8. Will the First Minister provide an update on the working relationship between the Welsh Government and the UK Government? OQ59022

Llywydd, the instability of the UK Government and frequent UK ministerial changes have made it difficult to form dependable and productive links in the past year. We continue to press for implementation of the reformed inter-governmental relations machinery and the predictable, respectful system it implies.

Diolch, First Minister. Downing Street last week sought to deny reports that Tory MPs in marginal seats have been told to stop using the phrase 'levelling up' ahead of the next election, because voters did not know what it meant, and instead use 'stepping up' or 'enhancing communities'. First Minister, no wonder no-one can understand's Boris Johnson's now unloved levelling up concept, as Rishi Sunak has been mired in defending how the richer south-east of England got or gets more money than its poorer north-east counterparts.

First Minister, what discussions did you and your Welsh Government have with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his UK Tory Government before these arbitrary announcements of some extra bits and pieces of funding for Wales? First Minister, isn't it obvious to all that this tired, clapped-out Tory UK Government does not work for Wales, does not work in the UK national interest, but instead works tirelessly for one thing and one thing only, the Conservative Party, irrespective of the damage, unfairness and inequities it exposes the people of Islwyn and Wales to? 

Well, Llywydd, just to make sure that this is properly on the record, the amount of money available for the whole of Wales from the levelling up fund is less than the money available to the south-east of England. Now, should we surprised at that? Well, I don't suppose we would be, because the current Prime Minister was on record during his campaign to become Prime Minister as having said that he himself—he himself—had seen to it that money was diverted away from deprived urban areas so that it could be spent in places like Tunbridge Wells. He was in Tunbridge Wells when he said it. I hope that his party is proud of that. I look forward to hearing them defend the fact that there's more money going to the south-east of England than to the whole of Wales. 

Let's just put that in context a little for a moment as well—[Interruption.]

I can't hear the First Minister. I can't hear the First Minister, so if people can be silent to listen to the remaining few sentences of the First Minister's response. 

Diolch, Llywydd. To put it in context for a moment, Wales received 22 per cent of the European Union's UK allocation from the last round of structural funds—22 per cent. We received 10 per cent of the levelling-up fund. Remember, Llywydd—remember—we were not to be a single penny worse off as a result of leaving the European Union. What nonsense that turned out to be. 

To answer the Member's point directly, Llywydd, the Welsh Government had no involvement in the development of the levelling-up fund, has had no role in its strategy or delivery, we were given no advance notice of the bids being announced last week. Every single thing about this fund is money taken away from Wales, decisions taken away from Wales. Everything about it is designed in Whitehall, and that distance really matters. The money isn't being used to do the things that Wales needs, and anybody who looks at it objectively could come to no other conclusion.

Thank you, First Minister.