Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to demonstrate genuine commitment to Wales ahead of a National Economic Council summit scheduled for Friday in Glasgow. The meeting will bring together Burnham, ap Iorwerth, and Scottish First Minister John Swinney to discuss economic strategy across the UK's devolved nations. According to BBC News, ap Iorwerth expressed frustration that the government's recent Budget contained minimal reference to Wales and suggested the prime minister may be withholding announcements for the Friday gathering.
The Budget announcement on Wednesday allocated an additional £450m to Wales over three years alongside funding for specific projects. However, the Welsh government rejected the package as insufficient, arguing that the new money leaves it facing a real-terms reduction in its overall finances. The UK government stated the £450m was on top of £1bn from the 2025 Budget and Spring Forecast 2026, and that Welsh funding would remain above its assessed level of need.
A particularly contentious element of the Budget was a £30m commitment for a new railway station in Cardiff. Wales' transport minister dismissed this as
"an insult"after the Welsh government had previously requested £1bn for rail infrastructure investment across Wales. The £30m Cardiff Parkway allocation is part of a previously announced £445m rail package; the UK government said the investment was needed after years of underinvestment.
Welsh ministers had sought modifications to their borrowing regulations and guarantees that a child poverty payment scheme they intend to introduce would not affect recipients' tax and benefits entitlements. Neither of these demands was addressed in the Budget, though Welsh Secretary Stephen Kinnock has indicated
"positive"discussions are continuing regarding the child poverty payments.
What did the First Minister say about the Budget?
Speaking to BBC Wales while travelling to Glasgow, ap Iorwerth stated he could
"barely remember"a Budget with
"so little mention of Wales"and suggested the prime minister was holding back announcements. He expressed confidence that Welsh people would judge the government's treatment of Wales unfairly, saying
"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."
What powers is Wales seeking?
When asked whether he would raise Welsh independence at Friday's meeting, ap Iorwerth redirected focus to immediate governance concerns, stating
"This is about creating a prosperous future for Wales. This is about dealing with the issues that we face right now as a government on fair funding, on the powers that we need to improve people's lives in Wales. Those are the issues that I will discuss with the UK government at this meeting this week."Ap Iorwerth planned to press for Wales to receive powers on a par with Scotland through a Wales Bill, a fairer funding settlement, and a new UK–Welsh government Growth Partnership, and also intended to raise devolving justice and policing, and seek action to ensure the Cynnal child-payment pilot would not leave recipients worse off through tax.
Since becoming prime minister, Burnham has repeatedly endorsed devolution and indicated he is
"open"to transferring powers over policing and justice to Wales. During Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, he stated he was
"ready to make an offer"on the devolution of employment support.
What is Burnham's position on devolution?
Ahead of Friday's meeting, Burnham outlined his vision for regional empowerment, saying
"Today I'll be making an offer to the government of each nation. Put politics aside and work in partnership with the UK government to develop models of regional empowerment that ensure communities can use their own strengths to unlock their potential. This is the next stage of devolution. Together, there is no limit to what we can achieve."Burnham offered to work with each devolved government on regional empowerment, with more decision-making for cities and regions; the proposal did not specify models or accompanying funding.
The National Economic Council meeting was originally scheduled to include Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill, but her attendance was blocked by her party, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), on Thursday.
What happens next?
Ap Iorwerth was expected to seek a commitment from Burnham not to bypass the Senedd and to press for delivery of the UK government's £14bn rail-funding commitment to Wales. The Friday meeting will test whether the prime minister's rhetoric on devolution translates into concrete policy changes that address Welsh government concerns about funding fairness and powers parity with Scotland.
