‘Perfidious Tories cut money going to Welsh Government’
WALES’ climate minister has accused the UK Government of treachery as the row continues over how the country’s EU funding will be replaced.
Julie James MS hit out at the Conservatives during a Plenary session at the Senedd on Wednesday, calling the party “perfidious” and claiming they had U-turned on the promises made to Wales as part of Brexit.
Her tirade came in response to a question from Tory MS Janet Finchsaunders on carbon reduction measures in Wales.
The Aberconwy representative raised concerns about the Welsh Government’s commitment to peatland restoration, and said the £5.7 million to be spent on the project over five years “lacks ambition”.
In her furious reply over video link, Ms James said: “I do constantly admire the sheer brass neck that you have of constantly telling the Welsh Government they’re not spending enough money in light of your government’s promise to not a penny less than we were getting from the European Union, in leaving the European Union.
“Whilst completely flying in the face of every single commitment that your government and every politician in it, including you sitting there on those benches, made to Wales.
“I’ll start by saying I’m taking no lectures from you whatsoever about the amount of money the Welsh
Government spends on anything until you put right the amount of money that’s missing from the Welsh budget as a result of the perfidious actions of the Conservative Government in Westminster, collaborated with and by yourselves on that bench.”
Ms Finch-saunders could be seen laughing and holding her hands up as she listened to Ms James’ answer.
Boris Johnson has announced £46 million will be given to projects in Wales as part of a pilot Community Renewal Fund designed to replace EU funding in poorer areas of the UK.
The fund is separate to the Levelling Up Fund which councils have to bid for. There are also plans for a Shared Prosperity Fund to be launched next year.
However, the Welsh Government has said the UK Government has not lived up to its repeated assurances during the Brexit debate that Wales would not lose “a single penny” of EU funding should the UK leave the bloc.
It said the amount of money now on offer is a fraction of the £375 million in structural funds Wales received from the EU every year, and the way the new funds are set up means the country will have less control over how they will be spent.