Two leaders took to the stage at the Welsh Labour conference in Llandudno, with very different results. Prime Minister Andy Burnham's speech fell flat, while Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates delivered a performance that sent members away with a renewed sense of purpose.
The conference comes on the back of the party's historically bad electoral performance in the last Senedd vote. Burnham can distance himself from that low point, having taken the reins in the months after the May wipe-out. Skates was not heading up the party when the catastrophic result was delivered, with Eluned Morgan carrying the can, although many of the failings that led to their collapse came ahead of her tenure.
Burnham's Speech Fails to Ignite
It was clear who the main act was this morning, as the 'Burnham bounce' had injected a dose of optimism into members battered by their experiences on the doorstep in May. His speech was eagerly awaited, with every seat taken in the conference hall. He was welcomed to the stage to rapturous applause, with the crowd on their feet.
Burnham was particularly powerful when he spoke about his visit to Aberfan on the 60th anniversary of the tragedy that killed 116 children and 28 adults. He spoke passionately about the disaster and the way the community was utterly failed, both before and after the spoil tip collapsed. He drew parallels with the Hillsborough families and their fight for justice, and it was clear these injustices meant a lot to him.
But at times the speech drifted, a somewhat rambling performance that failed to build on the passion in the room. The applauses were few and far between, and he didn't get the crowd back on their feet until he brought the speech to a close. While the speech didn't bomb, it also failed to inspire.
Skates Delivers a Punchy Performance
When Ken Skates took to his feet, the crowd had thinned but the conference hall was still three quarters full, and there was real enthusiasm from those who were there. Skates answered doubts over his ability to deliver inspiring speeches with a performance that sent members away with a sense of purpose.
He did not hold back on the disastrous election, while also making clear that while Eluned Morgan was holding the baton when the death knell was rung, she was only in this position due to the mess created by others. His delivery was short and punchy, reflecting the journalism background he comes from. It was done with passion and aimed at reiterating the fundamental purpose of the party of improving people's lives, particularly those who are less well off.
He admitted these people had drifted from the party, some to Plaid and others to Reform, parties he grouped as 'Plaid and Prejudice' in the only line from both speeches that got a genuine laugh. Skates also spoke about losing his mum a year ago and what she did for her five children while their dad was forced to work away from North Wales after the closure of the steelworks in Flintshire.
It is a long way back for a party decimated by the last election, with local elections next year. But today Skates answered those critics who doubted his capacity to lead and inspire, and sent members away with a fillip before that next electoral test. One senior member said he "grew 12 inches" on the stage today.
