It needs no repeating that May 7th 2026 will be an historic day in Wales. The country is now in agreement that over a century of Labour dominance in Wales, it is set to end.
First Minister Eluned Morgan’s claim that we need a new chapter of devolution is completely correct. However, she is correct for all the wrong reasons. After May, Welsh Government policy must change and develop the settlement which continues to hold Wales back. There would not be calls for a new chapter of devolution from the very people who have held the power for the last 27 years unless something more fundamental had to change.
Writing a new chapter of devolution in Wales is not simply about who is in charge, but on what policies the Welsh Government can legislate. This is perhaps best exemplified through the ongoing debate around devolution of policing and justice in Wales, which has only intensified since the Commission on Justice in Wales in 2017. In January 2026, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood rejected calls for the devolution of policing in Wales. This has quite rightly caused outrage across the political spectrum in Wales. Notably, policing is devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland. But the need for the devolution of justice and policing goes further than just being level with Scotland and Northern Ireland. To properly support those being released from prison, and crucially, young offenders, devolving justice is imperative. Without properly pursuing this critical issue, we cannot begin to consider there being a new chapter of devolution in Wales.
The current nature of youth justice in Wales is incredibly unbalanced. Criminal justice is a reserved matter, but because the Welsh Government has legislative powers on education, health and social services, there lacks a coordinated strategy across all levels of government to best support young offenders. In June 2025, the Welsh Government published their framework on prevention of youth offending, emphasising the importance of children having contact with the youth justice system in Wales. Welsh Government is encouraging interaction with the youth justice system despite having no power over the youth justice system. The very existence of a framework on a matter over which they have no control seems entirely unhelpful; demonstrating the split between Welsh and UK Government policy, except without the power to do anything about it.
We cannot afford to play politics on an issue like this. Data to highlight the needs of children who have been sentenced by courts in England and Wales found that 72% faced mental health issues, 68% faced education and employment issues, and 50% faced accommodation problems. If these issues are not properly addressed when the young people first interact with the youth justice system, we cannot adequately support them on a path to a safe and sustainable future. The impact of this uneven devolution of youth services is now becoming clear. The responsibility of the Welsh Government is effectively to pick up the pieces after children return to, what should be, a normal life.
New chapters of devolution aren’t about which party leads the government. The 7th of May will be historic, and a pathway for change, certainly. But a new chapter of devolution in Wales must involve action, and this is a matter which certainly needs addressing but it paints the questions of who and how.