A red letter day for Huw

Back in the day, you could drive around the Valleys all day before you passed through a non-Labour ward. Today, of the 267 councillors the five central County Boroughs of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Torfaen just 119 represent the Labour Party. And tomorrow party members in those parts of Wales will get a letter co-signed by 30 of them, backing Huw Lewis’s campaign.

The councillors write:

During this campaign, Huw has impressed us with his bold message of change, for our party and for Wales.

As local Councillors, we have seen at first hand the challenges that we face in our areas in these tough times. These are the challenges that brought us all into the Labour Party – because whatever problems we face, it is only Labour that will stand up for our people, in tough times and good.

Being a valleys man born and bred, Huw understands our communities and has the ideas, values and determination to fight hard for the valleys. His work with projects like Communities First and the Heads of the Valleys scheme are a testament to this, as of course is his tireless campaigning on the issue of child poverty.

In his manifesto, entitled ‘Let Labour be Labour’, Huw outlines a number of innovative and radical policies that have the power to build a fairer, more equal Wales.  He also sets out a plan to transform the Labour movement to fight back against our opponents.

Nothing especially startling in the pitch, but it’s a sign, say Team Lewis, of very solid support for the Merthyr AM among the party’s local government base.