AT A moment of global peril, this Welsh election matters more than ever before.

We can move forward with Welsh Labour, a party with a plan, or we can gamble on division and chaos with Reform and Plaid.

For years, the Welsh government has had to prioritise protecting communities from austerity, Brexit and the pandemic. But now, instead of focusing on crisis, we can look ahead to new opportunities on the horizon and start building Wales’s future. It’s not a time to change course.

We have laid the foundations to move Wales on from its industrial heritage to the industries of the future — renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and the creative industries.

These all produce thousands of jobs in Wales. Secure, skilled, well-paid jobs that are growing our economy. Take the offshore wind project off the coast of Pembrokeshire, the floating offshore wind project in Port Talbot, and the wind farm off the coast of Rhyl in north Wales. Just three of the many exciting new projects in the clean energy sector that will bring jobs, investment and a long-term commitment to producing our own energy here in Wales.

A future Welsh Labour government will create an Energy-Independent Wales. This will bring down bills and reduce our reliance on insecure global markets. Clean,  homegrown energy will also provide well-paid jobs in every part of Wales, and we’ll make sure renewable energy projects  benefit local communities.

Plaid Cymru and Reform UK would put this progress and thousands of jobs at risk.

When the world becomes more uncertain, people want stability, seriousness and governments that are focused on the real priorities: jobs, the NHS, security and strong democracy. 

Plaid Cymru offers something very different. Their central political project of independence would plunge Wales into years of constitutional upheaval and economic uncertainty. And time and again they show they would rather pick constitutional fights than solve real problems — just like when they failed to back a new law that would protect shopworkers from violence.

Reform offers anger, but no real answers. Their approach would stop the clean energy transition and put thousands of Welsh jobs at risk. They would divide our communities and hurt the economy. 

There’s another reason you can’t trust them. Plaid Cymru and Reform are misleading voters in this election by not being honest about the voting system. They both say it’s a two-horse race in this election. But that simply isn’t true. A proportional voting system means you don’t have to play games with your vote. It’s about who people think can run Wales properly for four years. Because in a serious moment, Wales needs serious leadership.

Take tackling the cost-of-living, as an example. Already under Welsh Labour, we’ve implemented measures to ease the pinch families are currently feeling.

Thousands of people in Wales today will walk into a pharmacy and not pay a penny for their prescription. Every single child in primary school is able to sit down to a meal at lunchtime entirely free of charge to their families. Pensioners are able to travel on buses for free, and under-21s have their bus fares capped at £1.

That’s not politics in theory. That’s Welsh Labour in action.

And we will go further. We’d cap bus fares for adults at £2 and roll out 100 new routes in Wales that prioritises connecting people to jobs and key services, such as hospitals and train stations. Rail fares have been frozen for another year.

We’ll lower energy bills by investing in renewables while upgrading energy efficiency in more homes, building on our Warm Homes advice service which has cut households’ energy bills by an average of £595 already.

And we’ll cut the cost of childcare. I’ve heard from so many families that affordable childcare is so important to them. Welsh Labour will build on what we already offer which gives most three and four-year-olds in Wales up to 30 hours per week of free childcare, and phase in funded childcare to babies aged from nine months old.

We’ll make childcare easier to access over the course of the next Senedd and introduce 20,000 new spaces as part of our phased plan.   

Welsh Labour is the only party with a credible, deliverable plan for a future Wales that tackles the cost-of-living rooted in fairness you can feel.

We’d also strike a new deal for our NHS, with an ambitious 10-year plan to build three new hospitals in Wales, roll out same-day mental health support, and drive forward progress on women’s health outcomes.

We’ll end homelessness by 2034, give a pay rise to those on the lowest incomes, and improve school standards.

And we will do it all without raising Welsh rates of income tax by a penny. Now, we have a choice about the kind of country we want to be. A Wales that creates opportunity, supports working families, that strengthens our NHS. 

Or a Wales held back by risk and division.

Plaid Cymru would focus on arguments about independence instead of the real priorities — jobs, the NHS, and security. Reform would divide our communities, turn people against each other, and put at risk the NHS we all rely on. Only Welsh Labour offers stability and experience with a clear vision for the next chapter of Wales rooted in fairness you can feel.

Eluned Morgan is First Minister of Wales.