First Minister ‘keeping tally of how many times Starmer mentioned by Plaid leader

Emily Price

Plaid Cymru’s leader has been slammed by Wales’ First Minister for mentioning Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Senedd.

Rhun ap Iorweth was forced to defend his right to talk about the PM after Eluned Morgan said she was “keeping a tally” of how many times he said Starmer’s name in the Chamber.

Her response came after Plaid’s leader asked a question about collaboration between administrations in Cardiff Bay and Westminster.

On Monday (September 23) Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens announced a cross-government plan to tackle NHS waiting lists in Wales and England.

A row broke out in the Chamber after Mr ap Iorwerth raised comments from Baroness Morgan the previous week in which she told an MS to write to local MPs about child poverty in Wales.

Plaid’s leader, who has since written to MPs, asked if the Labour government partnership was “just about giving the thumbs up to whatever Keir Starmer wants”.

Devolution

The First Minister hit back asking whether she would need to give a “lesson on devolution” every week to the Plaid leader.

She said: “We have to make choices, and the choices we have made are the choices that I think are in keeping with the priorities of the people. It’s very interesting to look at some of the choices that the leader of Plaid Cymru has made.

“In the past few months, he has mentioned Keir Starmer 21 times. He may be the Prime Minister, but this is a devolved Parliament, and the things that matter to the people in Wales.

“You’ve mentioned waiting lists eight times. That’s where your priority is. You’ve mentioned schools once. Is that what your priority is?

“I think it’s really important that the people of Wales know that actually you’re far more focused on what’s happening in Westminster than you are on how we can effect change here.

“Once, you’ve mentioned Tata. I think the people of Wales are listening, and they’re not interested in your attacks on Keir Starmer. They want us to fix what’s happening in their communities.”

Since Labour’s General Election victory in July, Mr ap Iorwerth has raised a number of issues in the Senedd that relate to both the UK and Welsh governments – such as fair funding for Wales, HS2, power over the Crown Estate and the devolution of justice.

Relationship

Later during Senedd proceedings, The First Minister gave a statement on “inter-governmental relations”.

Plaid’s leader used his time on the floor to hit out at Baroness Morgan on her earlier comments saying she was now “more than happy” to talk about Wales’ relationship with the UK Government.

He said: “The First Minister wanted to give me a lesson this afternoon about how devolution works – essentially don’t mention UK Government, don’t mention Keir Starmer in the Welsh Parliament, we are here to talk about devolved things.

“And I get it – it is rather difficult, it turned out some of his actions are unpopular. Maybe it’s don’t be critical about UK Government or Keir Starmer?

“Since then she’s been more than happy to talk about Wales’ relations with UK Government in answers to other questions – how the relationship works on health and so on.”

Eluned Morgan jeered at Plaid benches as Mr ap Iorwerth mentioned Keir Starmer for a 24th time.

Agreement

The opposition leader called for the text of the agreement that underpins the two Labour governments new cross boarder NHS health care plan.

During FMQs earlier, the First Minister failed to give any details of the plan when quizzed on it by the Welsh Conservatives.

Mr ap Iorwerth also asked for a response to a recent Plaid Cymru question about the devolution of the Crown Estate and the Welsh Government’s previous commitment to scrap the controversial Barnett Formula.

He said: “Under the last Tory government intergovernmental relations were a one way street with Westminster and Whitehall wanting to dictate terms to this Senedd.

“So often legislation was passed there over the heads of elected members here undermining the integrity of Welsh democracy.”

He asked what had changed with the new UK Labour government apart from “warmer words and chummy photoshoots”.

Responding, Baroness Morgan said she would be “keeping a tally” of how many times the PM is mentioned by Plaid Cymru’s leader in the future.

She said that of the 48 days of working as First Minister – most of it in Senedd recess – the two governments had “achieved quite a lot” – including agreeing a funding package for Tata Steel.

Baroness Morgan said: “Just in terms of when that will happen, well, I think most of it will come up during the autumn statement. I think it was great to hear that austerity is ending, and that’s something we certainly all welcome.

“And I think, probably, it is worth mentioning that we do agree in principle with the inter-governmental review that was introduced by the Conservatives. We do need a formal mechanism.

“The problem is, they didn’t do anything with it. They had one meeting the entire time. So, the council of nations and regions, I think, is going to be a new approach to that, and will be meeting within the next few weeks.”