Peredur Owen Griffiths
A Freedom of Information request submitted by Plaid Cymru has revealed that there has been no official correspondence between the UK and Welsh Governments about the East West Rail project’s reclassification as an England and Wales project.
The response to the submission, which requested ‘all ministerial correspondence’ on the reclassification of East-West rail, revealed that the information ‘is not held by the Welsh Government’.
The “England and Wales” designation means that Wales will not receive Barnett consequential funding from the project.
The UK Government had claimed the cash earmarked for East West Rail came from a pot of money also used to fund projects in Wales such as the redevelopment of Cardiff Central Station.
England-only
But it later transpired that in the 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024 editions of the UK Government’s Statement of Funding Policies, the railway line was classified as an England-only project.
The project’s designation was then altered by the current Labour government at Westminster.
It’s estimated that the re-classification will see Wales miss out on an additional £360 million in consequential rail funding.
Last month, the Welsh First Minister told MSs that those confused about the classification of the East West Rail project that they needed “a little lesson on how the Welsh devolution settlement works”.
Plaid Cymru’s transport spokesperson, Peredur Owen Griffiths has accused the Labour Welsh Government of prioritising party loyalties over fighting for ‘the millions of pounds that Wales is owed’.
‘Denied funding’
He said: “The Labour UK Government have chosen to take hundreds of millions away from Wales by reclassifying East West rail as an ‘England and Wales’ project – and this FOI only further confirms that Labour in Wales have chosen to do nothing about it.
“Geography dictates that this project won’t benefit Wales – it’s yet another blatant example of how we’re being denied the funding that we’re owed.
“We were told that two Labour governments would mean a ‘partnership in power’ delivering for Wales. Yet, when Keir Starmer actively, consciously, takes money away from us, Labour in Wales is silent – in another case of putting party loyalties and their Westminster bosses before the people of Wales.
“At risk of rocking the Labour boat, it appears that Eluned Morgan won’t even send an email to ask for the millions of pounds that Wales is owed.”
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