Welsh Conservative Senedd Leader Andrew RT Davies has warned his Party that it faces an “existential crisis” and that it “must change” following its general election defeat.
Ahead of the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, Mr Davies has said that the Party “must apologise to the Welsh and British public for failing to keep its promises on immigration”.
He said that “the Welsh public are inherently conservative” and that “if the Party returns to its values, it will win them over”.
He has also warned the Party’s “ideological and dogmatic stance on the economy turns off many people in Wales”. He said the Party “must show it realises economic unfairness is a problem”.
He pointed to the Party’s opposition to Labour’s cruel decision to scrap Winter Fuel Payments for vulnerable Welsh pensioners, and the furlough scheme that saved millions of livelihoods during the Covid-19 pandemic, as examples of it taking a “successful, pragmatic approach”.
He said that “globalisation has failed Welsh communities” and that “mass migration has hurt our economy, industries and cultural fabric”.
To tackle illegal migration, he said a zero tolerance approach is required. He said “everyone who is in this country illegally must be removed” and that “deportations at scale and pace are required”.
He warned leaders to “recognise this and respond” but said that Labour’s record in Wales “shows it is incapable of doing so”.
He explained that Labour’s “extreme metropolitan worldview, combined with its soft nationalism, is the reason it prioritised 20mph and putting 36 more politicians in the Senedd over our Welsh NHS, economy and schools”.
He said other parties are preoccupied and won’t step up to the plate, and that “Plaid Cymru’s focus is breaking up our nation” while “the Lib Dems and Reform are opportunists who back Senedd expansion”.
Speaking ahead of the Conference, Mr Davies said,
“The Conservative Party must change. No party has a god given right to govern. We failed to keep our promises and we must say sorry.
“The Welsh people reject the extreme liberal ideology of Labour, Plaid Cymru nationalists and the Lib Dems. They don’t support their attempts to pay illegal immigrants £1,600 a month under their Universal Basic Income pilot or their “Nation of Sanctuary” plan.
“By proudly reflecting our conservative values, we’ll persuade them to back the Welsh Conservatives.
“But we must also change how we’re perceived on the economy. We must be seen as pragmatists, not ideologues. Our language on things like nationalisation has to change.
“Welsh industries and communities have paid the price of globalisation and our Party must do more to protect them. We must show that we care, and defend their sense of community, togetherness and local pride.
“If our Party changes, we’ll recover quickly, and we’ll succeed in 2026 and 2029. But if we don’t, we’ll die. That’s the choice.”
