General election: Starmer promises to cut Welsh NHS waits

Health and education services have been run from Cardiff – and not Westminster – since Labour set up the former National Assembly for Wales in 1999.

Labour has run the Welsh government, and been the largest party in the Senedd, since then.

Most of the Welsh government’s cash comes from the UK government – Cardiff ministers have complained of being underfunded by the Conservatives in London.

Over the last year the Welsh government has made cuts to other public services to help prop up the health service.

Sir Keir Starmer, who is visiting south Wales, said: “These first steps will make a real difference to people’s lives.

“If you’re waiting for NHS treatment, if your child is at school and you want higher standards, if your local area is plagued by anti-social behaviour, if you want cheaper energy bills for good, these first steps show what two Labour governments, working together, will do to help you.”

Waiting times for hospital treatment in Wales hit new record highs earlier in May.

The number of patient pathways – a statistic that refers to the total number of waits, rather than people waiting – rose by 6,400 to 768,899.