Privately, senior Welsh Labour figures at the party’s Cardiff headquarters acknowledge the party has its work cut out.<\/p>\n
One said it needed to be rebuilt “pretty much from dust” and that “it could take years” for Welsh Labour to win back the support it lost in May.<\/p>\n
However, there is also some optimism following Andy Burnham’s appointment as prime minister.<\/p>\n
A separate source said that enthusiasm for knocking doors was at rock bottom in May, but that had now changed.<\/p>\n
They also said that Skates had made “no mistakes so far”, and so, while next May will be tough, “there is a pathway to it not being an abysmal event for Welsh Labour”.<\/p>\n
In his speech on Sunday, Skates will make the case for transferring powers within Wales.<\/p>\n
“We didn’t create devolution just to reproduce a Welsh Westminster,” he will say.<\/p>\n
“Our Welsh government must be strong enough to lead and redistribute and strength doesn’t have to mean central control.<\/p>\n
“The principle is simple: Power from Westminster to Wales, power from Cardiff into our communities, power into the hands of people themselves.”<\/p>\n