Expose 'nasty' Tories says Harman

Ms Harman told the party's Welsh conference that the elections were an opportunity to expose the "shallowness" of David Cameron's Conservatives.

She said the Tories were "the same old nasty party, although they pretend that they've changed."

Ms Harman also said Labour challenges included doing more to help women into work, whatever their circumstances.

Ms Harman said the council elections in Wales and England gave Labour the chance to "expose the falseness and the shallowness of the Tories."

"We can expose the duplicity and opportunism of the Tories."

Ms Harman also said that helping women back to work, without fearing that it could affect their families, was among challenges facing the party.

"How can we ensure that when the stay at home mother becomes the working mother, and the stay at home daughter becomes the working daughter, that there is still enough time to bring up the children and care for older relatives?"

She added that there were "still too many children" being brought up in households where no-one works.

" Let no-one tell you that we will not be campaigning as hard as ever against Plaid Cymru"
Paul Murphy, Welsh Secretary

She also used her speech in Llandudno to pay tribute to Peter Hain, who resigned as Welsh Secretary last month over undeclared donations.

Ms Harman, who beat him to the deputy leader's post, said Mr Hain would remain a "progressive force" in Labour politics.

The conference also heard a first major speech from Mr Hain's successor, Paul Murphy.

He admitted that lessons had been learnt from Labour's assembly election campaign last year.

'Every step'

But he said that despite being in coalition with Plaid Cymru in Cardiff Bay, Labour would "fight them every step of the way" in the local election campaign.

"Let no-one tell you that we will not be campaigning as hard as ever against Plaid Cymru", said Mr Murphy said to loud applause.

"We may be sharing power with them in the assembly but there is no wider pact".

But it is the Liberal Democrats who are the main focus of Labour's attentions as they target four big councils: Bridgend, Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham.

Mr Murphy, who had been a vocal opponent of Labour's coalition deal with Plaid Cymru to form an assembly government, said he was a "devo-realist'".

He added that it was understandable that people wanted a debate about assembly powers but that Labour should remember that services and social justice were the priority.