Welsh Labour lost track of devolution goals

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told members on Saturday that Welsh Labour may have lost sight of the core principles of devolution before its historic election defeat in May. Speaking at the first Welsh Labour conference since the Senedd election, he said the previous party government failed to pass enough power down to local communities. He also admitted it was hard to accept the loss of power after running the Welsh government for 27 years. During a subdued speech, the UK Labour leader called for one united team where everyone works on the same page. Labour lost the election to pro-independence Plaid Cymru, the party now running the Welsh government. Burnham spoke just before the release of a review examining why the election went wrong. Since taking office as prime minister in July, he has pushed the Welsh government to give more power to local councils. Burnham stated that the party stopped listening and failed to push power into every Welsh postcode, which should have been the main vision for people and places. He added that the party accepts its defeat and will return stronger with a plan for a fairer United Kingdom.

Context

Devolution involves transferring power from a central government to regional or local authorities. In the United Kingdom, bodies like the Senedd allow local nations to make their own decisions on key public services.