Final day of Welsh campaign as Starmer visits

Sir Keir Starmer has launched the final day of Labour’s general election campaign in Carmarthenshire, saying “change can only happen if people vote Labour tomorrow”.

The UK Labour leader told activists in Whitland a victory for his party would mean Labour governments in Cardiff and London “working together, not in conflict”.

Plaid Cymru said Sir Keir’s late visit to the Caerfyrddin constituency shows that Plaid is a threat to Labour.

Conservative Senedd group leader Andrew RT Davies said all Labour has offered Wales was the “worst outcomes in the UK for every public service”.

Sir Keir appeared with Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething, who said the two had spoken about Tata Steel a few days ago.

The UK Labour leader said this was an illustration of the “double benefit” that a Labour government across the UK could bring to Wales.

“Our first act was to get in touch with each other within minutes, to talk one-to-one, and then to set up a meeting to decide how we can resolve the issue and make sure we did everything possible we can do to save jobs in steel, to save steel here in Wales,” he said.

Sir Keir repeated his the message he had delivered throughout the election campaign.

“We have now had 14 years of chaos, of division and failure,” he said. “The choice tomorrow is to bring that to an end, to turn the page and start to rebuild with Labour.”

Plaid is hoping to do well across the west of Wales. The party’s Liz Saville Roberts said Labour “are worried about Plaid Cymru”.

The Conservatives were focusing on local campaigning on Wednesday.

With predictions of a poor Tory result, Welsh Conservative President Glyn Davies said Rishi Sunak had done a great job and that he is hopeful it will not be so bad for the party on Thursday night.

He told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast: “We’ve got a superb prime minister.

“Certainly my view is that he’s been governing fairly well, yet the opinion polls seem to be very, very negative and we going into the election now on the backfoot.”

Mr Davies agreed that the party had gone through some difficult times over the past five years, but said he sometimes despairs when he sees the opinion polls “because I just I don’t quite understand why people take the view they do”.

“There’s clearly been things that have happened that we didn’t really want to happen.”

“But Rishi Sunak has been a prime minister now for quite some time and I think he’s proven himself.

“I think he’s the most talented politician in Britain.”

Keir Starmer’s first visit of the day to a farm in the Caerfyrddin constituency is a deliberate attempt to park his tractor on Plaid Cymru’s field.

Both they, and perhaps the Conservatives, might be assumed more likely to harvest the farming vote.

The Welsh Labour government has also run into resistance over its plans for post-EU agricultural subsidies.

But it’s close here – the latest poll out Tuesday suggests the seat is too close to call.

Touring key constituencies for Plaid Cymru on Wednesday, party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said it was “obvious that Labour’s looming majority is much more about rejecting the Tories than any real embrace of what Labour has to offer”.

“It is no wonder. After after 25 years in power in Wales, the Labour Party has grown arrogant, as displayed by Vaughan Gething’s decision to ignore the Senedd’s vote of no confidence in him.

“Today, I’m making a final push for Plaid Cymru’s positive message for a genuine alternative to the negativity of the Tories and the complacency of Labour.”

Accusing the Conservatives of giving up on the election and Labour of taking voters in Wales for granted, he added “It’s time to vote Plaid Cymru to force the next UK government to finally sit up and take notice of Wales.”