Welsh ministers are being humiliated by the UK government’s approach to devolution, a Labour Member of the Senedd claimed.
Alun Davies criticised Westminster’s handling of funding and disputes over devolved powers, saying Wales was being treated unfairly. His comments highlight growing tensions within Labour between the UK government and the Welsh administration over where authority should lie in devolved areas.
The row centres on the UK government’s Pride in Place scheme, which will fund town centre regeneration projects by allocating money directly to local councils in Wales, bypassing the Welsh government.
The policy relies on legislation that allows Westminster to spend in areas normally controlled by the Senedd.
Davies was one of 11 Labour backbench MSs who signed a letter condemning the approach. Another signatory, Jenny Rathbone, said the policy was forcing deprived areas to compete against one another and argued the funding had been taken from money that should have gone to the Welsh government.
“This is devastating for the everyday lives of the people I represent,” she said.
The UK government has defended the scheme, saying it allows local communities to set their own priorities and that the funding is additional to what it described as record levels of financial support already provided to Wales.
During a debate in the Senedd on Wednesday, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of failing to deliver for Wales, claiming the policy amounted to bypassing devolution altogether.
Conservative MS James Evans criticised the ongoing arguments over devolution, saying they were distracting from the real challenges facing people in Wales.
Responding on behalf of the Welsh government, Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies reiterated calls for further devolution, including powers over the Crown Estate and the justice system.
He said Welsh Labour remained committed to defending devolution and delivering for people across Wales.
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