Jo Stevens is ‘most anti-devolution Labour Welsh Secretary since George Thomas’ says Lee Waters
Martin Shipton
A former Welsh Labour Minister has accused Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens as being the most anti-devolution holder of the office since George Thomas.
Speaking on the Senedd Sources podcast, Llanelli MS Lee Waters said: “Jo Stevens is a classic example of a unionist politician. She’s not somebody who believes in devolution, particularly.
“She’s from very close to the English border in north east Wales. Her politics are the politics of many people in Labour history – Neil Konnock, Aneurin Bevan. It’s a proud tradition in Labour thinking where they essentially think there shouldn’t be differences.
“I don’t agree with that – and neither do most people in Wales, by the way. But that’s her sincere view and I understand that. It’s a reasonable view. It’s just not Labour policy. I find it quite peculiar really. I don’t want to make it personal. I don’t really know Jo, but I’ve always had cordial relationships with her.
“She is probably the most anti-devolution Labour Welsh Secretary we’ve had since George Thomas. I’m not really sure what the political strategy behind that is though. We are now going into a period where we will obviously come together as the election gets closer – that’s what parties do. The one thing that makes you have common cause with your own side most is being attacked by the opposition.”
There has been mounting anger within the ruling Labour Senedd group over the Labour UK government’s perceived hostility towards devolution.
In early December Mr Waters was one of 11 Labour Senedd backbenchers who signed a letter to Keir Starmer accusing his government of a “constitutional outrage” in bypassing the Welsh Government and announcing a scheme where councils will get money directly from Whitehall for town centre improvements.
The letter said there was “increasing concern” that the UK Government was failing to deliver further devolution. The Pride of Place town centre improvement programme had caused “considerable unhappiness” amongst Welsh Labour Members of the Senedd (MSs). It said it was a “UK Government programme operating in a wholly devolved area that is being designed and delivered from Whitehall”.
Internal Market Act
The letter criticised the use of the Boris Johnson-era UK Internal Market Act to “impose” the new programme. The law was controversial in part because of the powers it gave the UK government to spend money in areas that are otherwise controlled by the Welsh government. Ministers in the Welsh government attempted to have the law overturned in the courts, the letter said, because “the Internal Market Act represented an unwarranted attack on devolution”.
The letter added: “For our own government to then come in and use the very same powers to act in devolved areas is at best deeply insensitive, at worst a constitutional outrage,” it said.
“If this was being done by a Tory government we would be calling for a judicial review. This must never happen again.
“Wales needs and deserves to be treated as an equal part of the UK and the UK Government has a responsibility to act to deliver this equality.”
The letter said that while in opposition Labour had “raised expectations” of reform to the way Wales is funded, as well as the devolution of policing, rail infrastructure, policing and the Crown Estate.
It accused the UK Government of “not only not progressing these but… rolling back the existing devolution settlement.”
George Thomas, then the MP for Cardiff West, was Secretary of State for Wales from 1968 to 1970. He had little time for the Welsh language and was an implacable opponent of those within the Labour Party who favoured devolution.
Royal sycophant
A notorious royal sycophant, his time as Secretary of State for Wales was dominated by the controversial Investiture of Prince (now King) Charles as the Prince of Wales in 1969.
Later Thomas became Speaker of the House of Commons during the period when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister. Critics accused him of showing favouritism towards Thatcher and her government.
When he retired from the Commons, he was made a hereditary peer and given the title Viscount Tonypandy.
He became a supporter of the Referendum Party (an anti-EU party founded by controversial businessman Sir James Goldsmith). He died in 1997, four days after the people of Wales voted narrowly in favour of setting up what is now the Senedd.
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Glad this is being stated explicitly now, it’s been an open secret that the Welsh secretary has disdain for Welsh devo.
Welsh Labour needs to break away from English Labour if they want to survive. Start up that judicial review to show they’re serious.
Solution; move the Senedd away from the influence of Desolation Bay and set up shop overlooking the Straits…
Politicians respond to the will of the people. I originally supported the concept of the new net zero trial site in Wales http://www.gcre.wales Westminister wants Wales to fund a site to trial equipment for high speed trains, yet will not give Wales funding for a high speed network. The project lead has left, the Welsh government has put in funding, but Network Rail has no involvement in the project – compounded by no mention of the project in last years Industrial Strategy. We need a different way of thinking. TfW has created a new supply-chain in Newport with Spains CAF… Read more »
I think she has single handedly destroyed labour in Wales. Hope PC rise up for Wales and push Wales upwards and onwards.
She’s had quite a lot of help. Vaughan Gething for instance
Jo Stevens is only the latest in a long line of Labour politicians to take this view, and the only way we will change it is at the ballot box, make this type of thinking extinct. It is about time Cymru was put first, by politicians elected in Cymru.
Sec of State George Thomas was the one who decided to confiscate £150,000 (1966 prices) from the Aberfan relief fund and use it to clear the tips above the school after the disaster rather than it be spent on the families and burials. His grave in Trealaw Cemetery is regularly urinated upon.
A traitor to Wales in my opinion.
She is not TWO FACED SHE HAS MORE FACES THAN BIG BEN
Only one face- looking eastwards towards her Imperial master
I’ve heard Lee Waters make this same observation, from memory, no less than three times in the series of discussions on Welsh politics which he has with Professor Laura McAllister of Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre and the Conservative commentator Lauren McEvatt on Apple’s Welsh Politics Pod.
I agree with Lee Waters’ statement that “Wales needs and deserves to be treated as an equal part of the UK….” What does this mean? In my view the only rational interpretation of this is that devolution for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should be standardised to that of the country with most advanced devolution settlement – Scotland. This is clearly also the only sensible arrangement for the 3 countries.
Independence for Cymru & Scotland with reunification for NI makes far more sense.
Diolch Martin Shipton! It’s so helpful & morale boosting to read such well reasoned & researched political journalism. At last we are fighting back and negative, destructive, imperialist propaganda is meeting reasoned thoughtful positive resistance. We are not too poor as politicos & compradors like Stevens are exposed & countered.
This isn’t a union vs devolution debate, it’s a centralism vs decentralisation debate.
The USA is a union yet their 50 states have a level of autonomy we can only dream of.
It’s the reason they are the most successful economy in human history.
It’s perfectly possible to be a unionist that supports devomax in all parts of the UK as a proven route to greater success for the whole union.
You have to wonder what kind of unionist doesn’t want greater success for the whole union.
Thats exactly why the UK is failing. It’s born of imperialism which is the culture the modern UK was built upon. Jo Stevens is an imperialist whether she realises it or not. Factor into this the deliberate policy of deindustrialisation and over focus on the City core economy and you have the reasons Tom Nairn outlined in “The Breakup of Britain.” The UK establishment can’t shake off its imperialism. That is a key driver in killing the union.
We shouldn’t be surprised because Whitehall was set up to run an empire and has never been reformed. It doesn’t know any other way to govern except exploiting the colonies to enrich the capital.
Lee Waters and others in Welsh Labour are right. Jo Stevens is a toxic individual whose done great harm to the opportunities that Wales have to become a proud nation and in the process she has become the best recruiting Sergeant for progressive left parties in Wales especially Plaid Cymru.
She is past her sell by date.
This George Thomas? https://www.itv.com/news/wales/story/2014-07-19/police-probe-into-lord-tonypandy-child-abuse-claim/
Vile man.
She is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money. What purpose does she serve apart from blocking anything Cymru needs? Perhaps she should inform us of any positive plans she has for the country.
Quite galling to see Lee Waters commenting on anything after he cost us millions tidying up his inept implementation of 20mph (nothing wrong with the limit but the way he did it was comical). Anyway, 25 years of devolution has seen us plummet down every single metric you can imagine, be it education, the NHS, the economy etc. It’s quite noticeable that at no point does anyone mention anything positive in response to the criticism that maybe, just maybe, it’s not been great. Devolution is vital but we have to ask ourselves, what has devolution actually achieved in 25 years?
Apart from the economy wooden spoon being handed to the North East of England which rejected devolution because Dom told them to. Apart from that.
Nope. No idea.