Wales deserves better than a government that sees ambition as a nuisance
Liz Saville Roberts MP, Plaid Cymru Westminster leader
It is time for Wales to be treated with the same respect and granted the same powers as Scotland. That should be the bare minimum.
The devolution settlements for the nations of the UK must be rooted in fairness if we are to have functioning governance in these islands.
This week, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth and I met with Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens to make the case for a Wales Bill that would establish parity with Scotland. To name a few, rail infrastructure, the Crown Estate, justice and policing are fully devolved to Scotland. Yet Wales is still forced to ask Westminster for permission at every turn.
We made the argument to the Secretary of State that Labour had an opportunity to transform Wales and our relationship with Westminster – installing respect in a relationship that has long been defined by a ‘parent-child’ dynamic.
The response from Labour was dismissive.
Disheartening
This is disheartening, not least because Welsh Labour politicians in Cardiff often echo Plaid Cymru’s calls for more powers. But when faced with the chance to deliver, the Labour government in Westminster blocks. It’s as if they’re content with the status quo – a status quo that leaves Wales as the poorest nation in the UK.
This is not about asking for handouts. It’s about demanding the tools we need to lift ourselves out of poverty. We’re currently expected to manage the symptoms of economic hardship without the ability to address its causes.
Scotland has control over its justice system, the Crown Estate, and energy infrastructure. It can set its own income tax bands and has introduced innovative welfare policies like the Scottish Child Payment. Wales, in contrast, remains tethered to Westminster in these key areas, denied the ability to make decisions that reflect our unique circumstances.
Rail infrastructure
Take rail infrastructure as another example. Despite being essential to economic growth, Wales does not control its own railways and receives a mere 33.5% Barnett comparability factor for investment in English railway projects. Scotland, by comparison, receives 95.6%, as does Northern Ireland. How on earth does Labour justify giving less to Wales?
The Barnett Formula itself is another glaring injustice. It fails to account for the real needs of Wales, from the health challenges of an aging population to the economic struggles of post-industrial communities. Plaid Cymru has long called for a funding model based on need, not population. It’s a simple principle: fair funding for fair opportunities.
Labour’s refusal to entertain these reforms is emblematic of a deeper problem. They seem more interested in managing decline. Wales deserves better than a government that sees ambition as a nuisance.
Plaid Cymru will not be deterred. We are drafting a Wales Bill, and we will fight to see it adopted.
The political landscape in Wales is shifting. The move to a new voting system in 2026 offers the opportunity for Plaid Cymru to be in a position of greater influence in the Senedd. We are ready to lead, and to deliver.
Independence
Plaid Cymru believes that Wales will only reach its full potential through independence. We know that Labour will never agree to us on that, but can we really accept their view that Wales is less of a nation than Scotland?
The people of Wales deserve a government that believes in their potential, that will give them the means to build a better future.
Plaid Cymru will never be dismissive of ambition. If you think Wales is just as deserving of powers and funding as our Scottish friends, join Plaid Cymru in building a stronger nation.
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We saw Liz in Dol on Thursday, she was looking radiant, a big smile and a wave,
Add the shocking treatment of the people and trade of Ynys Mon to your list Liz…
We want more than respect, we have here in the north west some heavy political hitters…get swinging…
Wales needs leverage to bring Westminster to the table; voting for the two Westminster parties in our droves does not do that. Neither will voting for Reform.
Vote Plaid in the west and Greens in the east in 2026. Change the dynamics.
If Wales were to be given powers that equal Scotland, you can’t escape the fact that we don’t have any politicians from any party in Wales good enough to make use of the extra powers. We basically have village councillors trying to run Wales.
Wales needs productive, capable and bright politicians, we don’t have any at present.
That is not true of Gwynedd and Ynys Mon…
Or Ceredigion Preseli
Does England have any adequate politicians? Wales is just as capable as any other nation, to think otherwise is borderline racism.
If we had more powers it might motivate a new wave of solid citizens to step forward and turf out the selfish badly motivated bunch of lightweights currently in situ. Then we could look at growing to 96 with optimism rather than the concern that all we’re doing is growing a bunch of wasters by 60%
Fair point, care to list the ones in Westminster that are running our country at the moment? Or any in the world that impact our lives!
You want more political talent like Matt Hancock and Liz Truss?
My Senedd MP is excellent (Jane Bryant)
The aim now is to get as many Plaid MSs elected in 2026. Labour has become too complacent and stale – Cymru needs something fresh.
I don’t think they see ambition as a nuisance. I just don’t think Plaid is on the states radar in the same way the SNP and SF are. If Plaid is not a problem for the state then this is something the party desperately needs to reflect on. This approach to more powers feels like begging bowl politics; and comparing our situation to Scotland doesn’t feel like ambition. It feels like we’re defining our journey through theirs rather than writing our own story – which is the complete opposite to what Independence is about. Scotland’s interaction with the state is… Read more »
I don’t mind sharing the same story as Scotland. We don’t necessarily need to do it Welsh just to go it Welsh. We need to JUST DO IT. Strikes. Vigorous campaigns not polite requests. Out with the begging bowl. Not voting Labour or Tory. How about a Welsh haka? (it just disrupted the NZ parliament!)
Same old message. Lets have the same as Scotland. I certainly wouldn’t vote for Plaid to have the same as Scotland. Control over the Crown Estates. They have taken over the liabilities and administration of the Crown Estates, but the net financial gain is then deducted from the Block Grant. Policing and criminal justice won’t add one pound to the Welsh economy, in fact the greater expectations from the public will cost, Tax devolution. The Welsh government is reluctant to use even the limited income tax powers it presently has. Plaid is complicit in this by supporting the annual budget… Read more »
Well said diolch. (Next time do it with paragraphs – makes it a lot sharper and easier to read)
I don’t think you can in comments. Please feel free to tell me how.
The English are happy to treat Scotland (and their Ulster settler cousins) as a sort of second in command – they always have done. Lowland Scots was primarily settled by Anglo-Saxon people and therefore have a sort of ‘English privilege’ due to their shared ethnocultural bond with England – it has always been English policy to support the Anglo over the Gael in Scotland and they are over represented in British instutions and media and the English upper classes have always loved and romanticised Scotland, whereas Wales is ignored or despised by them because of our seperate language and ethnic… Read more »
What LSR, we ‘deserve’ things as in the L’Oreal slogan “Because I’m worth it”? And (below) and Llew G are right. Wales needs hard-ball politics, to face down London. Will need a change in our attitude. Being a supplicant won’t cut it.
London Labour should be looking for growth, not by squeezing more out of an overheated London but by supporting the poorer regions and nations to raise their GDP per capita and close the gap with London. This is the low hanging fruit that will make the UK richer for the least effort and expense. But Whitehall fears this, the way they once feared the natives in the colonies turning on their masters. Because that’s all that can be expected from an ex-HQ of empire that has never been reformed to be a modern government. The wafer thin political layer on… Read more »
If you whimper and beg for”mutual respect” then yes Westminstr will be “dismissve” … “as if they’re content with the status quo” Because they are. They don’t want mutual respect. Scotland makes them b—-y uncomfortabel.
Actually by all means chatter away politely about “mutual respect”. But also just as much if not more so talk about a stronger Cymru economy – and that means more taxes going to Westminster. All the mproved devolution powers will produce a stronger Cymru economy, so more taxes going to Westminster.
The biggest problem with devolution is that no consumption or income taxes stay local so there’s absolutely no incentive to grow the economy and no real opportunity to attract investment through differentiation. Imagine if half of VAT went to Cardiff Bay (with an equivalent amount taken off the block grant) who then worked hard to increase that revenue to the point they could knock 5% off the Welsh VAT rate and still fund services.
For several years now, 10p of each income tax rate goes directly to Cardiff. The article is very careful in choosing its words when it refers to the Senedd’s inability to vary income tax bands, but the Senedd does have the ability to vary income tax rates. i.e. it cannot change the threshold between basic and higher rate tax, but it can vary the % paid in each band – the the extra (or reduction) would be sent directly to Cardiff. Thus far, the Senedd has chosen not to use this power.