Morgan’s first reshuffle
13 September 2024 | Admin
Baroness Eluned Morgan, First Minister of Wales, was able to put her stamp on the Welsh Government this week when she initiated her first cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, (11th September). The headline news is the return of Jeremy Miles, Mark Drakeford and Julie James to government.
Following the announcement, Morgan said the reshuffle offered stability and Mark Drakeford’s return would be an “anchor” for her government at a time when finances were tight.
The reshuffle follows a bruising few months for Welsh Labour which has seen them produce three First Ministers this year. Now that this is behind them, Welsh Labour should focus on the opportunity that they haven’t had in 14 years, a Labour government in Westminster. With Sir Keir Starmer in Number 10, Labour will need to use the next two years to convince the Welsh people that Labour is still the right party for Wales. After all, Labour has produced every single Welsh First Minister since Devolution and have not lost a parliamentary election in Wales since before WW2. However, Labour strength in Wales cannot be taken for granted as a new even-more proportional system will be introduced for the next election in 2026. With Plaid Cymru and a growing Reform UK presence on their heels, Morgan will be determined to deliver for the Welsh people again to ensure a seventh consecutive Senedd victory.
Going forward, Morgan has the daunting task of balancing the budget and delivering on Labour’s renewable goals. Only in August, she met with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to “supercharge” efforts to make Britain a clean energy superpower. However, underneath the surface and there are serious problems. Starmer’s government has been pushing the “black hole” message, arguing that the Conservatives have left them with terrible finances. Meanwhile Eluned Morgan warned of spending cuts within hours of first being elected First Minister, saying some Welsh Government services will have to be “de-prioritised”. However, this is not absolute, as only a few weeks ago, Eluned Morgan said Wales would not face Scotland-size cuts, where the SNP slashed £500m from their budget. If Ms Morgan continues this path, it will be interesting to see whether Starmer’s government will be willing to pick up the burden as experts warned in June that a Labour government would need to provide £683m of additional funding by 2029 to maintain spending.
How the relationship develops between the Welsh and UK governments will be interesting to watch over the next 2 years, especially now Welsh Labour don’t have a Conservative government in Westminster to blame.