Government's £445m for railways in Wales branded ‘peanuts' by Tories

Yahoo

a day ago

The Government's £445 million funding for rail projects in Wales has been branded 'peanuts' by Shadow Wales Secretary Mims Davies.
The investment in Welsh rail announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her spending review on Wednesday will be spent on new stations and upgraded railway lines, and delivered through both direct funding and additional money for the Welsh Government.
However, Ms Davies branded the sum 'paltry' and said the Government was 'short-changing' Wales.
The Conservative frontbencher asked Wales Secretary Jo Stevens: 'Does the minister prefer peanuts, cashew nuts, or simply scraps for Wales?
'The fabled two Labour governments in lockstep is simply a myth for voters.
'Changing rail classifications and short-changing Welsh communities is a true reality.
'Is the minister concerned by today's reported peanuts, because when did she become aware of just over £400 million, the paltry settlement to come to Wales?
'How will it be split to Welsh Government? How does she think it compares to our Government's £740 million on rail alone?'
Responding, Ms Stevens said: 'Her party was in government for 14 years when Wales got 1% of the rail enhancement budget, when it has 11% of the whole UK network.
'Her party are responsible for the historic underfunding of the Welsh rail and we'll hear from the Chancellor this afternoon about what this Government is going to do about it.'
Liz Saville-Roberts, Plaid Cymru's leader in Westminster, also accused the Government of reclassifying the Oxford-Cambridge line as an England and Wales project, rather than England only.
She said: 'The Secretary of State for Wales joined Plaid Cymru in condemning the Conservatives for denying Wales £4.6 billion in rail funding.
'Now she's in government, she's waxing lyrical about 10% of that, and content with moving the goalpost to deny Wales a further £300 million by recently classifying the Oxford-Cambridge line as benefiting Wales. I don't know how they make this up.
'Does she oppose this new injustice? Or was she ignored? Or is it her mission to see Wales short-changed?'
Ms Stevens reiterated her previous response to this accusation that the Government had only been correcting a publishing error and that the Oxford-Cambridge line was always considered an England and Wales development.
She said: 'I listened very carefully to the question, and I'm sure she would not wish to unintentionally mislead the House.
'This was an error on the Oxford-Cambridge line. This was an error by the Conservative government in the 2021 spending review.
'And as she knows, heavy rail infrastructure is reserved, not devolved. Like every heavy rail project in England, Barnet consequentials do not apply.
'The UK Government fund from which East West Rail is being funded is also directing funding projects in Wales, like the redevelopment of Wales's busiest station, Cardiff central, improvements to level crossings in north Wales and upgrading the South Wales Relief Link.'