Welsh Secretary commits £55m to mid-Wales projects
The Welsh Secretary has announced that there will be £55m of UK Government spending available for projects to boost parts of mid-Wales.
The money is Wales' share of £300m announced by the Prime Minister in July for similar schemes in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - which was described at the time as "thin stuff" by the Welsh Government.
He referred to the announcement in his speech to the Conservative party conference in Manchester saying that only the Tories are committed to keeping the United Kingdom together.
"In 29 days time we will leave the European Union - and a new dawn will break across our union.
"I don't say this just because Wales voted to leave...something that Labour and Plaid choose to forget.
"As Conservatives we want the same thing - to get Brexit done and move on."
In that speech he also criticised the First Minister Mark Drakeford for ''flirting with the nationalists.''
In a sign that the party thinks a General Election is imminent, the growth deal pledge is also accompanied by a political swipe at the Labour Welsh Government's record of spending in that area.
Political opponents say it is far less than similar areas in the UK have seen and the move is being seen as a pre-election bribe for a part of Wales where the Conservatives are hoping to gain or hold onto seats.
Alun Cairns said, "Wales is a nation spread over a large geographic area - no more so than in Mid Wales. These communities have not benefitted from Cardiff Bay focused funding for decades. Today I am putting that right by committing £55m for people in Powys and Ceredigion."
As I mentioned, the Labour Welsh Government criticised the original announcement as "thin stuff" and insufficient to make up for years of lower funding generally from the UK Government.
And Plaid Cymru says this amount is too little, particularly when compared to similar schemes in other parts of the UK.
The leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats echoed that and said the amount promised was 'frankly insulting.'
Sian Jones, now a political consultant in Cardiff, used to be a special adviser to the former Chancellor Philip Hammond.
An imminent election might also explain why the Welsh Secretary used his speech to emphasise what he says is his party's commitment to the union of the United Kingdom and to criticise the First Minister for comments in which he suggested his support for the union is conditional.
Since those comments, Mark Drakeford has said he wants to see the UK reformed to be a partnership of equals.
But Alun Cairns seized on the original remarks to say: