Jeremy Corbyn takes responsibility for Welsh Labour election losses

The leader of the Labour party has said he takes responsibility for the loss of six Welsh Labour seats at the general election in December.

On his first visit to Wales since the vote, Jeremy Corbyn also blamed Brexit and the media.

Mr Corbyn will make way for the winner of the Labour leadership election after the result is announced in April.

His party lost 60 seats in total across Britain, including five of Labour's six seats in north Wales.

Losses in Wales were to the benefit of the Conservatives, who had their best Welsh Westminster result since the 1980s.

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Speaking in Pontypridd, where he was visiting flood-hit communities, Mr Corbyn said: "I was proud to lead the party in election, I was proud of the policies we put forward in the election.

"Obviously we didn't win the election, I'm very clear about that.

"I take the responsibility of the leader for doing that.

"But I also am proud of the way our party campaigned."

Jeremy Corbyn visited Rhydyfelin in Pontypridd on Thursday

He said he was "very confident Welsh Labour will do extremely well" at the 2021 Senedd elections "because of the very good record in government".

Mr Corbyn said Labour lost the election for a "myriad of reasons", but blamed "mainly Brexit" and "five years of unremitting media attacks on our movement and on our party".

He said the media had refused "to report what party policies actually are".

"I think in future our party has to improve our methods of community organisation and community communication. And that I'll be supporting and doing my best to help," he added.