“Downright Insulting” – Labour Minister Tells Wales to Be "More Grateful" for Rail Funding Scraps

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have condemned the Labour Party following a tense exchange between Welsh Lib Dem Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones over the issue of rail funding. During the exchange, the Minister suggested that Wales should be “more grateful” for the funding it received under the latest Spending Review.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats described the Minister’s response as “gobsmackingly arrogant” and indicative of Labour’s ongoing disregard for the deep-rooted structural inequalities that have left Wales persistently short-changed on rail investment.

The fiery response from the Minister was a result of David Chadwick stating that it was “insulting” for Welsh people to be told they are getting a good deal on rail funding when Wales has been “cheated” out of billions of pounds due to misclassifications and asked the Minister to look at funding projects in Mid & West Wales or to consider the electrification of the north and south mainlines.

Under the Spending Review, Wales received just £445 million in rail funding, significantly less than regions with smaller populations, such as Manchester, which was allocated £2.5 billion.

While Labour claims this allocation compensates for previous underinvestment, transport experts have widely disputed that assertion.

With no reforms to the funding model, Wales is set to remain at a disadvantage for years to come, particularly as major projects like East-West Rail proceed in England without any corresponding funding for Wales, unlike the arrangements in place for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

This disparity is likely to deepen now that HS2 has been delayed beyond 2033, requiring multiple further rounds of funding, all of which, under the current system, will continue to exclude consequential payments to Wales for its own transport projects.

Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP said:

“This was a gobsmackingly arrogant response from the Minister that just shows how out of touch Labour are with Wales.

“Labour has given Wales absolute crumbs when it comes to rail funding in this Spending Review and failed to address the structural problems leading to this injustice, yet the Minister says we should be grateful for the scraps they’ve offered us. It’s simply unbelievable.

"Wales is in dire need of economic investment, given our high poverty levels and the legacy of deindustrialisation. 

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats will continue to fight for fair infrastructure funding for Wales so we can build an economy that supports our communities, even in the face of fierce opposition from Labour.”

ENDS