£14 billion rail promise has translated into only £30 million in
this Budget', says MP
Plaid Cymru Treasury spokesperson, MP has responded to the
Chancellor's Budget, saying:
"Today's Budget was UK Labour's opportunity to prove that Wales
is more than an afterthought in Treasury decisions. Instead, it
appears to have delivered the worst funding settlement for Wales
in years.
"After months of promises about a new relationship with Wales and
a new approach from the Treasury, the question many people will
be asking is where is the ambition?
"The Chancellor chose not to announce what Wales would receive in
consequentials from this Budget. Buried in the documents is
around £450 million of additional funding spread over three
years. That falls well short of keeping pace with inflation and
risks forcing the kind of spending reductions Wales experienced
during the worst years of Tory cuts.
"The Budget also fails to make meaningful progress on
longstanding injustices. The Cardiff Parkway station was
announced by in February 2026 as part of a
package of seven new stations, yet the UK Government now expects
Wales to welcome funding for just one of them.
"Plaid Cymru called for £1 billion of rail investment in this
Budget to begin delivering the UK Government's £14 billion
commitment to Wales. Instead, Wales has been offered just £30
million. A £14 billion promise has, in practice, translated into
£30 million in this Budget.
"We welcome any movement on energy support, but scrapping gas
standing charges is not enough. Many households across Wales are
not connected to the gas grid and will see no benefit from this
measure. Yet they continue to face some of the highest
electricity standing charges in Britain, and the Budget does
nothing to address that unfairness.
"The people of Wales voted in May for a new relationship with
Westminster and a fairer deal for Wales. Today's Budget suggests
that, while the faces in Downing Street may have changed, the
Treasury's approach to Wales has not."
