Elections 2021: Covid 'laid bare' damage of Labour rule, says PM
- Published
Boris Johnson called the Senedd election a "really vital moment for the people of Wales"
The pandemic has "laid bare the damage that 22 years of Labour government has done to Wales", the prime minister has told Tory activists.
Boris Johnson said only by voting Conservative at May's Senedd election "can we build a better Wales".
Mr Johnson was addressing Welsh members at the Conservative Party's virtual spring forum.
Welsh Labour's deputy leader Carolyn Harris said the Tories' record in Wales was "deplorable".
In his video message broadcast online, Mr Johnson said the Senedd election was a "really vital moment for the people of Wales".
"Very sadly the pandemic has laid bare the damage that 22 years of Labour government has done to Wales, but the Welsh Conservatives have got a plan to repair the mess and build back better," he said.
"Only if you vote Conservative can we build a better Wales and put the problems of the past, piled up by Labour, behind us.
"We stand for creating tens of thousands of jobs across Wales by investing in green technology and our tourism sector. We stand for providing better health care in Wales, with more hospitals, doctors and nurses."
But Ms Harris said voters should be "under no illusions" that if the Welsh Conservatives win power in May "if there's one thing we know, it's that they won't stand up to their London bosses".
In his message to the virtual event, Conservative Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies said that having delivered Brexit made his party best-placed to build a coronavirus recovery plan for Wales.
Mr Davies said the Tories can be trusted to deliver on their promises.
They would hire an extra 1,200 doctors, 3,000 more nurses and another 5,000 teachers, he pledged.
He also promised "the biggest road-building programme in a generation".
Andrew RT Davies says the Conservatives can "build a better Wales by encouraging economic growth"
Mr Davies said such a project would make it "easier to do business, get to work or see family and friends".
Mr Davies returned as the party's Senedd leader in January, succeeding Paul Davies, who resigned from the post after drinking with other politicians at the Welsh Parliament four days into a Wales-wide alcohol ban in licensed premises.
'New energy and new ideas'
"We delivered Brexit, and now we'll get us on the road to recovery and build a better Wales," Mr Davies said.
"With new energy and new ideas, we'll help Welsh families and businesses recover from the pandemic and 22 years of Labour.
"We'll build a better Wales by encouraging economic growth and working with industry to create 65,000 more jobs by 2026.
"We'll invest in green industries and help our tourism sector recover, so more families can benefit from secure, well-paid jobs - it's not rocket science."
Mr Davies added: "More business means more jobs, which helps people out of poverty and pays for our public services".
Simon Hart says having Conservative ministers in Cardiff and London would benefit Wales
Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart said the nation would benefit from electing its first Conservative Welsh government, warning "we're not out of the woods yet" on coronavirus.
"Twenty-two years of Labour rule in Wales had left the country in fragile economic shape even before the pandemic," he said.
"We need a government in Cardiff Bay that will work hand in hand with the UK government to build a better Wales for everyone.
"Andrew RT Davies and his team are offering that chance in May."
The Conservatives currently hold 11 seats in the 60-member Welsh Parliament, where no party has ever won a majority.
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