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Morgan concentrates on Plaid deal Morgan concentrates on Plaid deal
(about 2 hours later)
First Minister Rhodri Morgan has told BBC Wales he is concentrating on finalising a coalition deal with Plaid, but his door "is open" to the Lib Dems. As Welsh Labour chiefs meet to discuss a coalition with Plaid Cymru, First Minister Rhodri Morgan has said he is "between a rock and a hard place".
Mr Morgan said his party was between "a rock and a hard place" following Labour's failure to gain an outright majority in last month's election. Mr Morgan said he was concentrating on finalising a deal with Plaid, but his door was "open" to the Lib Dems.
But he said only a "tiny minority" of his party believed Labour's future would be best served in opposition. Labour failed to gain an outright majority in last month's election.
Welsh Labour's National Executive meets on Friday to consider a coalition. Friday's meeting of Welsh Labour's National Executive comes as senior union figures in Wales say they believe trade unions will back a Plaid deal.
Speaking to the Dragon's Eye programme, Mr Morgan said he was duty bound to implement the Labour Party's manifesto, "even if it is at the price of implementing somebody else's manifesto as well". Welsh Labour's executive will also discuss whether to call a special conference to allow members to decide whether to go ahead with a coalition.
I won't go into the details of my discussions with Gordon Brown Rhodri Morgan If there is a conference, delegations from trades unions in Wales would control between 50,000 and 80,000 votes, which would almost certainly swing the decision one way or the other.
There is a tiny minority that probably does believe in walking away, but I think that's a tiny minority Rhodri Morgan
Bill King, the Unison Convenor for Wales, said he could see "no reason" why a Plaid-Labour deal could not last for four years, providing there was reasonable compromise and commitment.
"What we need is a sustainable government in Wales that is actually going to deliver policies that will benefit the people from Wales and if that means going into coalition, then that's what we have to do," he said.
And Cath Speight, the regional secretary of Amicus, which is the largest affiliate to the Labour party in Wales, said she could understand if some members were uneasy about a coalition, but said Labour had to remain in power.
"I think the most important thing is for our members is that we deliver as much of the Labour party manifesto as is possible in the next four years," she said.
"The damage that could be done by the rainbow coalition in four years in power, I don't think that's a price that my members would be willing to pay."
"Rock and a hard place"
Speaking to BBC Wales' Dragon's Eye programme, Mr Morgan said he felt only a "tiny minority" of his party believed Labour's future would be best served in opposition.
Mr Morgan said he was duty bound to implement the Labour party's manifesto, "even if it is at the price of implementing somebody else's manifesto as well".
"In terms of the attitude of the Labour party, they all understand that we are between a rock and a hard place and that there is a tiny minority that probably does believe in walking away, but I think that's a tiny minority," he said."In terms of the attitude of the Labour party, they all understand that we are between a rock and a hard place and that there is a tiny minority that probably does believe in walking away, but I think that's a tiny minority," he said.
"I think the majority say....we must not allow the Tories to get back into a position of being ministers looking after public services in Wales. "I think the majority say....we must not allow the Tories to get back into a position of being ministers looking after public services in Wales."
"That would be the ultimate folly, if there was anything we could do to stop that happening."
Mr Morgan said he hoped to have an agreement with Plaid in place by Friday afternoon which he "can sell" to his party's Welsh executive.Mr Morgan said he hoped to have an agreement with Plaid in place by Friday afternoon which he "can sell" to his party's Welsh executive.
"We know that either Ieuan Wyn Jones and his ministerial team will be First Minister and ministers at the head of a rainbow alliance, or might be junior ministers in a coalition with Labour, with Labour being the senior party," he said. Mr Morgan added it was up to Liberal Democrat leader Mike German to contact him if he wanted to re-open the door to negotiations.
'Concentrating' Mr Morgan added he had discussed the way ahead for Labour in the assembly with Gordon Brown, but refused to elaborate on those discussions.
Mr Morgan also said it was up to Liberal Democrat leader Mike German to contact him if he wanted to open the door to negotiations.
"At the moment we are concentrating on seeing whether we can do an agreement with Plaid Cymru and if you are concentrating on something like that, then I think that is what we really have to focus on."
Mr Morgan added that he had discussed the way ahead for Labour in the assembly with Gordon Brown, but he refused to elaborate on those discussions.
"I have had a few conversations with Gordon Brown, because obviously he is going to be the relevant prime minister to the period during which this agreement might run if we can reach an agreement," he said.
"I won't go into the details of my discussions with Gordon Brown."