Is Keir Starmer and Labour losing the support of voters in Wales?

People in Wrexham sharing their thoughts on Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour Government with ITV Wales' Joanne Gallacher

"It's disgusting what they've done with pensioners."

"They're not for the working man."

"He should've been honest with people and said what they were going to do before they got in."

Just some of the views of people in Wrexham on Monday about Sir Keir Starmer and his government.

It comes as the Party holds it's annual conference just under an hour away up the M53 in Liverpool where Labour loyalists are meeting to hear the party's plan for the year ahead.

At what should be an event filled with a sense of renewal and looking forward to the future, the Prime Minister and his government is having to defend its record since being elected just over two months ago.

And it's not only controversial policies he's having to defend. Sir Keir is now facing questions around his integrity when it comes to accepting donations.

There are calls for an investigation after the PM allegedly broke parliamentary rules by failing to declare donations of clothing for his wife.

The gifts for Victoria Starmer from prominent Labour donor Lord Alli of around £39,000 since 2019 were not initially declared in the register of MPs' interests.

But for the PM, he maintains that he's followed all the rules on accepting donations.

However he's also come under fire for accepting free corporate box tickets, worth thousands of pounds, at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.

He told ITV News last week that "I've had season tickets at Arsenal for a long time now, where I've gone with my boy and my friends for year after year after year."

He added: "Now I'm prime minister the security advice is that I can't go into the stands. Or if I did you'd have to put so much sort of security in that it would cost the taxpayer a fortune."

Have you heard our podcast Talking Politics? Tom, Robert and Anushka dig into the biggest issues dominating the political agenda in every episode…

The problem for the PM is that in the run-up to the election, he campaigned on wanting to restore trust in politics and politicians. Headlines of failing to promptly disclose gifts and donations may not give the impression of cleaning up politics as he intended.

For some voters it's a situation that certainly might leave a bad taste in the mouth and it comes off the back of policies that have not sat well even with the most ardent of Labour supporters.

A particular issue that has dominated the headlines has been the changes to the winter fuel allowance.

One woman in Wrexham told ITV Wales' Joanne Gallacher that she thought it is"disgusting what they've done with the pensioners and how they've cut their heating allowance."

The decision to make the allowance means-tested has meant the one off tax-free payment of £200 or £300 is no longer available to millions of pensioners across England and Wales.

It's a policy that hasn't gone down well even with the party faithful, with more than 50 Labour MPs abstaining on the vote to cut the payment earlier this month.

But the government says the move is necessary to help fill a £22 billion "black hole" left by the Conservatives.

For one man that Joanne spoke with in Wrexham he says he was very hopeful when he voted for Labour back in July, but now he's concerned about what the future holds.

"The way the Prime Minister keeps talking is preparing us for something big which is getting us worried.

"I think he's preparing us for something we don't know about, what they didn't say before they came into power.

"I voted for them but now I'm on the edge."

Feelings of being mis-sold on policy areas during the run-up to the election is something shared by two women that Joanne also spoke with.

One of the women told her that she and her brother "have to pay for one of mum's bills because she can't afford it.

"It's just bad, they didn't even say that did they when they were doing the election, what they were going to bring in. People voted them in and it's gone to this.

"He should've been honest with people and said what they were going to do before they got in."

However for one man that Joanne spoke with, he says the party needs to be given more time to prove themselves.

"They're only just starting and I realise they've got a difficult job to do but I think I have to give them a chance, they say they're going to be a fresh start. I'm willing to give them a chance."

And for Wales' First Minister, she shares the optimism and says it is apparent at the party conference in Liverpool.

"This is the first time in 15 years that we've got a Labour government at our conference and that's making a huge difference because in particular for us in Wales that partnership is going to be so important going forward.

"We can work together on the missions of the UK Government and the priorities that we've set now.

"There is a lot of hope and I can tell you the 200,000 public sector workers in Wales are feeling a lot more buoyant today because we have been able to give those people a above inflation pay rise, that's because of a Labour government."

Despite the FM's optimism, Sir Keir and his government have admitted that "things will get worse before they get better."

A big question mark hangs over how long and what impact that may have on the 2026 Senedd Election.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...