Scottish and Welsh Labour leaders set a renewal agenda in first conference speeches

Newly elected Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra and Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates used their first conference speeches as leaders to confront difficult election results and to map out what they want Labour to offer voters next. Both framed their remarks around renewal rather than reconstruction of past approaches.

Marra: give voters something to be for

Marra argued that Scotland has often been defined by what Labour is against rather than what it stands for. He said the party must provide a positive platform built on social justice, good work, good housing, and good public services. A central plank of his pitch was education: Marra pledged to put education "back at the heart of Scottish politics" and to make Scottish education "the best in the world again."

Skates: build something new and distribute power

Ken Skates described the May election result as "shattering" and said there was "no point dressing it up." He rejected the idea of reconstructing a Welsh Labour that merely looks like the past. Instead, he called to "build something new. Something confident. Something exciting."

• Education reform and elevated political priority for schools in Scotland.
• New devolution deals to move decisions and finances closer to local communities in Scotland and Wales.
• Labour interventions to protect workers' employment terms, as illustrated by the Glasgow City Council dispute.
• An explicit focus on delivering tangible outcomes so that hope becomes verifiable progress.

The speeches aim to reposition Scottish and Welsh Labour as forward-looking and policy-driven after disappointing results. Both leaders sought to convert accountability for past losses into a mandate to reshape party strategy: present clear, positive policy offers and devolve more power locally to show measurable improvement.

Marra and Skates used their first conference platform to admit electoral setbacks and set out a practical renewal agenda. They prioritise clear policy offers—particularly in education and local economic power—and promise action that produces results voters can judge for themselves.