First Minister Eluned Morgan has refused to be fully drawn in on comments made by Sir Kier Starmer when he said we could become an ‘island of strangers’ if immigration was not remedied. Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth called on Ms Morgan to distance herself from the comments, and Morgan responded to say Wales was a ‘welcoming nation’.
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00:00Prime Minister Sukiya Starmer sparked some discussion earlier on this week when he said that if immigration was not curtailed, we could become an island of strangers.
00:10He has said he stands by his comments and rejects any assertion that he was echoing words by Enoch Powell in his infamous Rivers of Blood speech on immigration, which has been widely criticised as racist.
00:20First Minister Leonid Morgan, though, said she would not be drawn in and refused to comment fully on Starmer's words.
00:26Plaid Cymru leader Sreena Pjordworth called on the Baroness Morgan at First Minister's questions to distance herself from the Prime Minister's words, and she responded saying she would not use divisive language on immigration.
00:40The care industry in Wales relies heavily on immigration, with thousands of people from abroad working in our NHS, and Enoch Morgan said her party are committed to ensuring that they do their best to provide care service in Wales,
00:52and that will be more difficult if it's not possible to hire people from abroad.
00:58Only last week, Enoch Morgan said she wouldn't hesitate to call out her UK Labour counterparts if she felt their decision-making would negatively impact Wales,
01:06and while it seems she doesn't fully support Starmer's comments, chose not to explicitly oppose his comments.
01:13It has been called into question once again her relationship with her UK arm of her party,
01:17after a number of full-scale disagreements at a time when Labour looked to be in a heated race in next year's Senate elections,
01:24and their dominance of Welsh politics could be in doubt.
01:27As it stands, Welsh Labour, reform and Plaid Cymru are all neck and neck,
01:31and issues like immigration will undoubtedly come up plenty more over the next 12 months.
01:35But it remains to be seen whether it will be the biggest talking point with an election campaign with so much at stake.
01:41James Beach Watkins, reporting for Local TV.