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First Minister defends record on 'standing up for Wales'

By Emily Price
First Minister Eluned Morgan - Image: Senedd TV

Emily Price

The First Minister has made a robust defence against accusations that she isn't battling for Wales to receive fair funding from Westminster.

Baroness Eluned Morgan's comments came during Questions to the First Minister on Tuesday (March 25) whist she was quizzed by Plaid Cymru's leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth.

He pressed the FM on whether she had had any contact with her "friend" Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wales' funding ahead of the UK Government's spring statement.

Mr ap Iorwerth asked: "Does Keir Starmer’s respect and Rachel Reeves’ friendship only extend to Labour colleagues, rather than to the people of Wales as a whole?"

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Rail

Baroness Morgan said she had set out "very clearly" to the Chancellor what the Welsh Government would like to see in terms of funding.

She said: "It does include things like additional funding for rail, it does include things like seeing the Crown Estate being devolved to Wales.

"All of those things, I have set out very clearly. We are in the same political party, but devolution means there are times when we will simply not agree. And I will continue to make the case for Wales."

Plaid's leader hit back saying it appeared the Welsh Government was putting "party before country".

He said: "We have a First Minister defending time and time again decisions taken by the Labour-run Treasury.

"Does she not think that this is her role - just leave things to chance, Wales at the mercy of the UK Government completely?"

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Controversial 

Mr ap Iorwerth said tomorrow's spring statement would be a chance for the UK Government to right a "historic wrong" by giving Wales the consequential funding it is owed for the controversial HS2 rail project.

The project has been contentious because of its classification as an England and Wales rail line despite none of the track crossing the Welsh border.

The classification means no consequential cash was released to Wales by the UK Treasury using the Barnett formula.

Responding to Plaid's leader, the First Minister said: "You can keep on saying that I don't stand up for Wales, but I will keep on telling you that I am.

"HS2, the Crown Estate, the funding formula - all of those things, I'm calling for them. What do you think is going to happen if you ever get into power here?

"Do you think that shouting louder is going to help? Don't you think that, when you go and speak to Rachel Reeves, Rachel Reeves will turn around and say to you, 'Do you know what, there was £4 billion on the table, and you voted against it'?

"Your credibility when it comes to negotiating with the Treasury is absolutely shot."

Budget

The First Minister was referencing the recent Welsh budget which saw Plaid Cymru and the Conservative vote against the Welsh Government's spending plans because they didn't go far enough.

Failing to pass the budget would have had serious consequences on the amount of cash earmarked for Wales by the Treasury.

The budget was only voted through after the Senedd's only Liberal Democrat Jane Dodds struck a deal with Welsh Labour.

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7 comments

Dai Ponty

How stupid do you think the Welsh public if as you say you stick up for Wales why have you not demanded our Billions for H S 2 and the money from the crown estates

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Why vote

She should be a stand up comedian she has that certain something that all average club comedians have the ability to talk nonsense. Or is that being cruel to comedians?.

Reply
Cwm Rhondda

A British Baroness standing up for Cymru? Really?

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Welshman28

Regardless of being the FM in Wales she follows Central Labour in Government as a puppet exactly like the rest of Labour politicians. It was obvious when Starmer took control he could firmly see the mess Wales was in and had no intention of using taxpayers money to bail out Wales.

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Y Cymro

Welsh Labour stand up for Wales lol. Oh please. They are virtually horizontal. Since winning the Senedd election in 2021, all the powers sought have not materialised. This is the reality. We were constantly told by the Welsh Government how UK Labour winning Westminster power would be good for Wales. How both governments would work together and be more sympathetic to powers sought by Cardiff Bay. So they naively assumed. FM Eluned Morgan can claim because there was a Conservative government in power in London the reason why powers sought never materialised. But she can't still bemoan still how the nasty party Tories are denying poor old Welsh Labour the powers sought when since last May we've had UK Labour in power. So besides flatly denying Welsh Labour the devolution Policing & Criminal & Youth Justice, recently we had all Wales Labour MPs vote against the devolution of the Crown Estate to Wales citing the most disrespectful self-hating rhetoric their reason for voting no. Apparently it would be too confusing for those thick Taffy's to control its own coastal resources. Not Scotland where it's been devolved since 2017? Funny that. Also, the Tories used the very same language when the power to create a Saint David's Day bank holiday was requested. That also would be too confusing. Not Scotland or NI though? Strange that. In my opinion. Keir Starmer's UK Labour Government and his gaggle of self-hating Wales labour quislings are no different to the Conservatives. One and the same political cancer that's eating Wales from within. By UK Labour denying us the power over the Crown Estate means hundreds of millions annually lost to the Senedd coffers. So career politician Eluned Morgan and those treacherous Wales Labour MPs are all below contempt. In fact, I'll go further. They are all are sellouts. And to rub our noses in the dirt. Recently UK Labour announced funding for a £10 billion Thames tunnel. And this infrastructure build is for "Britain" mind. Odd really seeing we were told by Welsh Office Minister Jo Stevens how there was no money in the pot for Wales HS2 consequential? Has Labour employed illusionist David Blaine to materialise money from thin air? Looks like they have. I bet all the poor & disabled in Wales that are losing or having their PIP benefit reduced feel all warm and cosy inside so that billions clawed from the most vulnerable in society is to be spent again on the bloated London to their detriment. So Wales is not only losing billions to England with HS2. Add too our water resource that's siphoned away for nothing. We can't even benefit from our coastal resources where money that's rightfully ours which effectively is a dip fund for the English Monarch & Treasury in London. So don't you bloody dare claim you are standing up for Wales Eluned Morgan or those Wales Labour MPs, because you all are barefaced self-serving liars!

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Mab Meirion

She only puts the pads on for herself and Clark... First on the truth machine, Princess Eluned...

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Howie

See how she performs when the next HS2 project not rail but road, tunnels under Thames at Gravesend, current estimate close to £10bn with some saying it will draw funding away from devolved nations like HS2.

Reply

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