In just over a week’s time, Wales faces a fundamental choice about the future of its public services. The cost of delivering public services in government is rising, driven by aging technology and fragmented systems that create friction for the public and staff alike.
Last year, we published our report - Transforming Public Services for a Modern Wales - as a manual for national renewal. We argued that for Wales to thrive, it must move past “digital wallpaper” - the practice of putting a shiny online service on top of a broken process - and focus on the underlying “plumbing”: funding teams over projects and building shared digital infrastructure.
As the manifestos for the 2026 election have been released, we have a responsibility to look past the campaign slogans and buzzwords. We need to ask: do these plans address the machinery of government, or are they simply promising more of the same?
This post provides a factual review of the major party manifestos through the lens of our report. We are looking for systemic thinking, a commitment to user-centered design, and a realistic understanding of what it takes to deliver technology in a modern state.
This analysis is not a political endorsement, but a factual review of how each party intends to modernise the machinery of government.
General themes
Our review of the 2026 manifestos reveals that while technology is mentioned frequently, digital - in the holistic sense of modern ways of working, culture, and delivery models - largely takes a back seat. Political promises remain focused on “shiny” technology and physical infrastructure, while the systemic reform required to make the state truly resilient is often missing.
Four key themes emerge from this landscape:
1. The hype of the “Silver Bullet”
There is a prominent focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a cure-all for public service friction (Welsh Labour, Reform UK). While acknowledging AI is necessary, many manifestos treat it as a tool to be “bolted on” to existing systems. This risks prioritising high-tech hype over the essential, unglamorous work of fixing the “digital plumbing” - the shared identity, payment, and data systems that actually break vendor lock-in, reduce costs and deliver better public services.
2. Procurement as a local lever
A welcome consensus has formed across almost all parties that government procurement must be modernised (Plaid Cymru, Welsh Liberal Democrats, Welsh Conservatives, Green Party). There is broad agreement on lowering barriers for local SMEs and measuring “social value” rather than just the lowest price.
3. Radical transparency versus systemic reform
Parties are increasingly promising data portals and dashboards to drive public accountability (Welsh Conservatives, Plaid Cymru, Reform UK). While “working in the open” is a core recommendation of our report, these tools are often presented as a way to monitor performance rather than a way to fundamentally redesign services around user needs. The focus remains on “outputs” (what the state did) rather than the “outcomes” (how it helped the public).
4. The ‘state capacity’ crossroads
The most significant divide is the debate over internal state capacity. Some parties advocate for building expertise through multidisciplinary teams, ministerial roles, and co-production (Welsh Labour, Green Party, Plaid Cymru). Others propose radical civil service headcount reductions and pay freezes to “cut waste” (Welsh Conservatives, Reform UK). You cannot build a modern state with a shrinking, underpaid workforce. The success of any digital strategy hinges on the ability to recruit and retain the high-level technical talent needed to fix the state’s plumbing in-house.
Welsh Labour
Welsh Labour’s manifesto pledges to appoint a Minister for Digital to lead transformation and ensure a “fair digital transition”. Their strategy is heavily centred on AI, including a “Responsible AI Charter” for public services, a national AI curriculum, and an AI Innovation Fund for community and SME projects. They also prioritise digitising the NHS and social care and intend to connect 10,000 more households to high-speed broadband.
We’re pleased to see the promise of a dedicated Minister for Digital, a structural change we explicitly called for in our report to provide the clear leadership digital transformation needs in Wales. The manifesto’s commitment to focusing on the digitisation of critical sectors like the NHS and social care is also a major positive, as these are areas where digital approaches can deliver the most significant benefits for the public.
However, we are concerned that the manifesto treats AI as a silver bullet. Our work has consistently cautioned against relying on AI to fix broken, manual processes. Digital transformation is about fundamentally rethinking ways of working, not just applying new technology to old problems. There is also a lack of clear recognition regarding the need to build “digital plumbing” required for truly modern, joined-up services.
Finally, while the manifesto correctly celebrates the creation of the Centre for Digital Public Services (CDPS), its future direction is now unclear. CDPS has been merged into the centre of the Welsh Government, but the manifesto’s singular focus on AI suggests that the new Digital Public Services unit could end up only embedding AI into the public sector. This would be a significant step backwards from the broader, user-centred transformation Wales actually needs.
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru’s manifesto is anchored by the systemic ambition of “One Welsh Public Service,” aiming to unite public sector organisations under a single, cohesive culture and shared values. This approach is designed to dismantle the departmental silos that currently hinder service delivery. Their strategy is complemented by a specific “First 100 Days” plan, which proposes immediate trials and reviews - such as an investigation into farm bureaucracy - and “test and learn” delivery approaches. They also pledge to reform procurement to support local Welsh businesses and move toward multi-year funding cycles.
We’re very pleased to see a “test and learn” approach featured so prominently in the 100-day plan. This iterative methodology is fundamental to delivering better public services and represents a sophisticated shift away from “big bang” project failures. The language used in their 100-day plan - referencing better government through principles like being people-centred, open, transparent, and focused on measurable outcomes - is very welcome and aligns directly with the “better way” we set out in our report. Furthermore, like several other parties, Plaid’s focus on using the state’s procurement power to support local SMEs is a pragmatic step toward building a sovereign Welsh tech economy.
However, the lack of explicit, high-level digital leadership roles and a strategy for “digital plumbing” (the reusable components like identity and payments) is disappointing. Without a dedicated Minister for Digital or a National Chief Digital Officer, there is a risk that these cultural ambitions will lack the technical engine required to deliver them. That said, the proposed creation of a Cabinet Office could provide a logical structural home for these leadership roles and the cross-government coordination needed to truly modernise the machinery of the Welsh state.
The Green Party
The Green Party’s digital commitments focus on using AI “responsibly” to improve public services and accelerate a just transition. Their manifesto includes a pledge to expand democratic participation through automatic voter registration across Wales. They also intend to simplify government processes for specific sectors, such as investing in digital tools to reduce administrative burdens for farmers, and transforming public procurement to prioritise local suppliers, SMEs, and social enterprises based on social value rather than just price.
We’re encouraged by the Green Party’s commitment to co-production, which proposes that services - from local cultural plans to cancer strategies - should be developed through genuine partnership with the communities that use them. This directly mirrors our recommendation to start service design with people rather than pre-determined technology. Their health and care workforce plan is also notable for explicitly supporting “multidisciplinary working”. This aligns with our core principle of using cross-functional teams as the primary unit of delivery, moving away from siloed departments. Furthermore, their long term planning horizons for health and environmental policy reflect the systemic, long-term thinking required to move beyond short-term crisis management.
Another positive alignment is the principle and focus on digital inclusion. The manifesto pledges that everyone should have the right to access online archives, performances, learning resources, and translation technologies. This focus on equity ensures that transformation does not leave vulnerable groups behind.
However, like many other manifestos, the Green Party’s platform is light on digital overall. It lacks a central leadership structure, misses the fundamental overhaul of “digital plumbing” and infrastructure needed to modernise the state.
Welsh Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats focus on using NHS data to identify delivery inequalities and inform person-centred care. They pledge to ensure universal gigabit broadband for all homes and businesses, including rural and remote communities. A major digital element is the reform of procurement rules to favour Welsh SMEs and the creation of regional technical skills hubs to meet employer demand.
There is a positive focus on transparency in this manifesto, particularly the commitment to using NHS data to inform person-centred care. This is a promising signal of a shift towards focusing on outcomes over outputs, a move we believe is essential for fundamentally changing how services are delivered and measured in Wales. We’re also keen to see the pledge to modernise procurement rules to specifically support local SMEs. This is an important step that we advocated for in our report, and it is worth noting that other parties, such as the Conservatives and Plaid Cymru, have also included similar hints at procurement reform.
However, beyond these specific areas, much remains unanswered. While data improvements and procurement reform are vital, the broader concept of digital barely gets a mention in the manifesto. The document focuses almost entirely on physical connectivity (broadband) and specific data sets rather than the wider systemic shifts - such as service design, agile ways of working, or the internal culture of the public service - that are required for a modern state.
Welsh Conservatives
The Conservative manifesto focuses on efficiency through an NHS Efficiency Taskforce to “drive out waste”. They pledge to establish a Welsh Schools Performance Portal to help parents compare data on exam results, attendance, and financial performance. Digital infrastructure is primarily defined by pledges to address mobile blackspots and broadband speeds, while procurement rules would be amended to give priority to local Welsh firms.
The manifesto contains welcome hints of the radical transparency we called for in our report - particularly regarding the publication of school performance data - though these commitments remain limited to specific areas. It is also positive to see a pledge for three-year indicative budgets for local authorities. This is a constructive step away from the short-term annual budget cycles that often prevent strategic, long-term transformation. But this multi-year certainty is required across the entire public service to be truly effective.
We are, however, very concerned by the pledge to reduce the civil service headcount and freeze senior salaries. Our report argues that Wales must build internal state capacity by offering competitive pay for digital specialists. If the state cannot recruit the high-level talent needed to fix the underlying “plumbing,” it will remain stuck in a cycle of inefficiency and over-reliance on expensive external suppliers, and digital transformation will ultimately stall.
Reform UK
Reform UK proposes a radical overhaul of the machinery of government, focusing on cutting regulatory costs and prioritising immediate action over policy development. A key digital element in their platform is the modernisation of NHS digital infrastructure, with specific pledges to standardise IT systems across the health service and implement a national electronic patient record system. They also intend to modernise the NHS Wales app and introduce performance dashboards to increase public accountability. Additionally, they seek to break up the role of the Cabinet Secretary into multiple roles to increase specific accountability.
We note the manifesto’s acknowledgment that government strategies have often become a substitute for action. This mirrors our own critique and the tendency for lengthy policy documents to delay the hard work of service delivery. Moving away from a culture of endless strategy toward one of tangible intervention is a necessary step toward a more responsive state.
However, the manifesto’s definition of “digital” is very narrow, focusing almost entirely on IT change. While standardising systems is important, focusing on tools rather than a wider shift toward user-centred design and agile ways of working risks simply digitising existing bureaucracy rather than fundamentally improving the service experience for citizens.
The huge cuts to the public service - specifically the pledge to reduce the civil service headcount by 10% and implement pay freezes - remain a point of significant concern. This mirrors the Welsh Conservatives’ similar pledges to reduce the size of the civil service and implement pay restraint. Our report argues that Wales suffers from a chronic lack of internal state capacity. Transformation requires highly skilled, in-house digital specialists; radical headcount reductions make it impossible to recruit this talent, likely forcing the state back into an expensive over-reliance on external consultants. Furthermore, these reductions could have a huge impact on frontline public services, potentially degrading the very services and outcomes the party seeks to improve.
Summary: who will fix the plumbing?
The 2026 manifestos show a growing awareness of the need for change, but ambitions remain fragmented. While we see welcome promises of new leadership roles and a consensus on procurement reform, the holistic shift towards modern digital delivery - including culture, process, and internal capacity - is still missing from the mainstream political conversation.
Welsh Labour offers the ministerial leadership we called for but relies on AI hype. Plaid Cymru has the vision for a unified state but lacks the technical capability and capacity to build it. The Greens understand how teams should work, while the Lib Dems focus on the local economy, yet both miss the need for central coordination. Finally, the Conservatives and Reform UK focus on cuts that could starve the state of the expertise required for real transformation.
The party that wins in May will inherit a system under pressure. Success in digital over the next five years will not be measured by the number of AI charters launched or the amount of “waste” cut from the headcount.
It will be measured by whether the next government has the courage to fund the unglamorous work of fixing the “digital plumbing”. Wales needs a state capacity that is resilient, user-centered, and built for the 21st century. The time for digital wallpaper is over.