Welsh Labour mocked over independence ‘costings’
Martin Shipton
Welsh Labour has been ridiculed on social media after claiming that an independent Wales would cost every single person £7,000 a year.
Little more than a week ago Jo Stevens, the Secretary of State for Wales, claimed Plaid Cymru’s plan for Welsh independence would cost the average working age taxpayer more than £11,000 a year in tax rises and austerity cuts and wasn’t economically feasible.
Ms Stevens suggested in her speech to the Labour Party conference that Labour would oversee a “renewal” in Wales while Plaid Cymru and Reform UK would oversee “division and decline” – a line Plaid has also used to attack Reform.
She said: “If Plaid want to be taken seriously they need to confirm whether they’re going to tax Welsh families into poverty or cut public services to the bone. Labour has ended austerity in Wales. Don’t let Plaid impose it on Wales again.”
Social media
Now, in the run-up to the Caerphilly Senedd by-election on October 23, a graphic distributed by Welsh Labour on social media pictures a terraced street with the figure £7,000 hovering over the roofs and a caption setting: “The cost of independence for a single person.”
Beneath the graphic a large number of comments have been posted that make fun of Labour.
One says: “So coming down then! Last month you said £11,000.”
Another states: “I see Labour are throwing out the same pish at Wales as Scotland gets. The British are a £3tn debt basket case and London is liable. Get rid asap.”
A further post says: “It’s come down. It was £11,000 last week. You can’t even get your horseshit figure right. What a shower. Ireland GDP x 3 that of Wales, so is Iceland. Bottom line, UK makes Wales poorer.”
‘Talking Wales down’
Responding to Ms Stevens’ comments at the Labour conference, a spokesperson for Plaid Cymru responded to the accusations by saying Ms Stevens was “talking Wales down”.
“It’s rather telling that Jo Stevens has opted to use her conference platform to talk Wales down at a time when more and more Labour voters are coming over to Plaid Cymru with our positive vision for our nation and belief in our potential,” they said.
“As Labour scrambles for relevance the people of Wales know that what is actually hitting them hard in the pocket is happening on Labour’s watch.
“The two-child benefit cap, the national insurance hike, winter fuel payment cuts, soaring energy bills and the lack of economic growth is a shameful record after a promise of change. After 26 years of failing to ensure national renewal for Wales Labour really isn’t as good as it gets.”
Analysis
We asked Welsh Labour to explain the discrepancy between the figures., A party spokesperson said: “The Wales Office, UK Government, have undertaken an analysis of public sector revenues and expenditures for Wales. The analysis is based on country and regional public sector finance data for the UK for the financial year ending 2023. This Office for National Statistics (ONS) publication is an official statistic released in June 2024.
“The findings identify the funding gap that would have to be met in an independent Wales in order to maintain current expenditure on public services.
“Wales consistently has among the largest net fiscal deficits per person of any country or region in the UK.
“In 2022-23 the net fiscal deficit for Wales was over £21.5bn.
“In the same year, Wales had the second largest fiscal deficit per person of any country or region in the UK, at £6,888 per person and £11,156 per working age (16-64) adult.
“Given the large number of people in Wales either below 16, or above 65 – this would equate to each working age adult needing to pay an additional £11,156 in tax to maintain current public service provision.
“If taxes were not raised, this would lead to biting austerity and cuts to vital public services including the NHS, schools, road maintenance and even Welsh language services.”
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All in all, Jo is thoroughly useless for Wales and the Welsh people. Can she please walk down the one way street?
Another desperate rant by Jo Stevens, nominally the Secretary of State for Wales (but not for the Cymru I recognise and want to be part of). Her hysterical claim that Plaid Cymru would “tax Welsh families into poverty or cut public services to the bone” poses a false dichotomy. And, surely, Labour got there first! The lacklustre Labour governments in Caerdydd and the sub-optimal Labour and Tory regimes that Westminster constantly visits upon us have undermined our country and society to the extent that only poverty and bone are left! Clearly, Reeves and Starmer (and Bailey) pretend to know no better – but… Read more »
Interesting how Labour are attacking Welsh independence and not getting their figures right. One of the more recent Welsh independence deficit figures is 3.4%- (https://www.yes.cymru/wales_being_too_poor_for_independence_is_false) Within international standards and manageable. It’s time the Welsh public were introduced on a regular basis to alternate figures to the negative, false rubbish put out there by Unionists. However, it may not be in Plaid’s best interests to delve too much into Welsh independence before the next Senedd election – it may have detrimental consequences, besides I’m pretty sure most people are fully aware that the party seeks out of the Union already. But… Read more »
As someone else said in the comments section on a previous Post she’s the worst Welsh Secretary we have ever had.Even worse than John Redwood and that’s saying something.
Wales has a serious problem with keeping job creating talent WITHIN its borders; until it learns how to do this ‘thing’ an independent Wales really isn’t feasible – and I write this as someone who otherwise supports an independent WALES!! GO GO WALES!
Yet it’s the so-called level playing field with the rest of the UK that causes this. The size of London’s economy, larger than the next nine city regions combined, is impossible to compete with on anything other than a ultra low wage basis – the only advantage that Labour killed off with the minimum wage. Then Johnson made it illegal to be a more attractive place to do business than England under the Internal Market Act.
So, some research commissioned by Labour. Funny how its results are so different to research produced by non partisan academics. Desperate stuff from Jo Stevens
Jo Stevens is the female George Thomas in that she is a British Nationalist with an intense dislike of Cymru, and displays unease with any positive portrayal of our people. Her economics – and I am being very kind using that term – are the sort of thing that could have come out of a creche. Unionism has deflated our nation for generations. We really need to wake up, smell the coffee and say “bye, bye London”.
The Secretary of State for (Talking Down) Wales
Based on assumptions that we retain all the current funding models but that doesnt have to be the case. Welsh Labour were decrying the crown estate issue before they won a UK General Election and had to manage the purse.
Independence is not just normal, but now a necessity with the UK on self destruct.
This is irrelevant if Plaid have said there will be no indy vote in the next Senedd term.
Economically now Wales would not stand up , we have fiddled as the last of the trad industries burned , we have done nothing to replace that and serve the very big customer on our doorstep , our Politicians are trying to pretend they are nationally and internationally relevant fiddling in areas that are not serving the people of Wales , you can do that when all is in order here , which we is far from the case .
Absolute total nonsense, PMb.
Your claim might stack up in an independent Cymru chose to retain the wholly misguided neoliberalist approach to fiscal management and our economy, failed to utilise all the tools that a sovereign country has (fiat currency, imagination – for a start), failed to meet needs (see above), failed to recognise that the economy must serve our people and our society…
Why would we bother becoming independent if that were the case?
We would prosper – certainly in a way that Cymru has not under successive London governments. Cymru Rydd!
Lies,lies and many many more lies,it seems that that is how this neolib,fascist enabling party UK,are all about.It all began with the leader in the run up to the election,and not a thing has changed,Our Wales and Peoples would be a hell of a lot better off out of this UK.
Lets just deal with facts: Labour has had a majority in every UK General election for the last 100 years FACT, Labour has had control of the Senedd for the last 26 years FACT. Wales is amongst the poorest countries in western Europe FACT, Wales is the poorest country in the UK FACT. Labour have no shame all they want is power – they HAVE TO GO!!!!!
Welsh labour have the same problem the Tories did at the last UK GE, you can’t say you’re the party of change when you’ve had generational power and have done nothing. I only hope my fellow cymro see sense and don’t vote in those corrupt and incompetent clowns Reform.
The figures compiled take into defense spending and other budgets. Wales doesn’t need nukes or a royal family.