Not everyone hit by cost of living reached - minister

The Conservative UK government failed to "reach everyone" affected by the cost of living crisis, the Secretary of State for Wales has admitted.

While defending his party's record, David TC Davies said they had to "be honest" because the past five years had been "very challenging" economically.

Labour's Jo Stevens accused the Conservatives of being responsible for economic "chaos and mismanagement" while in power in Downing Street.

Plaid Cymru's Liz Saville Roberts said Labour would likely win Thursday's election but that its message to the people of Wales was "hollow" and didn't "cut through" to voters.

Mr Davies, who is the most senior Conservative Westminster politician in Wales, said there "are a lot of people out there who do feel that they are not happy with everything that's happened over the past five years".

"It's been a very challenging five years because of Covid and the war in Ukraine," he told BBC Politics Wales on Sunday.

"We’ve tried to reach everyone... but we have to be honest, we almost certainly didn't reach everyone."

However, Mr Davies also claimed the UK government had got the economy back on track.

"Following a very difficult situation, we have inflation at 2%, we have unemployment at 3% which is half the EU average, and we have the joint-fastest growth in the whole of the G7," he said.

With the polls suggesting Labour will win the election, Mr Davies also said many people still had not made up their minds on who to vote for and he insisted the Conservatives were "not throwing the election at all".

He said an incoming Labour government would "have to put up taxes" to pay for their spending plans.

Ms Stevens, the most senior Labour Westminster politician in Wales, said whoever wins on Thursday "will inherit the worst economic record since the Second World War".

She said if people "decide to vote Conservative or if they decide not to vote at all, then nothing will change on Friday and we will continue with the chaos and economic mismanagement that we've seen over the last 14 years".

Plaid Cymru’s Liz Saville Roberts said Labour were on course to win on Thursday and criticised their "change" message.

"The old cliche is that it's change or continuity. For us in Wales that message of change just does not cut through."

Plaid Cymru's Liz Saville Roberts, Conservative Welsh Secretary David TC Davies and Labour's Jo Stevens were speaking on BBC Politics Wales

She said Labour Senedd members were talking about change and further devolution - with more powers coming to Cardiff Bay - but she accused UK Labour of ignoring that.

"What we hear from UK Labour is just to pooh pooh that, to knock it back, to say you're not going to get that in Wales.

"For us, here, that message is really ringing through as hollow."

Ms Stevens said a UK Labour government and the Welsh Labour government would have a "relationship of equals".

Mr Davies said that he'd also picked up "a lot of unhappiness with the Welsh Labour government" on the doorstep.

Ms Stevens admitted that the "Welsh government will accept there's work to do on public services".

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Tata's plans for Port Talbot's steelworks has caused division between politicial opponents

On the future of the Tata steelworks in Port Talbot, Mr Davies said there had been "irresponsible comments" from some Labour politicians.

The company has told workers that it is taking steps to potentially cease operations at much of the plant by 7 July because of a strike by the trade union Unite.

Tata had originally been planning to shut one of the blast furnaces by the end of June and the second by September.

But Port Talbot workers have been told that because of the strike from 8 July, the company can "no longer be assured of sufficient resources being available to ensure safe and stable operations".

The current Conservative-led UK government is backing Tata's plans which involve a big investment in a new electric arc furnace - but this will result in 2,800 job losses.

Mr Davies, who chairs the transition board on Tata's proposals, urged Labour politicians to "stop rubbishing this deal" because there was “a possibility they [Tata] may walk away".

Ms Stevens said there was "a very dangerous stand off at the moment" and she urged Tata to think again and "not end up in a positions where Tata make an irreversible decision before next Friday".