First Minister speaks to Prime Minister over leaked devolution memo

The First Minister of Wales has spoken to Sir Keir Starmer about his comments on devolution contained within a leaked memo.

In the memo, which was sent in December to senior Cabinet colleagues, the Prime Minister tells them to resist opposition from devolved governments.

The memo had been obtained by Plaid Cymru and earlier this week its leader Rhun ap Iorwerth accused the Prime Minister of treating Wales with “contempt”.

Baroness Eluned Morgan told members of the Senedd’s Committee for the Scrutiny of the First Minister that Sir Keir was referring to reserved areas of UK Government policy, such as home affairs and defence, rather than devolved matters like health and education.

“I read the memo on Tuesday, and I was able to speak to the Prime Minister on Wednesday to get clarification on what he meant within that letter,” she told MSs.

“He made it clear to me that when he was talking about direct delivery in the nations, he was talking about issues reserved to the responsibilities of the UK Government.

“That was something, and if you read the letter carefully, it doesn’t say in devolved areas.

“If you think about what the reserved areas are – pensions, benefits, home affairs, immigration, foreign affairs – those kind of areas.”

Baroness Morgan said the relationship between the Welsh Government and UK Government had “improved significantly”.

“The issue for us in the past is that part of the problem is they have not done enough in our country when the Tories were in charge,” she said.

“We did not get the kind of money we should have got for rail infrastructure.

“I’m really pleased now that we have been promised £14 billion of additional funding. I want to see that money spent in Wales.”

The First Minister was asked whether the leaked memo showed that inter-governmental relations were currently “strained”.

Ms Morgan replied: “I speak as I find. I’ve been clear in terms of our relationships ministerially, that our ministerial relationships are directly with the UK Government departments.

“We don’t go via the Wales Office and that the relationships are considerably better than they have been under 14 years of Conservative government.

“The fact that I can pick up the phone the day after this comes out demonstrates that we can have, and we always do have, robust conversations and clear conversations.

“But also, the fact that I can pick up the phone demonstrates that actually that relationship is in a very different place from where it has been for 14 years under the Conservatives.”

In a copy of what appeared to be the letter, seen by the Press Association, the Prime Minister said the UK Government needed to demonstrate it had a hand in people’s lives in areas of Britain with devolved governments, especially ahead of May’s elections.

Plaid’s Llyr Gruffydd asked whether the First Minister agreed with her party colleague Mick Antoniw, who had suggested the Wales Office should be scrapped.

“I think there’s a role for the Wales Office. I think there’s a lot of areas of reserved responsibility,” Baroness Morgan replied.

“I think having a Wales voice at the Cabinet table should be of help to us.

“What I don’t want to see is the Wales Office being used as the voice of the UK Government in Wales.”

Speaking afterwards, Mr Gruffydd said: “The First Minister must’ve been reading a different memo to everyone else.

“There’s no doubt that the Prime Minister’s memo gave clear instruction for his Cabinet members to override Welsh Government and other devolved governments to spend directly, even in times of disagreement.

“Eluned Morgan is allowing her colleagues in London to undermine devolution right under her nose – no less than the Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens.

“Her own Labour backbenchers in the Senedd are calling for the Wales Office to be scrapped, and yet the First Minister refuses to recognise how the role has become nothing more than the UK Government’s voice in Wales, rather than the other way around.

“This is yet another example of this Labour Welsh Government putting party before country. When given the opportunity to stand up for Wales, they’ll save Starmer’s blushes every time.

“It’s time for new leadership – only Plaid Cymru will stand up for Wales and what’s right for our communities.”