Over the past few weeks, there have been growing tensions between Keir Starmer’s UK Labour and its (apparent) partners in Welsh Labour. If you live in Cymru, this story may have passed you by. If you live outside Wales, it almost certainly will have. But this really matters. It matters to the people of Wales because it is fundamental to their futures. It also matters to the wider UK because it underscores the direction of political travel for the next half-decade. It also has serious ramifications for the future of the union as we know it.
So what’s the issue? Well, you could say that it has all come to a head with the UK government’s plans for benefits cuts. While people all over England will feel the pain of the changes to personal independent payment (Pip) and universal credit, Wales will be hit disproportionately hard. In Cymru there are 275,000 people receiving Pip. This is 11% of our working-age people, compared with 7% in England. Therefore, this political choice is going to hit the part of the UK that most consistently votes Labour the hardest.
