Leaked letter reveals Lib Dem leader’s position on the Budget

Martin Shipton

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds, who could provide the crucial vote needed to pass the Welsh Government’s Budget, has set out her position in a “confidential” email to all party members.

But some are not happy with her willingness to, as they see it, prop up Labour – as well as the fact that Ms Dodds is informing members rather than consulting them.

With Welsh Labour having only 30 of the 60 Senedd seats, it needs the support of one more MS to get the 2025-26 Budget passed. Labour has been discussing with Ms Dodds – the only Lib Dem Senedd Member – what concessions it could make to secure her vote.

In her confidential email, leaked to Nation.Cymru, she states: “ You may have seen in recent weeks that Welsh Labour has held talks with all political parties in the Senedd regarding the Budget. As a member of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, I want to update you on how I am approaching our discussions with the Welsh Government.”

‘Change’

Under the headline Why passing a budget matters, Ms Dodds optimistically writes: “I understand how, for over 25 years, Welsh Labour has failed to deliver the fair and prosperous country we want Wales to be. There is no denying that people across Wales increasingly want change.

“Our opportunity for that change comes in next May’s Senedd election, and I know you will play your part in delivering the biggest Welsh Liberal Democrat result we have ever seen. Whatever happens in the upcoming Budget vote will not, on its own, deliver the brighter future Wales needs.

“Although this Budget is a better settlement than we have received from the Conservatives in Westminster, it is not a silver bullet.

“However, the worrying truth is that if the Welsh Government fails to pass a Budget, Wales will lose around £5bn in funding. Just think about what losing all that funding would mean for our schools, hospitals, and other vital services.”

‘Negativity’

Ms Dodds states it is important to “avoid knee-jerk negativity”, adding: “I know that some in the party would like the Welsh Liberal Democrats, as an opposition party, to vote against everything the Welsh Government does. But I entered politics to improve people’s lives and strengthen communities. As the sole Welsh Liberal Democrat MS, and as someone who passionately believes in electoral reform and doing politics differently, I think that sometimes it is essential for politicians to put party politics aside and engage in constructive dialogue with other political parties to deliver for the people of Wales.

“With this in mind, I am approaching our talks with the Welsh Government in the hope that we can improve the Budget while remaining true to our party’s values.”

She states that her two budget tests are:

1. Is Wales getting a fair deal from Westminster?

2. Is the Welsh Government spending its funds in a way that aligns with Welsh Liberal Democrat policies to deliver a fair and prosperous country?”

HS2

Ms Dodds adds: “Like many, I do not believe that Wales is getting a fair deal from the UK Government. Labour’s failure to devolve the Crown Estate, or secure additional funding for Wales as a result of HS2 construction in England, demonstrates that the status quo is not working for Wales.

“These two measures would be straightforward for the UK Government to implement, as they have already done for Scotland. Despite my frustrations, I believe it is crucial that we, as Welsh Liberal Democrats, continue to argue for a better deal for Wales.

“The second test is whether the Budget reflects Liberal Democrat values and whether our input can improve it to make people’s lives better.

“In recent years, the party has run several major campaigns supported by people across Wales. Our approach has been to push the Welsh Government to allocate more funding in these areas.

“As I have stated repeatedly in recent weeks, this means ensuring the Welsh Government spends more money on:

* Social care – to reduce the number of people facing delayed discharge from our hospitals and ease pressure on NHS services.;

* Free childcare for pre-school children, to help parents through the cost of living crisis, reduce child poverty and boost Wales’ economy.

* Tackling water pollution in our rivers and seas, by improving monitoring and enforcement.

Improving roads and public transport.

“Additionally, I believe it is vital that more funding is allocated to local councils across Wales.

“It is important to remember that we do not currently have a Budget deal, and as I have stated previously, without substantial changes to the draft Budget, I am unable to support it. I will do my best to update you on the situation ahead of the vote on March 4.”

Consulting

The letter was leaked to us by a prominent Welsh Liberal Democrat, who told us: “We should not be going into next year’s Senedd election having propped up a failing Labour government, That will not go down well with the electorate.

“It’s also pretty shocking that Jane Dodds is informing the party membership about what she intends to do rather than consulting us. At one time parties consulted their members before deciding on a course of action. That seems to be a thing of the past, certainly so far as the Welsh Lib Dems are concerned.

“This all started when Kirsty Williams was appointed to the Cabinet as Education Minister. She may have been a good minister, but her position in government did nothing for the party.”