‘Relief beyond measure that the people of Caerphilly chose hope over hatred’

Delyth Jewell, who is the deputy leader of Plaid Cymru, is one of four regional Senedd Members serving the South Wales East region.

There are moments that matter in politics: chances that come along every so often when things can change for the better. The upcoming UK budget should present just such a change: an opportunity for Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer to turn at long last away from seeking to satisfy only markets, and look instead at the responsibilities they hold to make people’s lives more manageable.

All signs, regrettably, point to their failing to meet this moment with the urgency that’s required. In spite of the clear desire amongst the public for increased investment in public services, Starmer and Reeves seem determined to answer people’s anger and anguish not with compassion, but with cuts – and cuts in all the wrong places. Every hint we get from the Treasury suggests they will continue to follow the Tories’ disastrously stringent (and arbitrary) “fiscal rules”. The Labour Party is drifting further and further away from its founding principles, and people in these communities will not forgive a UK government that fails to take this chance to make people’s lives better.

I raised my concerns about all this this week in the Senedd, and argued that Wales, through our government, should be demanding that Westminster scrap the two child benefit cut, do more to help families with the cost of living, and bring in a wealth tax to fund our struggling public services properly.

Because people feel let down by Labour – Plaid Cymru is now seen as the party that will fight for our communities, and the latest proof of that is Lindsay Whittle, our area’s newest MS, who was sitting with me in the chamber when I raised these points. What a pleasure it’s been this week to welcome Lindsay into his new role. And I was also deeply moved to hear Lindsay’s first remarks in the chamber, which focused on his much-missed predecessor, Hefin David. I know he will do everything he can to honour Hefin’s legacy.

This is my first column, of course, since the by-election, and I still feel relief beyond measure that the people of Caerphilly chose hope over hatred in such remarkable numbers. That, too, felt like a moment that mattered – and will continue to matter for a long time to come. Make no mistake, the result should also send Westminster a message: that we demand better. Isn’t it about time those in power started listening?