First Minister pressured over reclassification of Oxford – Cambridge rail line
Emily Price
First Minister Eluned Morgan has been pressured over why the Oxford – Cambridge rail line was reclassified as an England and Wales scheme despite being marked as an English project by the treasury previously.
Welsh Labour have faced criticism over the designation of the multi-billion pound East West Rail link between the two English universities.
The “England and Wales” label means that Wales will not receive Barnett consequential funding from the project.
The UK Government claimed the cash earmarked for East West Rail came from a pot of money also used to fund projects in Wales such as the redevelopment of Cardiff Central Station.
England-only
But it later transpired that in the 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024 editions of the UK Government’s Statement of Funding Policies, the railway line was classified as an England-only project.
The project’s designation was then altered by the new Labour government to be an “England and Wales” scheme.
Politicians in Westminster and Cardiff Bay say this classification will see Wales miss out on an additional £360 million in consequential rail funding for its own network.
Last week, the Welsh First Minister told MSs in Chamber that those confused about the classification of the English line needed “a little lesson on how the Welsh devolution settlement works”.
‘No idea’
In the Senedd on Tuesday (June 10), Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth called for Baroness Morgan to admit that she “had no idea” what was going on with the funding of the Oxford – Cambridge railway.
He said: “We have found that just like Crossrail, the Elizabeth line in London, Oxford to Cambridge was classed as England only by the Treasury for four years.
“We were getting our share until Labour actively moved the goalposts.
“Labour went out of its way to make sure Wales wouldn’t get the money when the big spending really began. Labour created a new HS2 scandal.”
Baroness Morgan hit back at Plaid’s leader accusing him of “constant negativity”, adding that she has been clear that Wales is not getting its fair share of funding when it comes to rail.
She said: “I don’t know what’s going to be in the spending review, but the one thing I do know is that if Labour gave Wales a total land of milk and honey, Plaid Cymru would still find fault.”
‘Milk and honey’
Welsh ministers have hinted that there could be new money for Welsh rail when the Chancellor Rachel Reeves announces her spending review on Wednesday (June 11).
But Mr ap Iorwerth told the Chamber that “whatever little Labour gives Wales” the First Minister will say that “it’s brilliant and that it is land of milk and honey”.
He said: “The First Minister had no idea what was going on with funding in this case, and if she didn’t know, well, she should be joining me in condemning the UK Labour Government for betraying Wales.”
Baroness Morgan responded saying that if the leader of Wales’ nationalist party had his way, Welsh people “would have to foot the bill for billions of pounds” for separating Wales away from the United Kingdom.
Mr ap Iorwerth asked the First Minister to tell the Senedd exactly how much rail funding she had asked the UK Government for.
The FM admitted she didn’t know what would be announced in the spending review tomorrow – but that whatever it was, Plaid would say it isn’t enough.
Lib Dems
Speaking after Questions to the First Minister, Mr ap Iorwerth told Nation.Cymru: “The Labour First Minister was given ample opportunity today to condemn her party’s decision to rob Wales of hundreds of millions of pounds by actively reclassifying the new Oxford-Cambridge rail line as being for ‘England and Wales’, but she refused.
“This isn’t a First Minister interested in standing up for Wales – her ‘red Welsh way’ is nothing more than following Starmer’s way.
“And now we know her ‘red Welsh railway’ is one that costs us dearly. Only Plaid Cymru is ready to act in Wales’ best interest, calling upon the UK Government to right this historic wrong and give what’s owed to Wales.
“Everyone understands the scandal of HS2. But this is another HS2 scandal deliberately engineered by Labour – Wales WAS going to get money until Labour moved the goal-posts.”
‘HS2 again’
The Oxford – Cambridge rail classification was revealed following a written question to the UK Government by Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick who also described the scandal as “HS2 all over again”.
The operation of the railway in Wales is a Welsh Government responsibility – but infrastructure planning and the funding of Network Rail in Wales remains reserved to the UK Parliament.
Under the previous Conservative government in Westminster, the £100 billion high-speed rail link was classified as an “England and Wales” scheme despite none of the track crossing the Welsh border.
The classification meant no consequential cash was released to Wales by the treasury.
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Not toeing the line is “being negative”. Well Rhun you got to be more negative more often. It may not get us anywhere right away but at least you are not sucking up to the downright hostile nouveau colonialists. Shame on the Barreness but we come not to expect much from her. She’s very comfortable kneeling to her master up the other end of the M4.
The little lesson in how Devolution works is “Wales gets shafted every time”
If it was an England only project 2020-2024 and only became an England Wales project when the new Labour government came to power how can the First Minister explain why we are now worse off having Labour in Westminster when she tried to tell us that it would be to our benefit?
The people of Cymru trusting any unionist parties and voting for them, are our equivalent of Americans voting for Trump, after he said “I don’t care about you, I only want your vote”. Always been this way here, always will be, as long as we vote for them. And people wonder why Scotland are treated better than us, SNP maybe.
Wales’ First Minister Eluned Morgan says: “those confused about the classification of the English Line (the proposed Oxford to Cambridge rail line) needed a little lesson on how the devolution settlement works”. Although she correctly describes it here as an English Line, she is, of course, referring to the UK Labour Government’s designation of it as an England and Wales Line – entirely at odds with her description. Whatever the UK Government’s reason or excuse for branding it an England and Wales line it is indisputably an absurd, false and totally dishonest classification.
Again the Welsh Government just cower down to Westminster just like a bunch of spineless losers. The Senedd should be cleared out of the current useless no guts AMs and replaced by members who can talk the talk in favour of Cymru without rolling over time and time again.