Latest news with #CONSERVATIVES
Pembrokeshire Herald
04-06-2025
- Business
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Tories accuse Welsh Labour of silence over rail funding ‘shortchange'
Conservatives demand fair share from £6.6bn Oxford-Cambridge line as HS2 dispute continues THE WELSH CONSERVATIVES have accused the Labour-run Welsh Government of failing to stand up for Wales over rail infrastructure funding, criticising what they call a 'deafening silence' on the long-running HS2 consequentials dispute and a lack of action over a newly announced £6.6 billion rail project in England. The Oxford-Cambridge rail corridor project, confirmed by Westminster as part of wider infrastructure investment plans, will not deliver any direct funding for Wales, reigniting debate over how major transport schemes in England are classified for funding purposes. Although transport is devolved, UK Government does not provide Barnett formula consequential funding to Wales for rail projects it deems to benefit England and Wales jointly—despite HS2 not passing through Welsh territory. Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure, Sam Rowlands MS, said the current system is 'clearly unfair' and accused Labour ministers in Cardiff Bay of failing to push back. 'We've not heard a peep from the Welsh Labour Government on HS2 consequentials since the election,' he said. 'Now, with this rail project highlighting further unfairness in funding, it is clear that the Welsh Labour Government has no sway with their counterparts in Westminster.' Mr Rowlands added: 'We were promised two governments working in partnership to deliver what is best for Wales. Instead, we've had broken promise after broken promise, leaving Wales shortchanged on critical infrastructure investment.' The Conservatives reiterated their call for Wales to receive its fair share of HS2-linked funding, and argued that any new funding arising from major projects in England should be distributed transparently and fairly. 'To ensure transparency and effective use of resources, this funding must be allocated directly to Network Rail to deliver for the needs of people in Wales,' Mr Rowlands said. The Welsh Government has previously argued that HS2 should be classed as an 'England-only' project for the purposes of funding allocation, potentially unlocking billions in additional investment for Wales. However, no change in classification has been agreed. The Herald has approached the Welsh Government for comment.
NDTV
21-04-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Liberals Surge Past Conservatives Days Before Canada Votes For New PM
Ottawa, Canada: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has ensured that his party - the Liberal Party of Canada - has come from behind and taken the lead just a week ahead of the parliamentary election in Canada, opinion polls suggest. This is a significant achievement for Prime Minister Carney as his Liberal Party was miles behind the opposition Conservative Party just over a month ago, when he took over from Justin Trudeau, who was much to blame for the Liberal Party's misery over the last year. Justin Trudeau, who was in power for more than nine years, was facing a massive anti-incumbency and backlash from the opposition and Canadian citizens alike over inflation, high immigration levels and a housing crisis. LIBERALS OVERTAKE CONSERVATIVES, SAY POLLS But under Mark Carney, the Liberals have come a long way. A rolling three-day Nanos poll released on Monday put the Liberals at 43.7 per cent public support compared to the Conservatives at 36.3 per cent. Jagmeet Singh's left-leaning New Democrats, who compete with the Liberals for the center-left vote, trailed at a distant 10.7 per cent. If this is how the numbers stand on voting day, the Liberal Party of Canada will get a clear majority in the 343-member Canadian Parliament. MARK CARNEY SHIFTS GEARS FOR THE LIBERALS Mark Carney, 60, who was a former banker in Canada's central bank, has had no prior political experience. But he has described himself as "someone who knows how to negotiate and how to manage a crisis." Mr Carney, who has taken some strong measures against US President Donald Trump's punitive tariffs and threats to takeover his country and make it the 51st state of the United States, appealed again to fellow Canadians on Monday, asking them to come out in large numbers and vote for him. He has been demanding a decisive mandate, preferably a majority government, for Canada to ensure the next government can withstand pressure from President Trump and the US government, who have made intentions clear about its foreign policy objectives vis-a-vis annexing Canada. Canada needs to drastically reduce its dependence on America and completely restructure its economy, Mr Carney has said. "We need a government that has a strong mandate, a clear mandate. We need a government that has a plan that meets the moment," Mr Carney said during a campaign event on Monday. The Liberal platform, which promises additional spending of around C$130 billion (Canadian Dollar) over the next four years, predicts that the 2025-26 deficit will be C$62.3 billion, far higher than the C$42.2 billion forecast in December. CANADA ELECTION: EARLY VOTING HAS BEGUN Elections Canada, which is the official election body of the country, has said that it has already recorded the votes of more than 2 million citizens who have cast their ballots on the first day of advance voting on Friday. Canada has a total of 28 million registered voters. The average voter turnout in Canada's parliamentary elections from the 1950s to the 1990s ranged between 70 per cent and 80 per cent - a high count. But since the turn of the century, the voter turnout has steadily declined. In the most recent elections in 2021, it had dropped to 62.3 per cent. The Nanos poll, which surveyed 1,289 people, was carried out on April 17, 19, and 20. It is considered accurate to within 2.7 percentage points or 19 times out of 20.
