The Shared Prosperity Fund

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Trefnydd – in the Senedd at 3:06 pm on 10 February 2021.

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Photo of Alun Davies Alun Davies Labour 3:06, 10 February 2021

I'm grateful to you for that, Minister. You will have seen the Welsh Affairs Select Committee's report from Westminster, published in the autumn, which was a devastating report and a devastating condemnation of a UK Government by a committee largely dominated by Conservative Members. They made two criticisms of the UK Government. First of all, there was the lack of engagement that you described. Secondly, there was an arrogance, as I read it, in wanting to ignore the expertise that we have in Wales, in terms of delivering the sort of investments that you have just described in the Cynon valley.

Does it concern you as much as it concerns me, Minister, that this is a betrayal? It's a real betrayal of people, not just those of us who voted 'remain' in 2016, but more so, people who voted to leave the European Union in 2016, who were promised that they wouldn't lose a penny of investment—that all of the investment that was coming to places like Blaenau Gwent would be replaced by the UK Government. That has been demonstrated to be an absolute lie. That means that places like the constituency that I represent, the constituency that you represent, and many of us in this Chamber, will see investments that would have taken place in our people, our places and our infrastructure, but will not take place now because of a real betrayal by the UK Government of people in Wales.