Labour have had Wales’ economy in lockdown for two decades, Andrew RT Davies says

The Welsh Government have had Wales’ economy in lockdown for two decades, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew T Davies will say today.

Speaking at today’s Welsh Conservative conference he will say that Labour has delivered “nothing but poverty” for the nation’s poorest communities.

He will say that the average workers’ weekly pay is more £50 a week less than a worker in Scotland or England, and ten Welsh towns are in the top 20 most economically vulnerable towns in the UK.

“Two decades of Labour has delivered nothing but poverty for our poorest communities and it has to change,” he will say.

“Covid hasn’t just shown our communities at their best, it has laid bare the deep rooted problems that exist in Wales thanks to the Labour Party.

“Because for Labour and the economy, we’ve been in a hard and fast lockdown for the last year, following a slow and deliberate lockdown for the last two decades.

“We have to change course, and turn the page.”

‘End waste’

The manifesto promises in his speech will include:

• A minimum target to create 65,000 jobs in Wales over the next Parliament, with at least 15,000 green jobs.
• The creation of ‘Innovate Wales’ – a “one-stop shop for businesses” which will support new businesses, and encourage existing businesses to grow and export. This will involve bringing together the Development Bank of Wales, Business Wales and recreating “the best aspects” of the Welsh Development Agency.
• Building 100,000 new homes over the next 10 years.
• A tax cut for small businesses by scrapping business rates.
• Implement a Covid Bounce Back package, which includes a £2.5 billion Rebuild Wales Investment Fund.
• Limiting VAT to 5% for tourism businesses until April 2022.
• A ‘Jump Start Scheme’ will pay employers national insurance contributions for the first two staff that microbusinesses in Wales hire for two years.

“The Welsh Conservatives can break Labour’s hold on Wales,” Andrew RT Davies will say.

“We can turn the page after 22 years of failure and broken promises. We can end their waste, and make every precious penny and pound actually count. 

“We can stop the constant calls for more powers, and focus instead on delivery. We can terminate their ‘different for the sake of it’ mentality, and stop pandering to the obsessive separatists. 

“We can stop their unnecessary controls, and restore our freedoms. We can change our country for the better.  

“Together, let’s build a better Wales.”