Fairness and ambition are at the heart of my politics. Earlier this week, I spoke about my fundamental belief that the two are intertwined, and that we must considerably raise the bar in terms of our ambition for our country. We need a Government that shows real determination to build both economic and social prosperity if we really are to achieve the fairness we strive for and tackle the inequalities that blight our communities.
That ambition and determination has sadly been in short supply under successive Welsh Labour Government but Plaid Cymru wants to change that. We’re have to be ready to do what it takes to get Wales’ house in order. Long term planning instead of Labour’s short-termism, and a relentless focus on turning things around. But whilst we remain in the UK, we look to UK Government to ensure fair funding, too.
These are tough times. We’re facing the brunt of a Conservative Government in Westminster who have caused immeasurable damage to our communities in the 14 years they’ve been in power. We’re desperate for change. The Tories care little about fair treatment of fair funding for Wales. But the change in the occupants of Downing Street from blue to red doesn’t guarantee the change we want, and sadly there’s little evidence that Keir Starmer’s Labour is ready to address the fair funding issue either.
The loss of hundreds of millions of pounds from the core 2024-25 Welsh budget demonstrates the scale of the challenge we face, but the unfairness is seen across the board. Our ability to invest in our public services and in investing for economic prosperity is very much constrained by the political decisions made in Westminster, where investment is often used as a pre-elections sweetener.
The designation of HS2 as an “England and Wales” project - despite no metre of track in Wales – has denied us BILLIONS. Plaid Cymru voted against that injustice from the start, and whilst the Conservatives continue to refuse to right that wrong, Labour refuses to pledge to do so either.
I propose an Economic Fairness (Wales) Bill at Westminster so this can’t happen again. It would take the place of the old ‘Barnett formula’ which decides how UK funds are shared. Even Barnett himself saw it as a temporary measure, and that was nearly 50 years ago. It is desperately outdated, doesn’t reflect need, and Plaid Cymru says it’s time for change.
Plaid Cymru will lead the charge on making the case for that fair funding. But we’re the ones determined to undo decades of economic stagnation.
We will not accept that this is as good as it gets for Wales. On the economy, we need to have a clear picture of the mission and direction in order to deliver for the people of Wales.
We need clear targets. Without them, how can we aspire to reach our goals – to measure economic success and know where there is room for improvement? It sounds obvious, I know, but few in Wales are making this call. So let’s set ourselves that challenge.
To bring in innovative thinking on supporting business success at arms length from Government, I propose establishing a new development agency, The WDA disappeared two decades ago, but I think we need a new agency that fit for the 2050s and beyond. We need to be more proactive in our attempts to achieve a different outcome.
And we need those outcomes to benefit all parts of Wales, which is why, as well as calling for a fair funding settlement from Westminster, I’ve described how we must also make sure investment is spread evenly within Wales. We must ensure a fair distribution of funds across Wales, accounting for each community’s needs. No more north vs south, or east vs west. All communities deserve fair play.
I’ll conclude my message as I started. I see fairness and ambition as being inextricably linked. Both have the wellbeing of the people of Wales at their heart. My vision, and Plaid Cymru’s vision, is simple. We have to strive for better than this.
