The UK Government's Autumn Statement

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:09 pm on 22 November 2022.

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Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 2:09, 22 November 2022

Thank you. I think you make a really important point about transparency and where this fault lies. I quite agree with you. With the UK Government, we've had a decade of austerity, and now I think this is even worse than the austerity elements that they brought in over the last decade. The UK is in a deep recession, and household incomes are falling at an incredibly fast rate. What did the Chancellor do last week? He just presented us with an invoice for the UK Government's failure to manage the economy and public finances over the last 12 years. We have got the highest inflation in 40 years. We have got the highest tax burden in 70 years. This is so serious, and I think that it is absolutely important that that is communicated with our constituents.

The Minister for Finance and Local Government has repeatedly called on the UK Government to invest in public services. What the Chancellor said was that he wanted to provide support to the most vulnerable, but I think that there's a real concern that that's just not going to happen. That's why the Welsh Government will do all that it can. I mentioned in earlier answers that, obviously, we are looking at our draft budget, which will be published next month. We are really carefully considering the detail of the autumn statement, and I can assure everyone in this Chamber that, as a Welsh Government, we will continue to prioritise our budgets to shield the most vulnerable and maintain our commitment to that stronger, fairer, greener Wales.