The UK Government has raided the money from the devolved Welsh and Scottish budgets to help pay for military aid for Ukraine. Wales' finance minister Rebecca Evans has attacked the decision, calling it "worrying and potentially divisive".
The UK Government announced on Wednesday night (June 29) it would provide another £1bn of military support to Ukraine. Within the press release that was sent out, it included a note that "this new funding has come from the underspend of departments across the UK Government and £95 million in contributions from the Scottish and Welsh Governments’ budgets – recognising the wide importance of tackling Russian aggression."
It has now emerged that the UK’s Chief Secretary to the Treasury asked Wales and Scotland to either offer up a contribution or to take a reduction in the consequentials provided as part of the block grant from the UK Government. The Welsh Government was left with the choice of contributing funding up front, or being hit with a negative Barnett consequential later in the year. Wales was asked to provide £30m, money which will come from its capital budget and will need to be found from existing spending plans.
