‘No response’ to letter by Welsh, Scottish, NI governments asking for a meeting with UK Chancellor
The Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland finance ministers have received “no response” from the Chancellor to a letter asking to meet to discuss the mini-budget which put financial markets in a tailspin.
The devolved governments had said last week that they were seeking an “urgent meeting” with Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng to discuss “immediate action to reverse the damaging effects of the mini-budget”.
Wales’ Finance Minister Rebecca Evans was joined by Finance Ministers from Scotland and Northern Ireland in highlighting the profound impact of “the largest set of unfunded tax cuts for the rich in over 50 years” stating it is “a huge gamble on public finances and the health of our economy”.
But today Scottish Finance Minister John Swinney said that they had not yet received any reply to that letter, or a previous letter they had sent.
“It’s not just the letter of October 1,” he said.
“Over the summer, the finance ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also wrote to the then Chancellor, setting the need for urgent action over the summer to tackle the cost-of-living crisis,” he told the BBC’s Breakfast programme.
“And there hasn’t been a response to that letter either.”
He added the UK Government was not taking its engagement with devolved administrations seriously.
U-turn
The joint letter had warned against being condemned to another decade of austerity and expressed deep concern over reports that UK Government departments will be asked to make spending cuts to balance the budget, which may have profound consequences for devolved budget settlements already eroded by inflation.
The Ministers also renewed calls for the UK Government to provide targeted support for households and businesses, funded through a windfall tax on the energy sector.
They also call for additional funding to increase Social Security benefits to support low income households with the higher costs they will face through winter, including a £25 per week uplift for Universal Credit and legacy benefits.
“By abolishing the 45p additional rate of income tax the UK Government has shown its true colours,” they said. “This will make the rich richer and further embed inequality in our communities.”
The UK Government subsequently u-turned on the planned abolition of the 45p rate.
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The unwillingness of the UK Conservative government to respond to calls from the leaders of the national parliaments.can be interpreted in only two ways. One, they have utter contempt and disregard for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and their people. Two, they are too afraid too blinkered. too stupid to realise the damage they are doing to their own party, their own beliefs, their own future and that of the UK.
The grinning loon can’t read, what do they expect?
So if the Westminster regime have completely failed to engage with our government, have failed the Welsh people over and over again, let’s just cut off ties with them.
Y Senedd governs here. What do we need the foreign regime for?
That shows what the Tory MUFFINS think of the other 3 nations the Tories have become AN ENGLISH NATIONALIST PARTY and that has been said by members of their own party they care nothing for the other countries they still think of as part of the last colonies of the long gone English empire and trat us as such