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Tories urge Welsh gov to work with them to fix ‘dire’ Wales-England links, but ‘didn’t share’ plan with them beforehand

26 Nov 2021 2 minute read
Picture by: Harshil Shah (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Conservatives have urged the Welsh and Scottish Governments to work with the UK Government on a plan to improve “dire” cross border links between Wales, England and Scotland.

However, a Welsh Government minister said that the UK Government had not shared its plans to upgrade the travel network with them before publishing it.

The Union Connectivity Review revealed today will be a means of “binding” the UK together according to UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

But Deputy Climate Change Minister, Lee Waters said that he had not “gone through” the report yet “because the UK Government didn’t share it”.

He later shared a tweet by Welsh politics podcast create Richard Martin which said: “Love the idea that you can connect the union without even speaking to the other governments in the union.”

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson had earlier called on the devolved governments to engage with the process, with transport devolved to both Cardiff and Edinburgh.

Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Transport, Natasha Asghar MS, said that it wasno secret that public transport within Wales and transport links between here and England are dire with heavy congestion on many roads and trains which are often overcrowded and rarely turn up on time”.

“Better transport links between the UK nations will create better economic opportunities and I implore Labour to work with the Conservative Government to grasp these opportunities and level up Wales,” she said.

But she added that “Labour’s answer to solving Wales’ travel nightmare is to just stop all road building and turn a blind eye, forcing commuters to carry on suffering”.

“Only recently we saw a prime example of Labour’s poor track record of investing in infrastructure when they axed a much-needed bypass in Llanbedr, meaning residents will have to endure motoring misery for even longer.

“Thankfully, the UK Government recognises the need to invest in roads and not freeze projects, as seen with the Pant-Llanymynech bypass which will benefit residents of Wales.”

The Welsh Government is yet to respond officially to the report.


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Erisian
Erisian
2 years ago

Obviously they didn’t, they hold us to be beneath their interest.
I’ll say it again, ‘Welsh Tory’ is an Oxymoron.

Rob
Rob
2 years ago

Transport links between north and south are a bigger priority.

Quornby
Quornby
2 years ago

Usual in and out routes designed to extract resources in last century and get to ROI quicker from London today. Shove it.

Ann
Ann
2 years ago
Reply to  Quornby

And not recognising that ROI is building up direct connections to the rest of the EU and bypassing the land bridge.

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 years ago

How can the Welsh Government agree to a plan they are not privy to? Also, who decides what gets built and where seeing roads is a devolved? And we all know that any infrastructure build in Wales, what ever part, will be minor in comparison to England’s spend.. And where the Tories feather England’s nest, Wales gets plucked good and proper! Mentioned by Boris Johnson was connectivity between NE Wales & NW England, but absolutely nothing regarding connecting North Wales & South Wales? All the sleazy Conservatives are interested in is maintaining our national divide whilst facilitating wealth, Welsh resources… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by Y Cymro
Malcolm rj
Malcolm rj
2 years ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

The reason why the English have always been against a good road from north and south Wales is the best way to control a country is divide and rule.and they’re still doing it no mention of any road to connect our country we must be the only industrial country in the world with no connection from one part of the country to the other

Malcolm rj
Malcolm rj
2 years ago

I think a great way to reduce the problem of the M4 motorway and the problem of the Newport tunnel plus the M4 Cardiff relief road would be to build the seven river barrage with the road on top and would be great to provide green energy and another connection between Wales and England

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
2 years ago

Look, if the Welsh Tories were really pleading out of concern I’d maybe listen (in another parallel universe) but we all know this is not the case. So let’s just move on.

Grayham Jones
2 years ago

Close all borders with England it’s time for a new wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 kick all English party’s out of wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 we in wales have got to stop being little Englanders and and be proud to be welsh start fighting for your children and grandchildren future in wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Nige
Nige
2 years ago

I just HATE Tory scum👍

Dafydd
Dafydd
2 years ago

If the Tories were serious about this so called union they’d plan to improve the north south links within Wales. Absolute zero consideration of that, 100% consideration on improving their access to their Welsh ‘playground’.

With every new utterance I hate them a little more.

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