Labour first minister tells supporters to vote for Plaid Cymru in slip-up

Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan accidentally told Labour members to "vote Plaid Cymru" at a campaign event ahead of the Senedd election.

In a speech to supporters in Barry Island, Vale of Glamorgan, she told the crowd to "vote Welsh Labour in the election next week" before changing to Welsh and saying "pleidleisiwch [vote] Plaid Cymru".

The Welsh Labour leader then corrected herself and said "Plaid Llafur" [Labour Party].

Speaking to ITV Wales after the gaffe, Morgan said: "We're all a little bit exhausted, once you switch into Welsh the word 'Cymru' comes off your lips.

"Obviously I'm very, very keen for people to vote Welsh Labour in this election."

Morgan's slip of the tongue came while launching a document detailing how much some of her party's policies would cost if Labour stayed in control of the Welsh government after 7 May.

The error was met with laughter from the crowd, who clapped and cheered at the end of her speech.

Speaking to the BBC later, she denied that things were against her in the campaign, saying: "Now is not the time to take a risk when people's bills are going up, when people are really up against it.

"To put people with no experience of running anything in charge, I think that is a huge risk at a time when what people need is stability, they need to know there will be jobs there for the future."

Labour has been in power in Wales for 27 years, but several opinion polls have it trailing in the Senedd election race to Plaid Cymru and Reform UK.