Three quarters don’t believe UK Government will ‘level up’ Wales’ economy

Almost three-quarters of people in Wales are not confident that the UK government will deliver on its promise to improve the Welsh economy

According to an ITV / YouGov poll, 72% are not confident that the promise to ‘level up’ areas of Wales will be delivered, including 53% of those who voted Conservative last December.

In a speech after his election win, Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to create an UK “in which we no longer accept that your life chances – your family’s life chances – should depend on which part of the country you grow up in”.

“This is the moment when we really begin to unite and level up,” he said.

The survey also found that 56% in Wales were not satisfied with Boris Johnson’s handling of the pandemic, and 57% did not trust the UK government to make the right decisions when tackling the coronavirus pandemic.

The poll is part of a special week of coverage across ITV News in Wales, the north of England, and the Midlands, called Levelling Up, which is looking at the state of economy, health and education in communities.

 

‘Generous’

In response to the poll findings, a UK government spokesperson told ITV it would continue to “level up all the nations and regions of the UK” as the economy “gets moving” again after the coronavirus pandemic.

“From the very start we have been tackling the pandemic as one United Kingdom, following the best scientific advice and guidance of the four chief medical officers, who have been working closely together.

“The UK Government acted quickly to deliver one of the most generous and comprehensive economic packages in the world, supporting more than 500,000 jobs in Wales and providing the Welsh Government with £4bn in extra funding to tackle the virus.

“As we get the economy moving once again, we will provide the investment and support businesses need to get back on their feet, create jobs to replace those that have been lost and continue our work to level up all the nations and regions of the UK.”

YouGov polled 1,110 Welsh voters for ITV Cymru Wales between 28 August and 4 September.