Watch: Welsh Secretary dismisses Welsh Conservative calls for Wales to get share of HS2 funding
The Secretary of State for Wales has dismissed calls from Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies for Wales to get a share of the money allocated for the HS2 rail project
In an interview with S4C’s flagship political programme, Y Byd yn ei Le, David TC Davies said “no” to Wales getting any money from the £96 billion project.
The UK Government has classed HS2 as an ‘England and Wales’ project meaning that Wales will not benefit in the same way as Scotland and Northern Ireland from additional rail funding as a result of the project.
A Cardiff University report found that if rail was devolved, Wales would have received an extra £514m investment in its rail infrastructure between 2011-12 and 2019-20 as a result of UK Government investment in HS2.
The leader of the Welsh Conservatives said Wales should get “its fair share of HS two spending,” at last year’s party conference.
Gydag @AndrewRTDavies yn galw eto am arian i Gymru allan o gynllun HS2, beth yw ymateb @DavidTCDavies, Ysgrifennydd Cymru?
"Na yw'r ateb!"
Cyfweliad llawn ar S4C nawr.#ybydyneile | @S4C pic.twitter.com/15xHGg7XEA
— Y Byd yn ei Le (@ybydyneileS4C) January 19, 2023
David TC Davies says Wales will benefit enough from the project, a high-speed railway link which aims to travel between London, the English midlands and the north of England with routes to Birmingham and Leeds.
“The journey time will be cut between north Wales and London, and the transport budget will go up anyway,” he said.
“Also, a number of companies in Wales are part of the supply chain that provide for the project.”
Last year the cross-party Welsh Affairs committee called for the rail scheme to be reclassified as an ‘England only’ project, stating: “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.”
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The Welsh Suppressor would be a more apt title.
…wow, excellent. Can you imagine being RT Davis though? Imagine being hated by most of your own country, hated by Westminster Tories (because you are not one of the elite, like they are) and then publically slapped down by the “Welsh Secretary” for having the temerity for once in your disappointing career to want something for Cymru!…. ….Hilarious…… ….If ever you need something to demonstrate to a person why they should never trust or vote for a Tory, this whole sorry episode should be a good start. … We will never get a fair cut as long as we allow… Read more »
don’t hold back Cath, say what you think it might resonate. #IndyWales
Brilliant analysis Cathy bloody brilliant 👏.
Cathy Jones for first minister I say, she’s got the fight that’s lacking hugely in Welsh politics because we are bloody gutless.
Great comment, I agree with every word. Cymru Rydd.
Dreadful nasty little man
Both of them.
Totally agree with you Cath- couldn’t have put it better
So the Tory Pratt is insulting is his own people by saying H S 2 is for Wales and england the nearest it comes to Wales is fifty bloody miles away he insults us why do Welsh people vote for a party that is an english nationalist party
Because they 1. Have No Spine, 2. No understanding of their own History! 3. An inferiority complex.
Anti Welsh RT is pretending to stand up for Wales to save Tory necks from a Westminster electoral wipeout here only to find himself locking horns with anti Welsh TC. Nice bit of Tory infighting but if this was a boxing match, you’d want them both to be knocked out with simultaneously flung right hooks. (An analogy. Not promoting violence).
Anglophile David TC Davies as Welsh Secretary is supposedly Wales voice in the UK Government cabinet, not. His treachery knows no bounds. He’s happy to see Wales lose out to the tune of billions in HS2 consequential makes me bloody sick.
Although the £96bn HS2 rail project will have no track in Scotland or Wales, a few trains a day will use it in travelling to both countries. However, for Scotland the Tory Government has designated HS2 as an England-only project but as an “England and Wales” project for Wales. This means that Scotland will gain a Barnett Consequential of some £8bn from it whereas Wales will get nothing. Amazingly, this shocking discrimination against Wales is shamefully endorsed by the Secretary of State for Wales, David T C Davies. There is little doubt that this bias in favour of Scotland is… Read more »
Quote “There is little doubt that this bias in favour of Scotland is directly due to the strength of the SNP and the relative weakness of the nationalist cause in Wales.” I agree with this. Even if your against independence you would have to agree that a stronger nationalist movement would be good for Wales because it would put the fear of god into Westminster. Another factor is that Welsh governance has become a propaganda battle between Labour and the Conservatives. On one hand Labour will tend to shift the blame on all their woes on the Tories in London,… Read more »
There is a tendancy with some who add comments to see the ‘ ‘ ‘Conservatives in Wales ‘ as some sort of single minded tendancy with a single agenda to ‘ do down ‘ our nstion, language and Senedd…… An easy lump all together practice even fostered by more progressive folk….fitting Wales v The Tories naratives. While imdeed there are such ‘ doing down Wales’ people in a number of parties – the facts and experience offer another view. The likes of David Jones, David Davies enjoy some warmth for the language they both speak but their Britanic first at… Read more »
Dear Monmouth constituents….
Please vote this guy out. He cares more about the interests of his party and not of the interests of Wales.
Its time that the position of Welsh Secretary be scrapped once and for all, we don’t need it post-devolution.
We do not require a colonial governor telling us what we need and what is good for us. None of those appointed to this position in recent years have respected our people and our country.They are fIrst and foremost Anglo/British, with no empathy for the views and needs of our country if they deviate from the UK Government agenda
MP’s are elected to serve the best interests of constituents, but it is obvious here, his advancement, and ingratiating himself to Top London Tory’s is the only thing that matters. Even when his own party in his supposed country see the injustice being done, it is self interest that rules. What an odious little man he is.
We all know the score, we have been treated badly for centuries. Nothing will change unless we leave the Union. I think we now need, as hard as it may be, not to highlight the negatives of the Union, they are vast and well understood, but to talk up the positives of Cymru. How we can be a successful independent country. We need to educate our people in that respect through leaflets, broadcasts, articles, rallies, marches and public consulations. Independence and its opportunities needs to be at the forefront of every Welsh person’s mind.
Emphasis in schools on Welsh history/hanes Cymru is desperately needed instead of the brainwashing and glorified English version which has been drummed into schoolchildren for generations.
Translation: “We made a decision which was incredibly unfair because we thought we could get away with it. We don’t have the financial means or the political will to change that retrospectively. We don’t mind Welsh Tories saying they want this in order to try and get votes, but it’s never going to happen even though it’s one of the most ridiculous decisions in post millennium British politics.” The only thing we can each do is try to make Welsh communities as welcoming, as progressive and ready to face the many future challenges as possible because we can’t rely on… Read more »
I just don’t understand people from this country, how can you actively turn a blind eye to what you are owed, and not only a blind eye, but claim you don’t deserve it! Only in Wales! We hate ourselves like no other. We have no respect for our nation, our integrity, our History.
Well, Mr RT Davis, Them at UK won’t listen or take your advice. They are the UK Conservative party – the party of the British empire. Which sees Wales as a colony to be exploited and your party in Wales sacrificed to Westminster’s making.
The only thing you can do now is separate Welsh Conservatives from the UK party.
You know this. I give the same advice to Welsh Labour.
Cymru Wales must be an equals with England, Scotland, Ireland and all other Europeans.
We are Welsh Europeans.
A small cut in the time it takes to get from London to Wales. Is that all he’s got? Does he think the Welsh are stupid?
Er, why would one want to get to London from Wales? What a funny idea! Whilst I always enjoy Cathy’s comments, I feel that she is being slightly over the top. We should not be ashamed of being Citizens of Cymru. What we must do is follow the road travelled by Scotland. So, if you have not already joined Yes Cymru, please do so now. You may not think much of the organization but that is not the point. I am fairly sure that GCHQ will have penetrated the YC membership data base and thus will know how many of… Read more »