Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been urged to show he is serious about Wales' needs as he prepares to meet with the Welsh and Scottish first ministers. The former Greater Manchester mayor is joining Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth and SNP leader John Swinney in Glasgow on Friday. Before the meeting, ap Iorwerth said he assumed Burnham was holding something back after a UK government Budget that had "little mention" of Wales.
Burnham said he would be making an offer to each of the devolved governments at Friday's meeting. Wednesday's Budget pledged an extra £450m for Wales over the next three years as well as funding for individual projects. The Welsh government has criticised the chancellor's plans, claiming the extra money promised leaves it facing a real-terms cut to its own finances.
A £30m funding pledge for a new railway station in Cardiff has also been described as "an insult" by Wales' transport minister after the Welsh government called for £1bn to be spent on rail infrastructure in Wales. Welsh ministers had called for changes to their borrowing rules and assurances that child poverty payments it wants to introduce would leave recipients' tax and benefits allowances unaffected. None of that was addressed in the Budget, although Welsh Secretary Stephen Kinnock has said "positive" talks were ongoing regarding the child poverty payments.
Speaking to BBC Wales on the journey up to Glasgow, ap Iorwerth said he could "barely remember" a Budget with "so little mention of Wales". "I can only assume that the prime minister is holding something back and I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say [on Friday]. "I have no doubt that people will have been disappointed listening to the UK Budget this week.
"People will come to a judgement that is Wales not being treated fairly by a UK government. "We have in Glasgow this week an opportunity for the UK government and the new prime minister to show that they are serious about listening to the needs of Wales."
Source: BBC
