Labour come out fighting against Reform and Plaid

After a few weeks of punching itself, Labour has come out fighting against its opponents.

Going on the front foot and landing blows on other parties is clearly seen as preferable to picking fights with your own side.

Fighting seemed to be the theme of the Welsh speeches with Eluned Morgan admitting that Labour had “one hell of a fight on our hands” because the polls “are not looking good”.

Then came the attack on the threats posed by Plaid Cymru and Reform, described by the Welsh secretary Jo Stevens as “nationalist bedfellows”; and “different poison, same bottle” by the first minister.

In short, Labour wants to warn you about what it sees as the danger of change: better the devil you know and careful what you wish for.

Reform would bring division, and a Plaid Cymru-led government economic ruin according to what Labour is saying here, although Plaid has pushed back against tax claims.

Senior sources say Labour needs to get across its “emotional” rather than “rational” response to Reform’s policies in particular, to try and combat the “vibes” that Reform thrives on.

They also want to convince voters tempted by Plaid, that difficult choices would await Rhun ap Iorwerth’s party in government on what to spend on and what to cut.

But it is also perhaps an acknowledgement that focusing too much on Labour’s 26 years in power is not winning over voters.

It echoes the approach taken by Keir Starmer who has come out swinging against Reform.

Labour in Wales is fighting on two fronts though, and has only eight months to turn things round, even less if you count the Caerphilly by-election in October.

On Sunday morning Keir Starmer urged his party to be “united not navel-gazing”.

Whether he has paid attention to the warnings from Wales about wake-up calls and electoral kickings is debatable, as he wouldn’t engage with questions about it when I spoke to him on Thursday.

On Sunday his Welsh secretary also dismissed reports of tensions between UK and Welsh Labour as “nonsense”.

So Labour’s approach appears to have changed ahead of next May.

They are taking the fight to their opponents.

It is one thing they can absolutely unite on.

They now need to persuade voters not to change their minds too.