Nowhere in the world has a party commanded a nation longer than Labour in Wales. Barring an upset in local council elections this week, Labour will celebrate a century of dominance come November. The party holds a majority in a third of Welsh councils. The expectation is that this Thursday it will win another 100 seats and take back control of two extra councils.
Things looked very different in 2019, when voters turned from Labour to the Conservatives as the “red wall” began to crumble in north Wales. Since then, the mood has soured for the Tories. The cautious approach of the Labour first minister, Mark Drakeford, during the pandemic contrasted with that of the prime minister, Boris Johnson. While these are local Welsh elections, the UK’s national politics is never far from voters’ minds. Labour’s poll ratings are far ahead of the Tories.
