27 April 2007
Welsh Labour leaders have denied that they are examining options for coalition government if they fail to retain control of the Welsh Assembly after the May 3 elections.
Reports this week suggested they were considering a possible pact with Plaid Cymru if, as the polls suggest, they lose a large number of seats.
But party leader Rhodri Morgan retorted: 'Neither I nor anyone else acting with my authority has been engaged in any such considerations or discussions. Welsh Labour is aiming to form a government based on a mandate from the people of Wales.'
Plaid Cymru, for its part, said it would not 'prop up a failing Labour administration'.
Labour currently holds 29 of the 60 seats in the Assembly, but Plaid Cymru (12) and the Conservatives (11) are both set to make gains.
Political observers have suggested that senior civil servants in Cardiff have been preparing for three types of coalition. But the price of any such coalition would be potentially unacceptable for Labour. The Liberal Democrats, for example, who hold six seats, would want proportional representation in local government.
PFapr2007
