Welsh ministers criticises Edwina Currie after she says levelling up funds ‘help to guarantee places vote Conservative’
A Welsh government minister has criticised Edwina Currie after she justified spending levelling up funds in constituencies that voted Conservative in 2019.
Speaking on BBC Wales’ Sunday Supplement the former Conservative Health Secretary said that it was right that money be spent on these areas because it would “help to guarantee that these places recognise the virtue of voting Conservative in future”.
It was revealed in October that the majority of ‘levelling up’ funds for Wales are going to Conservative constituencies.
The Conservatives won 14 of 40 seats in Wales at the 2019 General Election but Tory seats will receive over 60% – £73.2m – of the levelling up cash that is to be spent in Wales.
Quizzed on Sunday Supplement, Edwina Currie was asked by presenter Vaughan Roderick: “But places shouldn’t be receiving money on the basis of who they voted for, should they?”
Edwina Currie responded: “Yes, of course they do! Of course they do! They voted Labour and they didn’t get it, now they voted Tory and they are getting it! And that’s the sort of thing that is going to make a hell of a lot of difference to the political landscape in the future.”
Vaughan Roderick asked: “I just want to get this clear Edwina – you’re saying that places in the north of England that voted Conservative at the last election should get the money and places like the south Wales valleys that didn’t and are identical in terms of poverty and need, shouldn’t?”
She responded: “Well maybe you should have had a conversation like that with the Labour Government when Labour were in power. And actually, large parts of the valleys have received a lot of money in the past, and I’ve seen Cardiff is absolutely fabulous compared to when I used to visit it as a child when my aunt lived in Rhiwbina. It was a very run-down area in many ways.
“The point I’m making is that people voted Conservative because they felt they had been neglected by previous long-term Labour governments who should not have taken them for granted and who did. And that’s the basis of that.
“And the levelling up fund and the impact it has and the improvement that it makes will help to guarantee that these places recognise the virtue of voting Conservative in future. That’s exactly how it works.”
Responding on social media, Welsh Government Counsel general and Minister for the Constitution, Mick Antoniw, said that it “sounded to me that what Edwina Currie was justifying was the abuse of public money to buy votes”.
“If so there is a simpler description – corruption- at the heart of this Tory government.”
However, Edwina Currie said that levelling up funds were being spent on the basis that large parts of Wales and England had been “neglected” in the past by Labour governments.
“They had ample opportunity when we had Labour Prime Ministers for improvements. These areas have been losing population, losing hope and they voted Tory – and they’ve got the money.”
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You could say this is a reward, but where is the “one nation” – blah now?
Question: is corruption now endemic in their mindset?
The One Nation is contained within the borders of southern England.
The Americans
have a word for this sort of corruption: pork barrel politics
EC’s credibility in one word… Eggs!
To be fair, she was being honest on that occasion too. So I don’t see that it reflects badly on her credibility.
This bargain basement Thatcher was an embarrassment as a MP and an embarrassment as a Z list celebrity. Why is she even given air time?
Well you have to admit she is being honest… about Tory corruption and maladministation in public office.
She’ll will soon have egg on her face.
The obvious fact is crystal clear: The corrupted Tories are rotten to the core.
To me it’s obvious that would happen they would always look after the people that voted for them especially in England if they had always voted for labour except the difference in Wales they know that whatever they did for the Welsh people they Would still vote labour.and when the labour party are in charge of Westminster they know they don’t need to look after Wales because whatever little they do for the Welsh people we will always take our vote for granted so we lose out whoever is in power in London wake up Wales get away from London… Read more »
This Welsh lions will never vote for Tory donkeys like this article advocates. Whatever carrots are being dangled even accepting a single ceiniog
would be against everything we value and don’t forget it’s our money that is being ?? spent not yours. England’s or a political parties
This is a little like jerrymandering, and needs investigation
Edwina Currie has popped up in various places recently as a Save Boris defender, after a long period of obscurity. Does this mean he’s struggling to find current parliamentarians to defend him – and is she on a promise of a seat in the House of Lords for her efforts?
Sounds like blackmail to me!
It is pure corruption, call it what it is
Criminal mentality runs through the Tory party, if if was a stick of rock it would have the word ‘corrupt’ running through it, at least she is honest about the graft, honest and stupid at the same time
Edwina Curry is like listening to white noise. Annoying.