Welsh Conservatives today condemned the latest Labour Party complacency over the state of the Welsh economy.
Challenged over figures which suggest parts of Wales could qualify again for the highest level of EU aid Business Minister Jane Hutt said the prospect is “not a matter of shame”.
The comment follows claims by Labour First Minister Carwyn Jones that dire economic figures for Wales “aren’t that bad” and Labour Welsh Secretary Peter Hain compared Wales with Rwanda when challenged on poverty levels.
Ms Hutt’s comments were made during exchanges with Opposition leader Nick Bourne in First Minister’s Questions.
According to the latest Eurostat figures, GDP for west Wales and the valleys is 73.4% of the EU average, ranking the area alongside parts of eastern Europe.
It leaves west Wales and the valleys as the only part of the UK to fall below the 75% threshold for qualifying for the highest level of EU aid.
Responding to Jane Hutt’s comments Opposition leader Nick Bourne AM said:
“Jane Hutt might not think it’s a matter of shame that Wales could once again qualify for the highest level of EU aid – I think it’s a scandal and a damning indictment of Labour failure over the last 13 years.
“The degree of complacency we are witnessing from senior Labour figures about our economic plight should anger people across Wales.
“Under Labour Wales has become the poorest part of the United Kingdom.
“We have the highest unemployment rate of any UK nation – and higher than countries like Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia.
“96,000 children are living in severe poverty, with one in three classified as living in poverty overall.
“The fall in Welsh exports last year was twice that of the devolved nations and English regions combined.
“Businesses are closing, we have high levels of worklessness, and investment is drying up.
“On what possible measure can ministers like Jane Hutt, Carwyn Jones and Peter Hain stand up and say the figures aren’t that bad and aren’t a matter of shame?
“Labour failed to prepare Wales for the recession, they failed to properly support Welsh businesses during the recession, now they’re failing to face facts when we emerge from the recession.
“We need to salvage Wales from the wreckage of Labour’s economic policies and create a more balanced economy with the right conditions for businesses to flourish and prosperity to reach every community.”
