Clear red water

The strategy was first formulated in the early 2000s, with the Rhodri Morgan-led Welsh government using it to distinguish itself from Tony Blair's New Labour.

"[18] Corbyn had previously stated that he admired Morgan's policy and had said he hoped to "narrow the red water" so "we can walk across it.

[20][21] At the 2021 Senedd election, Welsh Labour increased their share of the vote by around 5%, leaving them one seat short of a majority despite having been in government continuously for the previous 22 years.

[22] On 22 November 2021, Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru agreed a co-operation deal to implement "radical change" in the Senedd.

In response, Corbyn's former Chancellor, John McDonnell described this as "charting clear red water between Welsh Labour and the Tories.

"[24] In 2012, Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood criticised the strategy for not being concrete enough or for offering a sufficiently transformative vision for Wales, stating that it "has turned out to be a sort of diluted Fabianism with a Valleys accent.

[31] Plaid Cymru MS Sioned Williams has said: "[W]hen it comes to Westminster and the Union, Labour in Wales faces both ways.

"[34] In August 2017, then-Labour MP Chuka Umunna claimed that UK Labour needed to distinguish themselves from Conservative Party policies on Brexit, notably in supporting continued membership of the single market and the customs union.