Welsh Labour is reportedly being regularly 'told off' every time Mark Drakeford suggests that the UK is made up of four separate countries.
Mark Drakeford has been a fierce advocate for what he calls "home rule". This would mean that there would be significantly more devolution of powers from London to Wales, Scotland and NI. The policy is underpinned by the First Minister's deeply held belief that the UK is not a merely a county in and of itself but a genuine union of four nations who each have sovereignty.
Though it has been a very popular stance in Wales with Welsh Labour outmanoeuvring Plaid Cymru and contributing to a big win for Welsh Labour in 2021, it appears that Labour politicians in other parts of the UK are not too happy with Wales' First Minister's rhetoric.
Writing in the pro-Scottish independence newspaper The National, Gerry Hassan quoted a number of sources that pointed to concerns within the wider Labour party every time Mark Drakeford pursued his overtly pro devo-max line. The article said that everytime "Drakeford talks with ease about a 'union of four territories', the importance of sovereignty and even of Scotland having the right to decide its own future" it is a "red rag to a bull to Scottish Labour". A Scottish Labour insider says that: “When Drakeford goes down this line, the Scottish party gets on the phone and complains to Starmer’s office.”
Another source within the Welsh Labour party is also quoted as saying that parts of Stamer's team call up Welsh Labour to chastise them. They reportedly said: “We are fed up being told off and being told to cling on to what is in effect a Tory interpretation of the constitution which does not help Labour in Wales or elsewhere.”
The reason this is such a thorny issue within the Labour Party is because of the party's different political opponents in Wales and Scotland. In Wales, there are differences between the attitude to independence here and the way it is viewed in Scotland. In Scotland, Labour's inability to really get a coherent answer to increasing calls for the indy led to the party nearly being wiped out electorally by the SNP.
In Wales, Labour has largely avoided being dragged into a war with Plaid Cymru that has led to it criticising nationalism in the way that Labour's aggressive approach to the SNP in Scotland allowed it to be painted as a UK party. Combined with Mark Drakeford's naturally pro devolution outlook, it means that he isn't singing for the same hymn sheet as his counterparts in London and Edinburgh.
What does this mean if Labour win the next election?
We have already seen the potential fault lines within Labour if they win a majority at the next General Election. Speaking to WalesOnline earlier this year Sir Kier Starmer refused to guarantee Wales would get its fair share of HS2 funding. This has been something Mark Drakeford has been lambasting the UK Government for and if his own party also refuses to provide the funds it could cause some serious tension between Labour in Cardiff Bay and London.
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