Llyr Gruffydd MS Member of the Senedd for North Wales

Labour’s mixed messages over devolution of justice reveals a party in disarray.

That’s the view of Llyr Gruffydd after Welsh Government minister Rebecca Evans responded to a question about devolution of policing and justice by contradicting her UK Labour counterpart Jo Stevens.

Llyr Gruffydd,  said: “The UK Labour shadow Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens was unequivocal in her refusal to consider devolving policing and justice to Wales if Labour win the General Election.

“Yet her counterpart in Wales, Rebecca Evans, is equally unequivocal in her answer to my question about this matter. She wants this to happen.

“Labour in Wales has been an outright supporter of the devolution of policing for years. The 2021-2026 programme for Government and the Labour 2021 manifesto clearly states that this government is committed to ‘pursuing the case for the devolution of policing and justice’. They reiterated this call in 2022 stating: ‘It is clear that Wales does not benefit from this UK Government led approach’.

“Three further reports have made the case for devolving criminal justice powers, but UK Labour isn’t listening to Wales – with even its own members being ignored in the scramble to centralise power.

“Labour’s in disarray and is speaking with a forked tongue. The situation is totally unsustainable because, once in power in London, Labour will continue to ignore expert voices and their own members in Wales as they always have done.

“At what point do Labour members in Wales realise that they’re constantly being taken for granted, their views are ignored and that people can see that it’s London calling the tune? The only way Wales gets noticed is when we vote Plaid Cymru. That’s the stark choice ahead of people in a fortnight.”