FOI request shows Welsh Government ‘mislead public’ over Severn Bridge name change, claims AM

An Assembly Member has accused the Welsh Government of misleading the public over their approval for renaming the Second Severn Crossing the ‘Prince of Wales Bridge’.

A freedom of information request by the BBC revealed correspondence in which the First Minister eagerly backed the name change, rather than simply stating no objections as earlier claimed.

Earlier this month, an opinion poll by YouGov commissioned by Natin.Cymru showed that only 17% of the public backed the plans to rename the bridge.

At the time, a spokesperson for the Welsh Government said that they would not respond to a request for comment as “the decision on the re-naming of the bridge has been made by UK Government”.

However, in a letter to Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns, Carwyn Jones said that he “welcomed the idea and “I stand by to be involved in the formal renaming ceremony”.

Assembly Member Adam Price said that the FOI request by the BBC showed that the Welsh Government had “mislead” the public.

“Once again, the Welsh Government have used public resources to mislead the public to spare the blushes of the party in power,” he said.

“This stuff is so routine now we almost shrug our shoulders but if you care about democracy or Wales you’d be right to be angry.”

Independent AM Neil McEvoy said that the “Labour government’s web of lies is unravelling”.