First Minister defends record on ‘standing up for Wales’
Emily Price
The First Minister has made a robust defence against accusations that she isn’t battling for Wales to receive fair funding from Westminster.
Baroness Eluned Morgan’s comments came during Questions to the First Minister on Tuesday (March 25) whist she was quizzed by Plaid Cymru’s leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth.
He pressed the FM on whether she had had any contact with her “friend” Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wales’ funding ahead of the UK Government’s spring statement.
Mr ap Iorwerth asked: “Does Keir Starmer’s respect and Rachel Reeves’ friendship only extend to Labour colleagues, rather than to the people of Wales as a whole?”
Rail
Baroness Morgan said she had set out “very clearly” to the Chancellor what the Welsh Government would like to see in terms of funding.
She said: “It does include things like additional funding for rail, it does include things like seeing the Crown Estate being devolved to Wales.
“All of those things, I have set out very clearly. We are in the same political party, but devolution means there are times when we will simply not agree. And I will continue to make the case for Wales.”
Plaid’s leader hit back saying it appeared the Welsh Government was putting “party before country”.
He said: “We have a First Minister defending time and time again decisions taken by the Labour-run Treasury.
“Does she not think that this is her role – just leave things to chance, Wales at the mercy of the UK Government completely?”
Controversial
Mr ap Iorwerth said tomorrow’s spring statement would be a chance for the UK Government to right a “historic wrong” by giving Wales the consequential funding it is owed for the controversial HS2 rail project.
The project has been contentious because of its classification as an England and Wales rail line despite none of the track crossing the Welsh border.
The classification means no consequential cash was released to Wales by the UK Treasury using the Barnett formula.
Responding to Plaid’s leader, the First Minister said: “You can keep on saying that I don’t stand up for Wales, but I will keep on telling you that I am.
“HS2, the Crown Estate, the funding formula – all of those things, I’m calling for them. What do you think is going to happen if you ever get into power here?
“Do you think that shouting louder is going to help? Don’t you think that, when you go and speak to Rachel Reeves, Rachel Reeves will turn around and say to you, ‘Do you know what, there was £4 billion on the table, and you voted against it’?
“Your credibility when it comes to negotiating with the Treasury is absolutely shot.”
Budget
The First Minister was referencing the recent Welsh budget which saw Plaid Cymru and the Conservative vote against the Welsh Government’s spending plans because they didn’t go far enough.
Failing to pass the budget would have had serious consequences on the amount of cash earmarked for Wales by the Treasury.
The budget was only voted through after the Senedd’s only Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds struck a deal with Welsh Labour.
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How stupid do you think the Welsh public if as you say you stick up for Wales why have you not demanded our Billions for H S 2 and the money from the crown estates
She should be a stand up comedian she has that certain something that all average club comedians have the ability to talk nonsense. Or is that being cruel to comedians?.
A British Baroness standing up for Cymru? Really?
Regardless of being the FM in Wales she follows Central Labour in Government as a puppet exactly like the rest of Labour politicians. It was obvious when Starmer took control he could firmly see the mess Wales was in and had no intention of using taxpayers money to bail out Wales.
Welsh Labour stand up for Wales lol. Oh please. They are virtually horizontal. Since winning the Senedd election in 2021, all the powers sought have not materialised. This is the reality. We were constantly told by the Welsh Government how UK Labour winning Westminster power would be good for Wales. How both governments would work together and be more sympathetic to powers sought by Cardiff Bay. So they naively assumed. FM Eluned Morgan can claim because there was a Conservative government in power in London the reason why powers sought never materialised. But she can’t still bemoan still how the… Read more »
She only puts the pads on for herself and Clark…
First on the truth machine, Princess Eluned…
See how she performs when the next HS2 project not rail but road, tunnels under Thames at Gravesend, current estimate close to £10bn with some saying it will draw funding away from devolved nations like HS2.