WELSH First Minister Carwyn Jones has called for the party to unite in the wake of Jeremy Corbyn’s victory over leadership challenger Owen Smith.

Addressing members at the Labour Party Annual Conference in Liverpool on Sunday, Mr Jones praised both Mr Corbyn and Pontypridd MP Mr Smith for the way they conducted their respective campaigns.

Many of Gwent’s own Labour members including Torfaen MP Nick Thomas-Symonds, Caerphilly MP Wayne David and Blaenau Gwent MP Nick Smith resigned from Mr Corbyn’s shadow cabinet in June of this year.

But the leader of the party in Wales, Mr Jones, has called for everyone to come together and focus ‘on the things that matter’ in challenging the current UK Conservative government.

Mr Jones said: “None of us want to live through any more bitter days for the Labour Party. The only threat we should present is to the Conservative Government.

“This country needs the Labour Party, but we don’t have a god-given right to exist. It is time for us to focus on the things that really matter, and as Aneurin Bevan said, only the successful pursuit of power can truly give you that focus.”

During his speech, the Welsh Assembly member for Bridgend stated that he was looking forward to working with Mr Corbyn with the aim of rebuilding Labour into a winning machine while promising to move forward with the Welsh Labour programme.

Mr Jones added that the challenge for leaders including himself, London mayor Sadiq Kahn and for council leaders across the country is to keep delivering on what they promised.

He added: “That’s the way we win people back, remind them that with power Labour can act on their priorities.”

Mr Jones added: “We out-performed expectations, we defied the prediction that this would be a change election in Wales and in every single Labour-Tory marginal, Labour came out on top.

“Our manifesto was based on a simple premise, that at every step in a person’s life when they need most support, that would be our priority for investment over the next five years.”