Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:04 pm on 11 October 2022.
So, you agree with me, First Minister, about levels of pay, but you say your hands are tied by Westminster. Well, isn't it time, then, to take matters into our own hands? And no, I don't mean—. I'm not referring to independence or the devolution of welfare; that is a matter for another day. I mean in the here and now. In response to Alun Davies, you said you were committed to using all the powers that you had to defend the people of Wales from this Tory onslaught. Well, use all the powers that you have. We have the ability to use our tax powers to keep the 20p basic rate of tax in Wales and to be more progressive by putting a penny on the higher and additional rate. We argued for those powers, we campaigned for them, for situations precisely raise like this. Doing as we propose would raise close to £250 million and go some way, at least, to tackling the crisis in pay and morale in our public services, as well as in the wider crisis of liveability. It would protect our public services and save lives. Isn't that the Welsh way of solidarity, of community, of chwarae teg, for which this place was precisely created?