Wales' new secretary of state has said that plans to expand the Senedd are "extraordinarily out of touch". Sir Robert Buckland, who was appointed by Boris Johnson earlier this month, has said the idea should be "put on the back shelf".
Speaking to journalists in his first briefing since taking over the role he was asked if agrees with the Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies that there should be no further devolution of powers to Wales and whether the Senedd should be expanded from the current 60 to 96 members.
Sir Robert said: "If the answer is more politicians then what on earth is the question and why on earth is it being asked? I mean I've never heard anybody either in Wales, England, or elsewhere to say: ‘The solution to our problems are for more politicians’. It's extraordinarily out of touch. My sage advice would be for the Welsh Government to put those ideas very much on the back shelf and get on with what matters to the people of Wales – the delivery of public services, economic opportunity, and how we can build on the levelling up agenda.
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“We can spend months, hours or years talking about the process of devolution. I don't see how that is in the interest of the people we serve. We've reached the depths of devolution now as a result, in fact, of what this government with the Wales Act 2017 that creates a higher degree of clarity and gives a remarkable range of powers to the Welsh Government to what is now a Senedd in a way that couldn’t have been envisaged in 1999. So what are we arguing about? What are we talking about?
“We should be talking about the way in which those powers are delivered in Wales rather than obsessing about process. I'll accept the position is as acute in Wales as in Scotland where the SNP is banging on about an independence referendum when they've got nothing else to say about schools and hospitals. But should we allow the Welsh Government to obsess about process instead of talking about issues like hospitals of health and the aspirations of our parents and children when it comes to education? Those seem to be far more important issues than arcane debates about the size of the Senedd or rather odd structures relating to voting systems and multi-member constituencies that seem to me to take away that constituency and elected member system."
He was asked if the relationship between the Welsh and UK Governments needs to be "reset". He said there had been instances of things being communicated between the two governments at the last minute, which "is a concern", but said if that was addressed the relationship could be "very healthy indeed".
"There are many things I disagree with Mark Drakeford on but it doesn't mean that we can't have a business-like, professional relationship because there are things that I'm going to need the Welsh Government's help with and things they will need the UK Government's help with," he said. "What we should be remembering is: why are we in the business of politics and public service? Because of the people we serve. I think the people in Wales don't actually really care what label is placed upon the delivery – they just want delivery.
“We live in a devolved country – this isn't an independent country, or a separate country, and therefore the role of the UK Government is enduring and strong. If you think about our role in Covid, universal credit system, the benefits system, the tax or HMRC system – all of those important initiatives, like the furlough scheme– were UK government's initiatives. I think it's only right to talk about them in a positive way and doesn’t mean we’re here to crowd out what the Welsh Government does but it does mean there's room for all of us.”
The new secretary of state for Wales also revealed he's a Eurovision fan and backed calls for Cardiff's Principality Stadium to host the event in 2023. You can read that here.
Sir Robert was also asked about reports Tata had threatened to shut the Port Talbot steelworks unless it gets £1.5bn from the UK Government. You can catch up on that here. He said any decision will be made under the next Prime Minister. "This is a very important matter. Obviously it would involve a decision to be made at the highest level by the Treasury. And I think it’s right those decisions are made by the new prime minister that doesn't mean that the lines aren't open between now and then for for the fact that both the secretary of state and I are reiterating our believe in a sovereign capacity of the UK to produce steel should be a very clear indication to Tata to others that we are deeply committed to a sustainable future for our steel industry," he said.
"I think we need to be careful about the figures and I don't want to start any sort of misunderstandings here. It's important that we negotiate directly rather than through the media. I think I'm right in saying that we just need a degree of caution when it comes to the headline numbers here."
Asked whether he backed the idea of a significant government subsidy for the purpose of an eco transition he said: "I understand the need for it and I think that it's important that we work together, publicly or privately, to come up with a plan that does that allow that transition on a sustainable future for Port Talbot but, as I say, I think it's important that the government respects Tata and its position and conducts its negotiations. directly with with government rather than via the media."
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