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Wales Office minister opposed to HS2 being reclassified as an ‘England only’ project

24 Jul 2021 3 minute read
Picture by 0x010C (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Wales Office minister David Davies doesn’t believe that Wales should receive any Barnett formula funding for HS2.

The Monmouth MP rejects a recent recommendation by the cross-party Welsh Affairs committee for the rail scheme to be reclassified as an ‘England only’ project.

Unlike Scotland and Northern Ireland, Wales currently stands to receive no proportional payout via the Barnett formula as High Speed 2 (HS2) is seen as delivering benefits to both ‘England and Wales’.

David Davies, who is Under-Secretary of State for Wales, told Business Live that: “Wales is going to benefit from it, firstly because the whole of the UK will get a benefit if we get our carbon emissions down and secondly it is a misnomer that the only people travelling on HS2 between the Midlands and London will be people from the midlands and London.

“There will be people there who will not use it and people in Wales that will. In addition to that, a lot of Welsh businesses can benefit from the tenders for doing the work and none of this takes away from the fact that the UK Government has been investing a lot of money into the railways in Wales, £1.5bn is going in over the next control period.”

£5 billion

With the estimated cost of HS2 being around £100 billion, the Welsh Government would expect to receive around £5 billion in additional funds via the Barnett formula.

A report carried out by the UK Government suggested that HS2 could be damaging for the Welsh economy, particularly in the south of Wales.

Ed Gareth Poole of the Wales Governance Centre, responding to the David Davies remarks on Twitter, said: “This is a quite extraordinary from @UKGovWales on HS2.

“If decarbonisation was a priority you wouldn’t have stopped electrifying to Swansea. And that some Welsh people might use HS2 rules out funding? Welsh people drive on the M6, many Scots will use HS2: both get Barnett transfers.”

Report

The recent Welsh Affairs committee report stated: “We recommend that HS2 should be reclassified as an England only project. Using the Barnett Formula, Wales’ funding settlement should be recalculated to apply an additional allocation based on the funding for HS2 in England.

“We suggest that such a reclassification would help to ensure that Welsh rail passengers receive the same advantage from investment in HS2 as those in Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

HS2 is a high-speed railway that aims to improve links between London, the midlands and the north of England with routes to Birmingham and Leeds.


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Mr Williams
Mr Williams
3 years ago

Quelle surprise!

Chris
Chris
3 years ago

So if the Viceroy’s Vizier could show me on a map with hard facts where HS2 passes into Cymru, or otherwise benefits our nation in any way ,,,

Steve Duggan
Steve Duggan
3 years ago

If the project is going to benefit the whole of the UK – why are Scotland and N.Ireland exempt?? Why – because the railline – ‘does not run through these countries ! Why are we always shat on? Enough is enough – we have have to leave this warped, corrupt Union ASAP.

Quornby
Quornby
3 years ago
Reply to  Steve Duggan

We are hsat on because our “leaders” don’t have the stomach or self respect for independence.

R W
R W
3 years ago
Reply to  Steve Duggan

We are continually shat on because the majority of people in Wales keep on voting for unionist parties who instil little or no fear on the Tories.

Mark
Mark
3 years ago

it would appear that they can just say whatever comes into their stupid empty little heads. for christ sake Wales deserves so much better than these muppets

CJPh
CJPh
3 years ago

David Davies is more reasonable than people give him credit for… Until he discusses anything pertaining to the Union. Then he’s as irrational and illogical as he needs to be to get a whiff of the butcher’s apron.

Last edited 3 years ago by CJPh
Mark
Mark
3 years ago

I’m guessing TC stands for total c**t?

Wrexhamian
Wrexhamian
3 years ago

Great to see a Welsh MP defending Cymru’s corner…

Chris
Chris
3 years ago
Reply to  Wrexhamian

It would be, wouldn’t it?

Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
3 years ago

The Welsh Affairs committee chaired by Stephen Crabb and a majority of Tories and ex-Tory nutters says that HS2 is of no benefit to Wales but obviously Topcat needs to kneel before his Imperial master and rob his constituents of their share of the £6Bn Welsh taxpayers will end up paying for the white elephant.
Sad and pathetic little man.

George
George
3 years ago

“firstly because the whole of the UK will get a benefit if we get our carbon emissions down.”

If that is the first reason you can think of how Wales will benefit and, unlike Scotland and Northern Ireland, shouldn’t receive payment then you’ve got an incredibly weak argument. It’s an absolutely terrible mindset from a Welsh politician.

Quornby
Quornby
3 years ago
Reply to  George

His first name should be Vidkun.

Chris
Chris
3 years ago
Reply to  George

Sounds very much like the promised legacy from the London Olympics for paying for that. Should be coming through aaaaaany day …….

Mr Williams
Mr Williams
3 years ago

I wonder how future Welsh historians will judge politicians like David Davies? Something he seriously needs to think about.

Quornby
Quornby
3 years ago

Cut from the same cloth as Hart. It has been proven that not only is HST2 of no benefit to Wales but impacts our economy negatively. Hart and Davies are beneath contempt.

Cymro newydd
Cymro newydd
3 years ago

“Welsh Office minister … reclassified as an England only project” says the headline. Exactly.

Last edited 3 years ago by Cymro newydd
Petha Da
Petha Da
3 years ago

Judging the quoted text attributed to this Dave Davies, tory under secretary for Wales, We (Wales) will benefit because of the reduced Carbon footprint? On that bases so will New Zealand! He also goes on elsewhere to suggest because Wales one of the three nations not England will use and get contracts it shouldn’t be called an English only scheme. So Scotland and N.Ireland won’t/can’t? If it’s been deemed Scotland and N.Ireland won’t benefit from HS2 then neither will Wales. Good grief, most of England won’t benefit from HS2! Whatever he was on when he wrote the article I want… Read more »

Johnny Gamble
Johnny Gamble
3 years ago

What about your constituecy David?HST certainly isn’t going anywhere near Monmouth as the town lost its rail link since the days of Beeching.

Dafydd Evans
Dafydd Evans
3 years ago

This guy is totally unreal – so by your logic the Barnet consequentials should be stripped from Scotland and N.I. too? You cant have one without the other – you cant stick your onion, yes onion (bacause if you can talk crap so can I) up your butchers apron!

Ken covack
Ken covack
3 years ago

Pathetic little ideologist who swings on the apron strings of the butcher’s apron of Johnson, no idea what he is talking about as it does not benefit Wales in the slightest

Sian
Sian
3 years ago

This is absolutely disgraceful. Surely Welsh politicians of whatever party should be aiming to get the most resource possible for Wales. How can this be justifiable? This is very worrying for the future, looks as if we’re to return to a poor colony of England. Shame on you Mr Davies and your constituents should be up in arms because your duty is to serve their interests.

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