Members of the Senedd have passed a motion calling on the UK Government to give Wales the money it is "rightfully owed" for HS2, after a years-long debate about the project being classified as "England and Wales." The motion was backed by all MSs present, including those from the Welsh Conservatives whose position differs massively from many of their Westminster colleagues.
In the Senedd on Wednesday, April 26, Plaid Cymru's Luke Fletcher introduced a motion tabled by Siân Gwenllian to ask the UK Government for Wales' fair share of money by redesignating HS2 as an England-only project. He said the current funding situation was an "unjust neglect of Wales" reflecting "how Westminster prioritises England at the expense of Wales."
He continued: "Despite Wales not being directly connected to the proposed route, we are still entitled to receive our fair share of funding, as per the Barnett formula... As a Senedd, we should unite and demand that the UK Government redesignates HS2 as an England-only project, thus providing Wales with essential consequential funding."
He said the funding could be used to repair and modernise Wales' "outdated and underfunded" railways, something deputy climate minister Lee Waters warns will only get worse in the next five years.
The project's status means Wales misses out on £5bn of funding it would've received if the railway - which is based entirely in England - was classed as an England-only investment. The UK Government now has a long record of defending this decision, which Rishi Sunak did again on Wednesday in Parliament - you can read what he said here.
Mr Fletcher also pointed out that Keir Starmer has also refused to commit to giving Wales its share of funding: "The Tory Government demonstrates yet again that Wales is an afterthought in Whitehall, but the sad truth is that Wales could face the same fate under a Labour-led UK Government. While the First Minister supported our calls for HS2 to be reclassified as an England-only project, Starmer has refused to agree with the First Minister."
In sharp contrast to their Westminster colleagues, Welsh Conservative MSs supported the motion, with Natasha Asghar making clear: "It's the Welsh Conservative view that Wales should receive consequentials as a result of HS2."
But Ms Asghar continued: "We don't want to see a single penny go directly into the hands of this Labour Government," citing the cancelled M4 relief road, money put into Cardiff Airport and unspent money taken back by Westminster as examples of the Welsh Government "wasting taxpayers' money" and being fiscally irresponsible.
She called for the money to go directly to Network Rail instead, but defended HS2's "benefits to Wales," including "faster and more frequent train services to Wales" - possibly referring to faster connections between the north-west of England and London.
But Plaid Cymru MS Mabon ap Gwynfor said: "In defending the decision not to provide the money that is owed to Wales as a result of these projects, the Westminster Government has argued that they will benefit north Wales, because the people of north Wales, believe it or not, will be able to reach London earlier.
"This essentially shows the mentality of the British state; whether Labour or Conservatives, London is the centre of the world. Feeding London is the priority, not promoting the economy of other areas.
"But linking people with London is not our priority. According to the North Wales Transport Commission, two thirds of all journeys made by people in north Wales are 15 km or less. So, we need investment to develop connectivity between our communities here in Wales. This is our priority."
Sian Gwenllian, who moved the motion, reiterated how "invaluable" a further £5bn in funding would be, adding: "There is another problem that militates against the creation of a rail system that we can be proud of, and that is the absurd situation that the responsibility for the infrastructure and rail lines is with a body under Westminster. Network Rail has underinvested on a broad scale in Wales for many years, and we need to devolve responsibility for infrastructure and the consequential funding to this Senedd."
She cited the need for electrification of the north Wales rail line, something she was worried "will never see the light of day."
After an hour-long debate in which the "top-down" decision-making of the Treasury came under further fire, the motion was passed without any objections. It didn't need to go to a formal vote, with all the Senedd members present willing to let it pass.
A UK Government spokesperson previously commented: "The UK Government is responsible for heavy rail infrastructure across England and Wales, so spends money on this in Wales directly rather than funding the Welsh Government to do so. This is consistent with the funding arrangements for all other policy areas reserved in Wales and not devolved.
"The UK Government’s existing rail investment in Wales includes upgrading the signalling on the Cambrian Line, developing upgrades for Cardiff Central Station, re-opening Bow Street Station, and the electrification of the Severn Tunnel."
Whilst it's technically correct that heavy rail isn't devolved, the amount of money Wales receives from the UK Government is based on a "comparability factor," effectively meaning the more money is spent in England only by that department, the more money Wales receives.
Crossrail, a London-based railway project that resulted in the Elizabeth Line being built, has a comparability factor of 100% for both Wales and Scotland, meaning both have received increased funding to match it. Despite none of HS2's track being in Wales, Wales has a comparability factor of 0% for it, meaning (unlike Scotland) Wales won't receive any money as a result.
The Welsh Secretary has gone on record defending this decision, saying: "It's going to benefit Wales, it's going to benefit people in North Wales who will benefit from better access at Crewe to London... It's also going to benefit companies across Wales who are feeding into the supply chain, including one major company in my own constituency."
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