First Minister Carwyn Jones used Welsh Labour’s election campaign launch in Ammanford to reiterate the party’s stance that the forthcoming election was a straightforward two-horse race between Ed Milliband and David Cameron.

Mr Jones and Shadow Welsh Secretary Owen Smith joined Carmarthen East and Dinefwr candidate Calum Higgins in Ammanford on Monday to kick-start the campaign while PM David Cameron was meeting the Queen to dissolve Parliament and signal the beginning of the charge for Downing Street in earnest.

“The reality is there is going to be a Labour Prime Minster or a Conservative Prime Minister,” Mr Jones, whose parents both grew up in the upper Amman Valley, told the Guardian.

“The smaller parties are talking about who might hold the balance of power following the election, but we actually want to govern.

“This election is not about Labour or Plaid it is a choice between Labour and the Tories.

“This will be a long campaign with a lot to play for. There are still lots of people who have not yet made up their minds and we need to convince them to vote Labour.”

Owen Smith said: “In Wales we have been able to mitigate some of the worst excesses of the coalition government.

“We need a Labour government in Wales and a Labour government across the whole of the UK so that we can deliver for the people of Wales and the people of the rest of Britain.”

Calum Higgins said: “It was a real pleasure to have the national attention on Ammanford and to highlight how important this seat is in the battle for 10 Downing Street.

“Carmarthen East and Dinefwr is one of the few seats that will determine if the Tories get another five years to decimate our public services, or if we can deliver a fairer economy with Labour.

“There’s only one way to kick out the Tory Government and that is by electing as many Labour MPs as possible at Westminster.”