Plaid’s supplementary budget defeated after Labour withdraws support in Senedd showdown
Mark Mansfield
Plaid Cymru has suffered its first major parliamentary defeat since taking office after its supplementary budget was voted down in the Senedd when Labour refused to back the spending plans over a dispute involving teachers’ pay and additional learning needs (ALN) funding.
The £294 million package, which included extra funding to cut NHS waiting times, expand childcare and extend free school meals, was defeated by 49 votes to 44 after opposition parties united against the Welsh Government.
Without a majority in the Senedd, Plaid Cymru needed support from at least one opposition party to pass the budget.
Labour withdrew its backing after the NAHT and ASCL teaching unions criticised the Welsh Government over its pay offer and the level of funding for pupils with additional learning needs.
Speaking before the vote, Labour’s finance spokesperson Huw Thomas urged ministers to pull the budget.
“The Welsh Government need to withdraw it today, negotiate with those unions to get an agreement there and then bring it back to the chamber,” he said.
During a tense debate, Thomas also rejected suggestions that funding for ALN services would be delayed if the budget failed.
“If that’s accurate, then it’s pernicious, it’s vindictive and it’s going to lead to widespread industrial action,” he said.
Cabinet Minister for Finance Elin Jones said she was “flabbergasted” by Labour’s decision, accusing the party of abandoning negotiations after ministers had attempted to reach a compromise.
She argued the budget contained no cuts to existing services and would have provided additional investment in key priorities.
Following the defeat, she said: “The Supplementary Budget delivered £294m of extra funding to reduce NHS waiting times, expand childcare, and extend free school meals.
“It contained no reductions to existing services. It was about putting additional funding to work where it could make the greatest difference to the people of Wales.
“We remain committed to delivering these priorities and we will continue to engage constructively with other Senedd parties as we develop our spending plans in the Autumn.”
The budget represented Plaid Cymru’s first opportunity to reshape Welsh Government spending since ending Labour’s 27 years in power at May’s Senedd election.
Before the vote, ministers had attempted to secure Labour’s support by offering an additional £40 million for ALN this year and in each of the following two financial years. Labour had instead been pressing for £100 million of unallocated funding to be committed to ALN between now and next April.
The Conservatives and Reform UK also voted against the plans.
‘Bonkers’
Conservative Senedd leader Darren Millar said it was “bonkers” to bring a budget to the chamber without first securing enough support to pass it.
Reform’s Cai Parry-Jones said the budget failed to meet his party’s “red lines”, including reducing overseas spending.
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds also opposed the budget, saying she wanted additional funding to prevent community hospital bed closures in Powys and address cross-border healthcare delays before she could support the spending plans.
The defeat leaves the Welsh Government facing fresh negotiations with opposition parties before revised spending proposals can be brought back to the Senedd later this year.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Get more trusted Welsh news
Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.
Labour don’t care about ALN in reality. They just want to be awkward, try and topple the government and hope they can regain power through a snap election thanks to Burnham’s appointment as PM.
There won’t be a snap Senedd election under any circumstances.
They’re too delusional to realise that
If there is, it could backfire on Labour. They could end up losing what’s left of their “fellowship”.
Another fine example of Welsh Labour putting Wales last. Tonight, they formed an unholy trinity with the Tories and Reform, voting against investment in Wales: almost £150 million to cut NHS waiting lists; £120 million for children with additional learning needs; £55 million to expand funded childcare; and £15 million for free school meals for the secondary pupils most in need. Shameful.
Good to see the Brit Nat losers flexing their muscles. No surprise that Labour voted with Reform. They know no shame
Smart move by Plaid who can now blame NHS waiting lists on the Cons and Reform.
And they should also hold Labour to account who have just voted down £145m worth of funding for the NHS.
This confirms my suspicions that “Welsh Labour” are now Reform UK’s little helpers. Do they really think the electorate will be impressed that they are now consorting with a party on the far right?
After the election we heard the line about how progressive parties had a larger number of seats than those on the right.
What people failed to take into account was that parties that are beholden to their masters in England have a majority.
What is best for the people in Wales is now secondary to what is best for those parties. People wonder why democracy is in a dark place.
Before the Senedd election when people thought of informal voting coalitions emerging in the new 96 seat Siambr i doubt if any of them imagined the voting coalition which has emerged – the one between Reform, the tories and Labour. The trio colluded to vote down fair funding for Wales last week and they have done so again today to kill off Plaid supplenentary budget. And they may very well seek to do so again when plaid presents its full budget to the Senedd later this year. Its already abundantly clear that Labour’s branch office in Wales has responded to… Read more »
Unless I’m very much mistaken, Plaid have so far following the budget from the last Welsh Government and the supplementary budget was to change course on some areas, so if Labour cared so much about ALN then surely it would have been included in the previous budget already?
In a democracy, opposition parties are not obliged to support the government. Different views on how much of the supplementary budget should go to ALN are legitimate.
Wales is not an autocracy. A minority government has to negotiate a majority for its proposals. It has no right to demand one.
And yet Labour straight up rejected change.
No. They proposed a different allocation of the money now available for a supplementary budget.
Plaid Cymru has to negotiate successfully if it is to win votes. That’s the arithmetic.
Ordinarily your point about negotiating would have some merit Lyn but im afraid you seem to be overlooking something – Labour’s new group in the Senedd dont seem interested in ‘negotiating’. Indeed it’s already looking as if they are intent upon trying to bring down the new plaid govt at the earliest opportunity. A party (labour) which secured less ten percent of the seats in the senedd trying to bring down a party (plaid) which won over 40 percent of the seats isnt very democratic – indeed Labour’s seeming wrecking strategy shows contempt for the democratic will of the people… Read more »
I do not know what Welsh Labour is trying to do. Nor do I have strong views over how much of the supplementary budget should go towards ALN, which seems to me something people can reasonably disagree over.
But I can do arithmetic, and that dictates that, unless Plaid Cymru wishes to do deals with Reform or Tories, it needs Welsh Labour to at least abstain if it wishes to pass business. Both Plaid and Labour need to think hard over the recess over how to manage their relationship, and negotiate over that.
If Labour are not careful, Plaid could go on a media offensive and declare that Labour are now in bed with Reform and Tories and are voting down £145m worth of funding for the NHS. You may be right about democracy but do you think the majority of voters will see it that way? Critical funding is essentially being denied through what appears to be intransigence. Did Labour include the funding they claim to care so vigorously about in their own spending plans? It would seem not. Plaid could call for another election and although that is a risk in… Read more »
Plaid Cymru seem to hsve already started that media campaign.
Labour’s delete all amendment on fair funding was profoundly stupid. But there is genuine concern among both teachers and councils about ALN spending, so it’s not unreasonable for Labour to press that, whatever their motivation may be. I can’t see any way out of this except further negotiations.
Funding is not infinite though is it (as Labour themselves can attest to). Were these plans included in Labour’s own spending plans? I don’t think so. Labour are pressing it because it is politically expedient to do so but there are consequences to holding up money that is used to pay people’s wages or fund essential services. It’s not a ploy Labour will be able to hold onto indefinitely without consequences. Even Plaid were politically astute enough to know not to go quite that far when they were in opposition. Further negotiations will not necessarily resolve this if one of… Read more »
I make no claim to understand what Welsh Labour are tyring to do. From the outside it looks as if they are still trying to understand how to behave as an opposition while Plaid Cymru have yet to work out how to run a minority government. Neither have covered themselves in glory over this. An election would be highly risky for both Plaid and Labour. A blame game fought over the merits of NHS vs ALN would benefit neither. It would reinforce perceptions that Senedd is not competent to run Welsh affairs. Both sides need to sit down and talk,… Read more »
Yes, it would be risky for both: that’s the point.
Labour have been found wanting here. The funding component that Labour is vigorously calling for was not committed while they were in government.
Labour probably need to have a long and hard think here.
Are they ready to risk another election at this point where they could be decimated further and see Reform become the largest party in the Senedd?
Because if the intransigence continues, this is where things are headed.
The stakes here are high. Another election would be seen by many as showing not just that Plaid Cymru are incapable of leading a government but that Wales is incapable of running our own affairs. Reform would have a field day. Both Plaid and Labour are being intransigent. Trying to run a minority government without any arrangements with other parties is arrogant and doomed to failure. Cooperation is possible: Plaid voted for Shav Taj’s motion yesterday on skills. Labour would allow a supplementary budget through if it included more money for ALN. Previous First Ministers have reached out to other… Read more »
I am particularly concerned about the teaching pay deal. We had an independent commission suggest a pay rise, plaid low balled them. No left wing party should provoke a fight with teachers. Education is the one area that can transform this country. The only party in 30 years of adulthood I can think of who decided to fight the teachers was the Tories.
The amount of funding available is not infinite.
To spend more on ALN, more than the previous Labour administration had already allocated for this year, can only be justified if there’s been a change in need, an increase required. Labour are just playing chess and have just jumped into bed with Reform. Just to have a pop at Plaid Cymru. The extra cash should be spent on reducing NHS waiting lists, as Plaid Cymru proposed. We also see Reform claiming that more should be spent on ALN in Wales, yet in England, where they control some councils are actually reducing ALN spending (called SEND there). Reform are hypocrites… Read more »
Proof, if any were needed, that so-called ‘Welsh’bLabour’s only loyalty is to the English nationalist Labour party.
Labour aligning themselves with Reform and tories, well surprise surprise, When are people going to wake up and realise New Labour doesn’t represent Wales it never has, just another english nationalist party.
Plaid Cymru does not have a Senedd majority, nor can it reach one even with Green and LibDem support. Arithmetic dictates that, unless Plaid Cymru wishes to do deals with Reform or Tories, it needs Welsh Labour to at least abstain if it wishes to pass business. That requires successful negotiation, which is never easy. However much Welsh Government supporters might hate this, the numbers are undeniable.
However much Welsh Labour supporters may hate this, the undeniable truth is this: Welsh Labour have just voted down £145m in funding for the NHS and have rejected school meals for children despite UK Labour rolling that out nationally. This is what most voters will take from this result. If Labour are not careful, Plaid could decide to call for another election on the basis that Labour, Reform and the Tories are blocking essential business in the Senedd. Remind me again, how did that work out for the DUP in Northern Ireland?
Absolutely correct. This reflects poorly on both Plaid and Labour. The Senedd and devolution itself will be undermined if this sort of thing is all we’ve got to look forward to for the next 4 years.
Reform, the Cons and the Dem also have to explain to their voters why the summer boost to efforts to reduce waiting lists isn’t happening. They didn’t need to vote against, a simple abstention would have absolved them if they didn’t get the deal they were hoping for.
Blimey, Labour and Reform arent even hiding the fact that they utterly hate us.
In one way this is good as its proven beyond any doubt that Labour will never have any place in Cymru ever again.
Disgusting traitors.