Wales has 'entitlement' to HS2 cash - ex-minister
The Welsh government's former top legal advisor has called Labour UK ministers' decision not to allocate consequential funding to Wales for HS2 high speed rail "unacceptable".
Mick Antoniw told the Senedd that Wales had a "constitutional entitlement" to the money, during a Plaid Cymru debate on rail infrastructure on Wednesday evening.
The Senedd ultimately voted against a Plaid motion calling on the Labour Welsh government to write to its UK counterparts asking for billions of pounds in funding consequentials for HS2.
In a previous vote in May 2024 there was cross-party support for Wales to receive its "fair share" of funding.
Why does Wales not receive money from HS2?
Welsh railways underfunded, UK government admits
Speaking after the debate Plaid Cymru transport spokesperson Peredur Owen Griffiths said: "The Labour Welsh government are now firmly in the pockets of their UK colleagues.
"The people of Wales see through the pretence of Labour's so-called 'partnership in power', seeing that it's nothing but empty words.
"They will fight to spare Keir Starmer's blushes before they fight for Wales every single time."
During Wednesday's debate Antoniw, Senedd member for Pontypridd, said: "I do not accept the UK government's response to HS2 funding.
"I could accept an argument that says that we can not fund all the legacy of all the disastrous economic consequences of the last 14 years of Tory government.
"But I believe that we have a constitutional entitlement to the Barnett funding consequential, and the response from the UK government has been unacceptable, it's been inaccurate, it's been flawed, and I don't believe it is credible."
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