Just as decisions about Wales should be made in Wales, the funding allocated to Wales should be spent by the Welsh Government. That's a fundamental principle. Let's bear in mind that two years ago the Government in London announced the levelling-up fund, which was worth around £5 billion, for England only. It was only a year later that they acknowledged that some of it would be distributed between the devolved nations, with £800 million shared through the Barnett formula to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Rather than levelling up, what we are seeing is the latest proposals spreading the resources available to us thinner and thinner and drawing funding away from those areas where they are most needed.

You will, I'm sure, bear in mind that, under the EU's criteria previously, Gwynedd was considered as an area that required financial assistance, and Gwynedd did receive contributions from the EU running into millions of pounds. But, under the current regime, Gwynedd is seen as an area that isn't in need of support and so is one of the lowest areas in terms of support through levelling up, whilst the county and area of the Chancellor is identified as an area that needed more funding and is therefore receiving more funding. So, the system put in place by Westminster is perverse and works against our most deprived areas.