Coronavirus: 'Not a penny' for Wales from Johnson's 'new deal'
"Not a single penny" of new investment will come to Wales as a result of Boris Johnson's post-coronavirus recovery plan, the Welsh Government has said.
Mr Johnson promised a £5bn infrastructure "new deal" for England and to work with the Welsh Government to "get spades in the ground". Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething said it was not "a new deal but no deal" with no extra cash for Wales. Welsh Secretary Simon Hart said all four UK nations should "work together". In a speech in Dudley, in the West Midlands, the prime minister said now was the time to be "ambitious" about the UK's future, as he set out a post-coronavirus recovery plan. He vowed to "use this moment" to fix longstanding economic problems and promised a £5bn "new deal" to build homes and infrastructure in England. Mr Johnson said plans set out in December's Tory election manifesto would be speeded up and "intensified". He added: "We will work with the devolved administrations to identify where we can get spades in the ground, build our communities, and create jobs faster for citizens across the United Kingdom". "We will carry out a review to look at how best to improve road, rail, air and sea links between our four nations to create a more connected kingdom." But Vaughan Gething, the Welsh Government's health minister, said the prime minister's speech was a "classic challenge of unpicking the rhetoric from the reality". Mr Gething said this was "not so much a new deal but no deal" and added "not a single penny of new cash" would come to Wales for investment in infrastructure projects. Speaking to journalists at the Welsh Government's daily coronavirus news conference, he accused Mr Johnson of "looking down the back of departmental sofas for cash" and said that, ultimately, there was "no new money for England let alone Wales". 'We would welcome genuine action' The UK government's Welsh Secretary Simon Hart said it was important that all four nation of the UK "work together". "The prime minister was clear - we are committed to prioritising infrastructure projects that will boost the economy and create jobs across the UK," he said. "I look forward to working with the Welsh Government to identify projects in Wales that will make a real difference to people's lives." In a statement, a Welsh Government spokesperson said: "While we would welcome genuine action to support efforts to boost connectivity and our transport infrastructure - we need to be fully involved. "The minister for economy [Ken Skates] today made clear to UK government ministers our request to play a full and meaningful part in a review. "This must also be accompanied by investment and we don't believe what has been said today will lead to a single penny of new investment for Wales."