Prime Minister Keir Starmer came to Wales today and answered some tough questions from staff at a major employer

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has visited one of the biggest manufacturing employers in Wales. Visiting Airbus in Broughton, he took part in a question and answer session with around 80 staff where he was asked about the UK’s economic situation, Brexit, farming and education funding in Wales.

Staff asked him about the economic forecast figures which had been released earlier in the day. The Prime Minister said those figures, which showed UK economic growth had slowed to 0.1%, “weren’t good enough”. He was also asked about the way the UK works with the EU, post-Brexit. “We need a better deal with Europe,” he said. “I don’t think what we have got is good enough. We want to reset that relationship.”

He assured staff, who told him there had been issues with their working relationship with European counterparts since Brexit, that “I want to fix the problems you have got”. He was also asked by a staff member about what he would do to ensure students from the UK and abroad could still afford to study at university, and by a staff member who was also a school governor on how he would help schools struggling financially. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter

Mr Starmer, joined at the event by Wales’ First Minister Eluned Morgan, and Welsh secretary Jo Stevens, said the Budget had given £1.7bn to Wales, and it was up to the Welsh Government how they would spend it. He told those gathered that his government was working with the Welsh Government, declaring: “The last government didn’t want this government in Wales to succeed”.

He was also asked about farmers struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. Directly referencing a row over inheritance rule changes which is set to see hundreds of farmers protest in London next week, the Prime Minister said he understood there had been anxiety but said it was his government’s job to “keep explaining how that works” to people. Welsh farming unions and farmers say they believe the figures used by the Treasury are wrong and underplay how many Welsh farms will be affected.

The Labour leader ended his discussion with staff by telling them they could contact him afterwards, and he would read any message, telling them their feedback was “invaluable”.

Eluned Morgan, and other Welsh cabinet ministers have said they will not stop asking for Wales to get a consequential payment as a result of HS2. Historically, Labour has blamed the Conservatives for Wales missing out on it. WalesOnline asked Mr Starmer if he would now do something with regard to it.

“It was absolutely fouled up by the last government and they made a mess of it from start to finish and wasted a lot of time along the way. For heavy rail, for infrastructure, obviously, that’s not devolved and therefore the usual consequence rules don’t apply but that doesn’t mean I’m not talking to the First Minister about rail infrastructure in Wales because it’s really important.

“It’s very important to her. She’s quite right to keep on, you know, absolutely pushing for it. So rather than have an argument about consequentials, which don’t in this case apply, we’re sitting around the table with her to say, how can we work together on infrastructure and particularly rail in Wales, which is desperately needed.”

At the Reform UK conference in Newport last week, Nigel Farage said his party was the biggest threat to Labour at the Senedd election in 2026, asked how Labour could win back the swathes of voters in traditionally-Labour areas who voted for Reform UK in the general election in July this year, Mr Starmer said: “Obviously the view of the electorate was tested on July 4 this year across Wales and very many people voted Labour and now that doesn’t make me complacent. I’m pleased about that because it means that we can deliver alongside the Welsh Government for everybody in Wales.

“In the end, as we go to either the elections in 2026 or the next general election in due course, what matters most is delivery, delivery, delivery. We have got to deliver on the promises that we’ve made. That’s why we passed a budget that was focussed on clearing up the economic mess that was left, but also investing in the future and working with the Welsh Government.

“The consequentials from the budget in Wales, £1.7 billion, that is the biggest investment into Wales since devolution and that’s really important because if we’re going to deliver for Wales, we’ve got to make sure the money is available for the very many things that are desperately needed across Wales.”