Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Economy – in the Senedd at 2:22 pm on 11 May 2022.
I have a very good and constructive relationship with the newly re-elected leader of the council of Newport, Jane Mudd, leading the Welsh Labour team to victory with the endorsement of the people of Newport. And, indeed, they rejected a range of the interesting and yet wholly unfunded and unachievable suggestions in the Welsh Conservative manifesto, including the barrage, of course, which was a proposal many years ago, and actually rejected by the then UK Conservative administration.
I do think that Welsh Conservatives really need to think long and hard before they celebrate the shared prosperity fund. It is a reduction in funding to Wales of more than £1 billion. It is staggering that you continue to come to this place and claim that it should be a cause of celebration. We have lost £1 billion in a straightforward breach of a manifesto pledge. And to demand that we make up the deliberate undermining of that fund and what that could do for the economy of not just Newport but across wider areas of Wales, I think, really does speak volumes about where the Tories are. In contrast, there is a level of ambition and renewal led by Newport council, in partnership with colleagues across the region, and, indeed, the Welsh Government.
When it comes to major investment, of course, it's public that Microsoft are investing in Newport. We have high hopes for further investment and progress with the semiconductor cluster, which is unique not just within the UK, but on a global level. I think that the prospects for Newport are good, and I look forward to working with elected Members in Newport, including, of course, Councillor Jane Mudd.