First minister's 'car crash interview' highlights old Labour divisions

Eluned Morgan has now twice declined the opportunity to give her full-throated backing to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in the space of a week.

During that time the Welsh first minister also delivered a major speech in London, repeating her calls for devolution of policing, but then refused to directly engage with questions – in two interviews - about Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's dismissal of those very demands.

One Labour source called Morgan's Wednesday morning Radio 4 interview a "car crash", complaining that the first minister did not sound as if she was speaking her mind.

The same source described her position on Sir Keir as "extraordinary," arguing that she could have backed him, and then urged him to go further on more powers and increased funding.

No doubt when Sir Keir next visits Wales there will be questions from journalists about his relationship with Morgan and the wider UK Labour-Welsh Labour dynamic.

Is that a distraction Labour wants during a Welsh Parliament election campaign?

Morgan is caught in a dilemma of when to land her metaphorical punches.

She needs UK Labour to deliver on more powers, funding and projects – as has happened with the Wylfa nuclear power station and rail funding.

And she needs to make the case for all of that – think policing, the wider justice system and the Crown Estate.

Anecdotally many Labour campaigners were told by voters during the Caerphilly by-election that they were not impressed with Sir Keir.

But when to pick the fight?

Morgan was certainly up for it when she spoke at the Institute for Government last week, and in her "Red Welsh Way" address last year - but less keen on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning after the comments from Mahmood.

Could voters be confused?

The opposition are certainly seizing on it, with accusations from Plaid Cymru that Morgan has no influence and from the Conservatives that she's paving the way to independence - something both the Tories and Labour fundamentally disagree with – because of her demands.

One of her backbenchers appears to have sympathy with her position.

On Tuesday, Mick Antoniw criticised Mahmood over policing, urging Morgan to "drive" the conversation and bring some "common sense" to the UK government's consultation.

Then on Wednesday he said that Welsh Labour were "not looking for arguments", but had to "consistently put our case at every opportunity".

It isn't always possible to do that at the same time.

Divisions over devolution within Labour are not new.

Both the UK and Welsh sides of the party make the argument that families always have disagreements, and that this 'family' is strong enough to deal with it.

But with Labour fighting for its political life in Wales, it is hardly presenting a united front to voters as that Senedd election looms

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