Wales 'shortchanged' but 'no promises' for more funding from Keir Starmer
ITV Cymru Wales' Joanne Gallacher reports from Edinburgh.
First Minister Eluned Morgan has confirmed there have been "no promises" made by Prime Minister Keir Starmer about more funding for Wales.
Speaking after the first meeting of the Council of Nations and Regions in Edinburgh on Friday, 11 October, Sir Keir repeatedly refused to say whether the Welsh Government would get its share of funding for the HS2 high-speed rail line.
Baroness Morgan has described the country as being “shortchanged” on rail funding.
Sir Keir was asked twice if the UK Government would give Wales the cash, but he told reporters: "We’ve had a very successful first meeting of the Council of Nations and Regions and the First Minister of Wales was here with me, and we had a really good discussion about how we could harness the joint working of both governments.
"Working together on investment, on collaboration and making sure that we’ve got real investment in the jobs of the future across Wales."
In an interview with ITV Cymru Wales, the FM said expectations should be "managed" ahead of the UK Government's autumn budget announcement on 30 October.
Asked if there would be more money for Wales, she said: "Well there were no promises, certainly not today, and obviously everyone's waiting for the budget.
"But I think it’s important to recognise he’s been very clear that there's a £22billion hole in the budget that is not going to be easy to fill.
"So it’s important to manage expectations around that but there was an opportunity to set out some of the things that we’re particularly concerned about in Wales.”
The Welsh Labour leader raised HS2 and said Sir Keir "knows that Wales feels shortchanged".
Not a single centimetre of the high-speed railway track will be built in Wales, but it was deemed an England and Wales project by the previous Conservative UK Government. If it was England-only, extra consequential cash would have been released for Wales, but this is not currently the case.
In May, the Senedd unanimously backed Wales getting its fair share of funding – putting the Welsh Conservatives at odds with their colleagues in the previous UK Tory government.
But now it is Labour in government in both Westminster and Cardiff Bay.
The FM said: "I made the case to him that we would like to see more infrastructure, rail development.
"I don't think that’s likely to be in the budget this autumn but it’s really important that that conversation continues, and I've offered to suggest some infrastructure projects where they could help us."
Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Conservatives have applied pressure to the Welsh Labour Government, claiming Wales could be owed up to £4bn in reimbursements.
Addressing these claims, Baroness Morgan said on Friday: "I certainly wouldn’t expect anything in the forthcoming budget - I think those figures are probably massively exaggerated but it is important for us to recognise that we have been shortchanged when it comes to rail infrastructure, and I will keep banging that drum until we get more."
The Council of Nations and Regions was formed by Sir Keir in an effort to “rewire” the way the UK Government interacts with devolved areas and brings together first ministers and metro mayors.
But senior Labour aide Sue Gray, who is taking up the role of envoy to the nations and regions after leaving her job as No 10’s chief of staff, was absent from the summit because she is taking a "short break".
Andrew RT Davies MS, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, called the meeting a "just another Labour talking shop".
He said: “That’s proven by the fact that the new so-called envoy isn’t even attending today’s meeting, and is instead still embroiled in the chaos at the heart of this Labour Government.
“We can only hope that Eluned Morgan can use this meeting to find a backbone and demand that Keir Starmer reverses his decision to scrap winter fuel payments, but we won’t hold our breath waiting for that.”
A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said today's discussions have confirmed that "this so-called "partnership of power" is nothing but an empty slogan."
They continued: "Wales is owed £4bn from the HS2 project alone. We are not being served by an unfair funding formula that leaves our public services without the investment they urgently need. And we are losing out on £835m in energy potential from not having control over the Crown Estate.
"Labour in Wales need to shout louder and demand from their bosses in London the fairness Wales deserves."
They added: "Accepting no promises on more funding is just not good enough. Wales needs a new Plaid Cymru government - one that will never put party before country.
"While Labour continue to shortchange Wales - Plaid Cymru will stand up for its best interests and demand fairness from Westminster."
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