The Welsh Labour government has come under fire from opposition parties after introducing changes to how NHS waiting time statistics are released.
Critics have accused ministers of “manipulation” and “electioneering” in the run-up to the 2026 Senedd election.
The government has begun publishing provisional health data a month earlier than the official figures, which traditionally carry a seven-week delay. Without this change, Labour could have entered the election campaign without confirmed data to show whether it had achieved its key health pledges: reducing the overall NHS waiting list by 200,000 and cutting two-year waits to zero.
The Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru have both criticised the move, claiming it is designed to make Labour appear more successful before voters head to the polls in May. However, the Welsh government strongly rejected those claims.
In April, Health Secretary Jeremy Miles set targets to be met by the end of March 2026. Under the previous reporting system, it would not have been possible to officially confirm progress on those targets before the election date of 7 May, as full data would only be verified seven weeks later.
If the provisional statistics indicate that the waiting list targets have been achieved, Labour will be able to present this as a major success story during the campaign. However, the move also carries political risk: if the early data shows the targets have not been met, the government could face a damaging backlash just weeks before the election.
The row highlights growing tensions over the state of the NHS in Wales, with waiting times and health service pressures set to be a central issue in the 2026 Senedd election.
