Clear red water

This article is part of
a series about
Rhodri Morgan
Leader of Welsh Labour (2000–2009)
This article is part of
a series about
Mark Drakeford
Leader of Welsh Labour (2018–2024)

In Welsh politics, the term clear red water (Welsh: dŵr coch clir) refers to the Welsh Labour strategy of distancing itself from the UK Labour Party and adopting both more progressive and more distinctly Welsh policies. The strategy was first formulated in the early 2000s, with the Rhodri Morgan-led Welsh government using it to distinguish itself from Tony Blair's centrist New Labour project. The term itself is credited to Mark Drakeford MS, Morgan's special adviser at the time.

The strategy was further developed under Rhodri Morgan's successors Carwyn Jones and Mark Drakeford before being abandoned by Vaughan Gething in 2024 in favour of a closer relationship with the UK Labour Party under Keir Starmer. Gething's successor Eluned Morgan revived the strategy in 2025, promoting what she called a "red Welsh way" as she distanced Welsh Labour from Starmer's centrist leadership and moved Welsh Labour back to the left.

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